Skip to main content

This site functions best with JavaScript enabled

Search Jobs

Director, Cyber and Digital Risk Management

Apply Req ID: Req1486340 Date posted 08/29/2025
Director, Cyber and Digital Risk Management

Country: United States of America

Your Journey Starts Here:

Santander is a global leader and innovator in the financial services industry. We believe that our employees are our greatest asset. Our focus is on fostering an enriching journey that empowers you to explore diverse career opportunities while nurturing your personal growth. We are committed to creating an environment where continuous learning and development are prioritized, enabling you to thrive both professionally and personally. Here, you will find ample opportunities to connect and collaborate with talented colleagues from around the world, sharing insights and driving innovation together. Join us at Santander, where you are supported by a culture of engagement and a commitment to your success.

An exciting journey awaits, if you are interested in exploring the possibilities We Want to Talk to You!

The Difference You Make:
The Director, Cyber and Digital Risk Management monitors activities to minimize the company's exposure to information security risks. Activities may include 2nd line of defense independent assurance over technical cyber risk analysis, risk identification and remediation. The incumbent shall support the preservation of digital trust and ensure that the oversight is adequate to minimize compliance and regulatory risk by resolving issues and ensuring adherence to industry good practice frameworks, company and legal standards. The Director is responsible for ensuring that the company's activities adhere to the necessary rules and regulations, and that the company complies with legal/regulatory statutes and jurisdictions, as they relate to the management of cyber and digital risks.

The Director, Cyber and Digital Risk Management at Santander US and Santander Bank NA is responsible for independent risk management and assurance activities over the assigned business area’s technology footprint covering Information Security, Cyber Resilience, Cyber Fraud and Data Security (incl. Retention and Disposal) as part of the second line of defense Technology Risk Management organization.

The incumbent develops and maintains an effective Information Security Risk oversight program that enables the assigned business area to comprehensively identify, assess, mitigate, manage, monitor and report technology risk, including performing technical risk reviews of identified domains.

This role is established in the second line of defense and requires collaboration across CISO, Data Office, IT, Operational Risk, Internal Audit and other relevant functional stakeholders within the organization in the management of Cybersecurity risks. An excellent understanding of the evolving regulatory landscape in the US and EU are vital for success in this role.

The day-to-day focus may vary depending on the requirements of the overall second line of defense program priorities directed by the Head of Technology Risk and may include: planned or ad-hoc technical risk review and challenge, review of Technology or Business initiatives, Ongoing risk monitoring activities, Risk reporting, development of technical risk framework and methodologies.

The team to support the oversight of cybersecurity risks will comprise of individuals aligned against the core coverage areas noted above. This is an individual contributor role but will require people and stakeholder management skills to operate effectively in a 2nd line of defense role in a matrix organization.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Establish themselves as the second line of defense subject matter expert for key stakeholders in the management of cybersecurity and technology risks across all operating entities
  • Prepare information to enable governance committees / working groups in the management oversight of cybersecurity and technology risks
  • Participate in relevant governance committees and working groups as a delegate of the Head of Technology, including the Operational Risk Committee, Technology Executive Working Group, Information Security & Data Management Committee, Architectural Review Board, AI Enablement Working Group
  • Initiate timely escalations to the Sr. Director, Cyber & Digital Risk and to the leadership team
  • Identify and assess cybersecurity risks and counsel business units managers, CISO and/or IT GRC stakeholders on risk management issues to ensure awareness and accountability for cybersecurity risks
  • Oversee ongoing oversight of the firm’s information risk footprint through ongoing monitoring, formal review and challenge activities, targeted risk reviews, technology policy and standard assurance, and other activities e.g., transformation review and challenge.
  • Contribute to the updating of existing policies and framework or develop new ones that steer the safe and sound adoption of technologies across the organization
  • Participate in the independent and ongoing risk oversight of key technology components of the firm’s digital transformation initiatives.
  • Implement and sustain independent risk oversight coverage of the cloud operating platform and vendor software development activities.
  • Work across the lines of defense to recommend strategies that effectively treat risks within the risk appetite
  • Monitor external trends and evaluate potential impacts to business strategy; provide documented analytical insights of the risk horizon, while ensuring a sound operational and compliance control environment through establishment of a system of effective and sustainable internal controls
  • Participate in evaluation of new products / Business changes / projects and assess related information risks and impact to the cybersecurity and technology risk profile
  • Participate in the evaluation and management of cybersecurity risks related to third-party suppliers involved in technology and business projects
  • Advises on remediation of regulatory findings, correction of any inconsistencies and monitors resolution.
  • Manage, oversee and contribute to targeted risk reviews designed to evaluate information risks and their effective and sustainable mitigation
  • Perform review and challenge of first line of defense risk management processes, data and outcomes (e.g. risk assessments, control evaluations, risk metrics, mitigation plans, risk acceptances etc.) and communicate risk opinions at various levels of management
  • Analyze risk data from various sources (e.g. external events, control deficiencies, risk register etc.) to identify and measure levels of risk, concentration, trends and patterns
  • Participate in the review and challenge of scenario for crisis management exercises, especially where there is a cyber component
  • Support process for constructive engagement across the Lines of Defense regarding differences or conflicts in risk appetite, risk metric determination or evaluation, issue severity or other areas of dispute
  • Own individual delivery timelines and develop materials to ensure second line of defense independent opinion appropriately represented during committee meetings, external exams and internal audits.
  • Ensure all activities and deliverables achieve their timeliness, quality and accuracy service levels.
  • Collaborate with other second line of defense functions such as Operational Risk, Model Risk, Compliance etc. on common priorities and strategic initiatives
  • Provides second line of defense leadership and subject matter expertise during response to major technology or cyber incidents including cyber-security related privacy events and coordinate second line of defense engagement and response of incident / crisis managers


