Information Security Director - Governance, Risk, and Compliance

First American
$166,800.00 - $222,300.00 / yr
sick time, 401(k)
United States, California, Santa Ana
1 First American Way (Show on map)
May 15, 2025
Who We Are Join a team that puts its People First! Since 1889, First American (NYSE: FAF) has held an unwavering belief in its people. They are passionate about what they do, and we are equally passionate about fostering an environment where all feel welcome, supported, and empowered to be innovative and reach their full potential. Our inclusive, people-first culture has earned our company numerous accolades, including being named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for ten consecutive years. We have also earned awards as a best place to work for women, diversity and LGBTQ+ employees, and have been included on more than 50 regional best places to work lists. First American will always strive to be a great place to work, for all. For more information, please visit www.careers.firstam.com. What We Do Reporting to the VP of InfoSec GRC, the Director of Information Security GRC leads the development and execution of enterprise-wide governance, risk, and compliance strategies to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and cybersecurity best practices. This role is responsible for leading information security risk assessments, the RCSA program, control testing, policy governance, and issue lifecycle management to strengthen the organization's risk posture. Serving as a key liaison between security, audit, and business stakeholders, the director provides strategic oversight and actionable insights to executive leadership.. This role is hybrid in office three days a week in Santa Ana, CA. What You'll Do Lead the strategic direction and execution of the enterprise-wide Information Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) program. Lead enterprise-wide information security risk assessments, including risk identification, evaluation, and prioritization, to support informed decision-making and resource allocation. Collaborate with business units and technology teams to assess the impact and likelihood of cybersecurity threats, integrating findings into broader risk management and mitigation strategy. Manage the full issue lifecycle, including issue identification, root cause analysis, remediation planning, tracking, validation, and closure, ensuring timely and effective resolution of risk and compliance gaps. Provide subject matter expertise and guidance for Information Security policies and standards. Drive policy governance, including the creation, review, approval, and maintenance of security policies, standards, and procedures to ensure alignment with business objectives and regulatory expectations. Develop, implement, and mature a robust Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) program to identify, assess, and mitigate cybersecurity risks across business units. Oversee security assurance activities, including control design evaluations, walkthroughs, and control effectiveness testing aligned with regulatory and framework requirements (e.g., NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SOX, SOC2, FFIEC CAT). Direct the testing of security controls, including coordination with internal audit, external assessors, and business stakeholders. Advise management on the design and implementation of control activities that reduce risk, add value, and mature the control environment. Provide leadership and subject matter expertise during regulatory examinations, internal audits, and third-party assessments. Collaborate with business and IT stakeholders to integrate GRC practices into key business and technology initiatives. Leverage GRC tools (e.g., Archer, ServiceNow GRC, LogicGate) to automate risk management workflows and enhance reporting capabilities. Support KPI/KRI's to facilitate risk prioritization and articulation for the enterprise and senior leadership reporting. Develop and present executive-level reporting and dashboards to senior leadership and board committees on risk posture, control effectiveness, and compliance status. Stay current on emerging threats, industry trends, and regulatory changes to proactively adjust GRC strategies. Provide excellent customer service in support of program activities. Manages technical professionals (typically skilled exempt level employees) who have responsibility for operations and project outcomes. Provides direct and indirect supervision of teams. Sets priorities on daily operations, provides input to, and administers cost center spending, participates in long-range departmental planning, recommends control methodologies and frameworks. Sets objectives and priorities and ensures the effective allocation and use of department resources. Develops long-range plan for the department and is a key participant in strategic planning for the Information Security function. Translates strategic goals and priorities into technical strategies and objectives for his/her department. Introduces best practices and ensures the timeliness, quality, and consistency of his/her department's delivery of products and services. Writes and conducts performance reviews, provides ongoing performance feedback. Establishes salary budget and approves salary increases. Makes hiring decisions. Frequently interfaces with executives inside and outside the company to make operational and project-related decisions, to resolve critical issues, to gather industry and competitive information and to foster a productive professional network. Required to perform duties outside of normal work hours based on business needs. What You'll Bring Knowledge and Skills/Technology Used BA/BS degree in Computer Information Systems, Computer Science or equivalent experience is required. Training courses, seminars, certifications, or other security related education experience preferred 10+ years of experience in information security, with 5+ years in a leadership role within GRC. Certifications such as CISM, CRISC, CISSP, or CGEIT preferred. Strong knowledge of information security and risk management frameworks (e.g., NIST, ISO, COBIT, CIS). Proven track record of establishing and managing issue lifecycle management. Demonstrated experience building and operating RCSA programs and control testing frameworks. Experience managing the policy lifecycle and coordinating enterprise-wide policy governance. Proven success in managing audit and regulatory interactions. Familiarity with GRC platforms and data analytics tools for risk management. Leadership: Ability to communicate function vision and establish aligned direction and goals for his/her department. Obtains and effectively allocates resources. Creates systems to measure results. Has in-depth understanding of competitor, financial and industry dynamics. Teamwork: Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships at the senior management level across functional groups and business units. Ability to change the thinking of, or gain acceptance from, others in sensitive situations, using influence and preventing damage to the relationship. Actively recruits, retains, and develops talent and holds employees accountable for results. Translates vision into action, leads change, and inspires people to get results. Integrity: Deals with others in an honest manner, assures adherence to company policies, and addresses questionable business practices. Service: Drives and models customer loyalty, manages customer expectations, uses customer feedback to establish department goals, and ensures commitments are met. Commitment: Successful track record designing, developing, and executing critical complex projects in more than one area of functional expertise. Provides others with reliable information, delivers informative and persuasive presentations. Uses good listening skills and negotiates effectively. Pay Range: $166,800.00 - $222,300.00 annually This hiring range is a reasonable estimate of the base pay range for this position at the time of posting. Pay is based on a number of factors which may include job-related knowledge, skills, experience, business requirements and geographic location Note that the following statements only apply to candidates who will be working from an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County. First American will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws (e.g., the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act). First American intends to conduct a review of an applicant's criminal history in connection with a conditional offer. First American reasonably believes that a criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following material job duties for this position potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment: handling of confidential, proprietary or trade secret information belonging to First American or its customers, administrating or facilitating financial transactions, and the ability to meet customer-imposed criminal history requirements. What We Offer By choice, we don't simply accept individuality - we embrace it, we support it, and we thrive on it! Our People First Culture celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion not simply because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's the key to our success. We are proud to foster an authentic and inclusive workplace For All. You are free and encouraged to bring your entire, unique self to work. First American is an equal opportunity employer in every sense of the term. Based on eligibility, First American offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k, PTO/paid sick leave and other great benefits like an employee stock purchase plan.