Chief Information Security Officer

ATS Client

Cape Town

On-site

ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,200,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work hours

20 days annual leave

Job summary

Electrum is a leading FinTech company building cloud-native security for high-volume payment platforms. The CISO will own the enterprise security strategy, protect client data, and lead a high-performing security team in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

You will translate cyber risk into business value, drive secure scaling, and report to executive leadership, with autonomy to shape security priorities and governance across domains.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Science or related field.
CISSP, CISM, CISA or equivalent certification required.
Postgraduate qualification or MBA advantageous.

Responsibilities

Define and execute enterprise-wide information security strategy and roadmap.
Oversee security governance, regulatory alignment and risk management.
Lead Security Operations, incident response and external audits.

Skills

Security leadership

Cloud security

Regulatory governance

Incident response

Executive communication

Payment systems security

Education

Bachelor's degree in information security

CISSP/CISM/CISA or equivalent

MBA (advantageous)

Tools

AWS

Job description

Electrum is a next-generation payment software technology company.

Since 2012, we've delivered trusted, enterprise-grade, cloud-native software to optimise financial transaction processing. Our deep expertise has established us as a respected partner in high-volume, low-value payment schemes, enabling clients to deliver services to millions of South Africans daily.

At Electrum, we are grounded in impact - designing solutions that matter, acting with urgency, and continuously learning as we scale. We believe in creating together - working side by side with our clients and teams to build meaningful, lasting solutions. We prioritise making it safe - encouraging open communication, smart risk-taking, and trust so that creativity and alignment thrive. And we back empowered strong teams - hiring brilliant people, collaborating hard, and holding each other to high standards while leading with empathy and kindness.

When you join the Electrum team, you'll get to:

Be part of the entire journey - from the spark of an idea to the final product launch.
Grow your skills through world‑class training and hands‑on learning every day.
Receive mentorship and guidance from industry leaders who are invested in your success.
Work in a dynamic, innovative workplace where collaboration and creativity thrive.
Tackle real‑world customer challenges and see the impact of your work firsthand.
Explore plenty of opportunities to grow your career and expand your expertise.
Gain valuable experience in a leading FinTech environment, contributing to meaningful, high‑impact projects.

The Opportunity

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO): Electrum's Strategic Security Architect

This pivotal, high‑impact role at Electrum reports to the CTO. The CISO is the guardian of trust, owning and executing the enterprise‑wide security strategy. You will translate cyber risk into business value, ensure secure scaling, and protect enterprise value. The role offers full autonomy to lead the security team, shape the vision for secure financial services, and gain critical cloud‑native (AWS) FinTech experience, accelerating career growth.

The Role

The CISO is accountable for defining and executing the enterprise‑wide information security strategy and roadmap, protecting client data, payment platforms, cloud infrastructure, and internal systems. The role safeguards the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Electrum's software solutions. The CISO leads Cybersecurity and Compliance, ensuring regulatory alignment, risk governance, and security assurance. The CISO maintains independent security risk oversight and provides the EXCO and Board with executive visibility of cyber risk posture.

Responsibilities

Security Strategy & Governance

Establish, align, and uphold the enterprise security strategy with business goals and growth. Develop and enforce policies, standards, and frameworks to ensure mandatory compliance (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2, data protection). Maintain executive visibility of risks and mitigation. Shift security awareness from compliance to a core priority. Manage the annual security budget based on the strategic roadmap and risk tolerance.

Platform Security

Mandate secure architectural design for all platforms and APIs. Integrate secure SDLC into Engineering and DevOps. Ensure platform resilience via regular penetration testing and proactive threat modelling to minimize vulnerabilities.

Risk Management & Compliance

Lead enterprise‑wide risk assessments and maintain a risk register. Oversee security risk for third‑party vendors. Ensure continuous audit readiness and successful external audits. Maintain and regularly update incident response and data breach protocols. Track and ensure timely remediation of critical vulnerabilities per SLAs.

Security Operations & Incident Management

Oversee Security Operations, monitoring, and threat detection. Mandate annual testing of incident response plans. Lead post‑incident reviews and implement corrective actions. Guarantee security integration with business continuity and disaster recovery. Provide clear, timely executive reporting during active incidents. Develop and manage a proactive Insider Threat Program (monitoring, DLP, internal threat intelligence).

Leadership & Culture

Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing security team (recruitment, retention, performance management). Provide strategic security counsel to Product, Engineering, and Sales. Embed mandatory security requirements in client contracts and RFPs. Drive continuous improvement in organizational security maturity.

Requirements

Educational Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Information Security, Computer Science or related field (required).
CISSP, CISM, CISA or equivalent certification (required).
Postgraduate qualification or MBA (advantageous).

Relevant Experience

Minimum 10 years in information security leadership roles.
At least 5 years in regulated SaaS environments, such as payments/fintech or other.
Experience securing cloud‑native platforms (AWS preferred). Proven track record managing ISO 27001 / SOC 2 environments.
Experience reporting to Board or executive committees.

Skills

Deep understanding of payment systems and transaction security.
Strong cloud security and DevSecOps knowledge.
Risk governance and regulatory management expertise.
Incident leadership capability.
Executive communication and stakeholder management skills.

Competencies

Risk‑Based Security Leadership: Translates cyber threats into clear business risks and defines proportionate mitigation strategies aligned to enterprise priorities.
Regulatory & Governance Stewardship: Ensures sustained compliance with ISO 27001, SOC 2 and related standards through enforceable control frameworks.
Security Culture Leadership: Drives shared accountability for security across Engineering and Operational teams.

Benefits

Why Join Electrum?

Strategic Influence

As a senior security leader, you'll play a key role in shaping how secure financial services are built and delivered at scale. Your decisions will directly influence products used by millions and help define our long‑term security vision and risk posture.

High‑Performing Teams

We believe exceptional outcomes come from empowered, collaborative teams. You'll work alongside experienced engineering, product, and operational leaders in an environment that values trust, accountability, and technical excellence.

Transparency & Trust

We operate with a high degree of transparency across strategy, business performance, and decision‑making. Open discussion, constructive challenge, and continuous learning are core to how we lead and improve.

Ownership & Autonomy

We value leaders who take initiative, think strategically, and drive outcomes independently. You'll have the autonomy to shape security priorities, influence organisational direction, and build scalable practices that enable the business to move confidently and securely.

Building the Future of Financial Services

You’ll help define how modern, resilient, and secure financial systems are designed in a rapidly evolving threat landscape, balancing innovation, customer trust, and operational resilience.

Flexible Work