What You Bring:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a technical discipline or equivalent work experience: Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Information Security. Req
  • Master's Degree in related technical disciplines. Pref
  • Professional Certifications in Cybersecurity. Req.
  • Professional Certifications in Cloud Security (AWS, Azure). Pref

Work Experience:

  • Practitioner and management experience in one or more areas of Cybersecurity Risks
  • Overall professional experience of 15+ years or more in cybersecurity risk management roles in a matrix organization
  • Experience in Cybersecurity risk consulting in the financial services sector, Cyber security audit, Chief Information Security Officer / Deputy or in a similar second line of defense role is highly preferred
  • Experience within a highly regulated environment such as the financial services industry and knowledge of the current and evolving regulatory landscape is necessary
  • Experience leading high performance teams

Skills and Abilities:

  • Strong understanding of technology infrastructure, information security, and enterprise resilience
  • Experience with developing and implementing technology & cyber risk oversight programs, preferably in a 2nd or 3rd line of defense
  • Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to coordinate oversight activities across different teams
  • Knowledge of current and evolving regulatory requirements and industry best practices in technology and cybersecurity risk management
  • Strong Leadership Experience

Technical skills (incl. Tools):

  • Resilient Security Architecture
  • Identity and Access Management
  • Network / Firewall Management
  • Vulnerability and Patch Management
  • Cloud Security Architecture
  • Secure Application Development / Containerization
  • Encryption / Tokenization
  • Data Loss Prevention
  • Security Logging and Monitoring
  • Incident Detection and Response Management
  • Offensive Security

Competencies and Abilities:

  • Demonstrated expertise and track record in technology risk management segment, and ability to perform at an advanced level of competence.
  • Advanced knowledge of cyber risk management best practices and how to implement them.
  • Ability to engage effectively with both senior management and operational teams
  • A keen sense of risk anticipation with attention to details and an ingrained ability to connect the dots and challenge status quo
  • An execution and solution focused risk mindset with an ability to push the needle forward even with ambiguous or incomplete information
  • Ability to direct, train and guide peers, subordinates and management.
  • A team player who can coordinate and drive consensus among different teams and stakeholders having varying viewpoints
  • Ability to build relationships, influencing and negotiating across diverse stakeholders across the lines of defense, handle conflict resolution with other groups to ensure appropriate risk management decisions are made.
  • Ability to adjust to new developments/changing circumstances.
  • Ability to effectively communicate and build relationships with multiple levels of the organizational structure, including senior level management.
  • Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
  • Ability to multi-task and adapt/adjust to multiple demands and competing priorities.
  • Ability to maintain and report on confidential information in an appropriate manner.
  • Ability to convey a sense of urgency and drive issues/projects to closure.
  • Ability to effectively interact with the executive management and vendors.
  • Ability to demonstrate sound judgement and critical thinking
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Excellent analytical, organizational and project management skills.
  • Strong leadership, supervisory engagement skills.
  • Strong risk, process, and control validation and/or assessment skills


Certifications:

  • Professional Certifications in Cybersecurity. Req.
  • Professional Certifications in Cloud Security (AWS, Azure). Pref


It Would Be Nice For You To Have:
Established work history or equivalent demonstrated through a combination of work experience, training, military service, or education.

What Else You Need To Know:

The base pay range for this position is posted below and represents the annualized salary range. For hourly positions (non-exempt), the annual range is based on a 40-hour work week. The exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, training, licensure and certifications and location.

Base Pay Range

Minimum:

$123,750.00 USD

Maximum:

$225,000.00 USD

Link to Santander Benefits:

Santander Benefits - 2025 Santander OnGoing/NH eGuide (foleon.com)

Risk Culture:

We embrace a strong risk culture and all of our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

EEO Statement:

At Santander, we value and respect differences in our workforce. We actively encourage everyone to apply. Santander is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Working Conditions:

Frequent minimal physical effort such as sitting, standing and walking is required for this role. Depending on location, occasional moving and lifting light equipment and/or furniture may be required.

Employer Rights:

This job description does not list all of the job duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisors or managers to perform other duties. You may be evaluated in part based upon your performance of the tasks listed in this job description. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and either you or the employer may terminate your employment at any time for any reason.

What To Do Next:

If this sounds like a role you are interested in, then please apply.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application process for all candidates. If you require any assistance or accommodation due to a disability or any other reason, please contact us at TAOps@santander.us to discuss your needs.



Primary Location: Coconut Grove, FL, Miami Coconut Grove Corp


Other Locations: Florida-Coconut Grove


Organization: Santander Holdings USA, Inc.

Apply

Featured Jobs

View All of Our Available Opportunities

Your Jobs

You currently have no jobs saved.

Work in Coconut Grove

Check out where you could be working if you apply.

About this location

Get the Scoop

Keep your finger firmly on the pulse. Sign up, and you'll receive news, updates and alerts for the newest Santander roles as they become available.

already signed up? click here