Fractional Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) (Hiring Immediately)

Company Description

ApprovalMax is redefining how finance teams manage the Money Out cycle — from purchase orders and supplier bills to employee expense management. Trusted by 18,000+ businesses worldwide , our platform empowers companies to automate financial controls, ensure compliance, and scale efficiently.

At the end of 2024 , ApprovalMax secured a £10 million growth investment from Yttrium , a leading European technology investor. This funding marks the beginning of a new chapter in our journey — scaling our category leadership in Money Out automation, expanding enterprise capabilities, and accelerating product innovation.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Fractional CISO to provide hands-on security leadership as we evolve our security function to support continued growth and European expansion. This is a permanent fractional engagement reporting directly to the CTO.

You will own our information security strategy, maintain our ISO 27001 certification, build our security roadmap, and prepare the organisation for SOC 2 readiness in 2026-2027. This role requires someone who can operate both strategically and tactically — developing policy one day and reviewing cloud configurations the next.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Governance

• Develop and own the Information Security strategy aligned with ApprovalMax's business objectives and European expansion plans
• Maintain and continuously improve the Information Security Management System (ISMS)
• Create, review, and maintain core security policies, standards, and procedures
• Establish and chair a cross-functional Security Working Group (Engineering, Architecture, IT, HR)
• Build and present a multi-year security roadmap with clear milestones, resource requirements, and priorities
• Serve as the central authority on risk assessment, risk treatment, and risk acceptance decisions
• Assess and provide guidance on secure AI adoption across the organisation, including AI-powered product features and internal AI tooling

Compliance & Certification

• Maintain ISO 27001 certification and prepare for the 2027 recertification audit
• Lead SOC 2 Type II readiness programme (target: 2026-2027), including gap analysis and control mapping
• Ensure compliance with GDPR and data protection requirements across EU/UK/US/AU/NZ/CA/ZA jurisdictions
• Collaborate with external DPO support provider on privacy-related matters and customer security questionnaires as needed

Cloud & Technical Security

• Provide security oversight across Azure, AWS, and Google Workspace environments
• Conduct access reviews and advise on identity and access management best practices
• Evaluate and guide implementation of security tooling (SIEM, vulnerability management, endpoint protection)
• Oversee VMware Workspace ONE MDM deployment and device security policies
• Advise engineering teams on secure SDLC practices, DevSecOps integration, and application security principles

Operational Security

• Develop and maintain incident response plans and procedures
• Lead incident response tabletop exercises and post-incident reviews
• Provide guidance on business continuity and disaster recovery planning
• Advise on vendor security assessments and third-party risk management

Awareness & Culture

• Design and deliver company-wide security awareness training programmes
• Mentor and upskill internal staff on security best practices
• Foster a security-first culture across all departments
• Act as a trusted advisor to leadership on emerging threats and security trends

Stakeholder Engagement

• Report regularly to the CTO on security posture, risks, and programme progress
• Prepare board-level security presentations as required (infrequent)
• Support commercial teams by contributing to customer security discussions when escalated

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in information security, with at least 3 years in a CISO, Head of Security, or senior security leadership role
• Demonstrated experience in B2B SaaS environments, ideally in fintech, finance software, or similarly regulated industries
• Proven track record of achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 certification
• Experience preparing organisations for SOC 2 Type II certification
• Hands-on experience securing cloud environments (Azure and/or AWS required; GCP a plus)
• Experience with Google Workspace security configuration and administration
• Background working with distributed, remote-first engineering teams

Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of cloud security architecture, identity management, and zero-trust principles
• Familiarity with secure software development lifecycle (SDLC) and DevSecOps practices
• Knowledge of MDM solutions (VMware Workspace ONE experience preferred)
• Understanding of API security and integration risk management
• Practical experience with security tooling: SIEM, vulnerability scanners, endpoint protection, etc.
• Awareness of AI/ML security risks, including secure AI adoption practices and emerging AI governance frameworks (desirable)

Compliance & Regulatory

• Deep knowledge of ISO 27001:2022 requirements and audit processes
• Familiarity with SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria (Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Privacy)
• Understanding of GDPR, UK Data Protection Act, and international data transfer mechanisms
• Awareness of regional requirements across EU, UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa

Additional Information

• Growing international business with 10,000+ subscribers
• Regular performance-based compensation reviews
• 26 days paid time off
• 1 additional day off for your Birthday
• Remote office assistance
• Service years recognition financial reward