Vp Information Security

**Location: Toronto or Ottawa**

**Scope of Position**

The VP, Information Security is responsible for the organization’s strategies, objectives, policies, plans, budget and operations for the area of IT Security and Cyber Security. Works collaboratively with the senior management team to provide support to meet operational requirements and achieve annual and long-term corporate goals.

The VP, Information Security is responsible for the development, refreshing, and implementation of a comprehensive information, technology, and cyber security strategy for Alterna. This role will ensure that the IT security and systems adheres to regulatory requirements and analyzes threats to the computer systems in real-time.

Oversees the development, implementation and enforcement of information security standards, policies, and procedures.

Together with the board of directors and executive management team, the VP, Information Security ensures privileged company and Member information is not compromised due to internal or external breaches.

The VP, Information Security will prepare the company for potential cyber-attacks and play a leadership role in preventing such attacks, and responding to an attack should it occur.

The VP, Information Security is a key member of Alterna’s Leadership Team and is expected to be a major contributor to the achievement of corporate strategies.

**Major Responsibilities**
- Develop, continually refresh, implement, and monitor a strategic, comprehensive enterprise information security and IT risk management program and framework
- Work directly with the business units to facilitate risk assessment and risk management processes.
- Provide leadership to Alterna’s information security organization and security budget
- Partner with business stakeholders across the company to raise awareness of risk management concerns and prevention
- Determine what type of training employees require to meet various security requirements, and develop plans for providing it to them
- Assist with the overall business technology planning, providing a current knowledge and future vision of technology and systems security
- Analyzing IT security threats in real-time and mitigating these threats.
- Ensuring that newly acquired and refreshed technology complies with the IT security regulations.
- To oversee the development of new products and services, ensuring that their design takes security into account from the beginning.
- Determining the cause of internal and external data breaches and instituting immediate and appropriate corrective action.
- To develop, implement and maintain all information security policies.
- To ensure the organization’s information security program and policies are consistently enforced throughout Alterna.
- Ensure that only authorized people have access to restricted data and systems
- Monitor security threats and vulnerabilities to determine the risks they pose to Alterna, and what countermeasures must be put in place to address them and periodically test to ensure Alterna’s security measures are working as intended.
- To coordinate with the company’s external business partners to determine their information security programs. Also, ensure they are consistent with the Alterna and regulatory policies, as well as to evaluate any potential risks these partners may pose to Alterna’s information assets.
- Work closely with external Security groups and associations to keep abreast of developing threats and innovative up and coming security techniques and trends.
- Presenting regular feedback reports on IT security and cyber security to the executive management and board of directors.

**Expectations / Outcomes**
- Ensuring that no internal or external breaches or misuse of data takes place.
- Valuable information assets of Alterna will be safeguarded to acceptable industry and regulatory standards

**Qualifications**

Educations / Certifications / Experience
- Minimum Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (Masters Degree Preferred)
- Professional security management certification
- Minimum of 8 to 12 years of experience in a combination of risk management, information security and IT. This experience should include managing information security programs within an organization.
- VP, Information Security to have a thorough understanding of risks posed by attacks, as well as what countermeasures can be put in place to address them.
- The VP, Information Security must be a master of IT security and understand the latest threats and vulnerabilities to protect your company’s information assets
- Experience in banking systems and/or financial systems preferred.

Knowledge / Skills
- Knowledge of common information security management frameworks, such as ISO/IEC 27001, and NIST.
- Knowledge of OSFI and FSRA security management frameworks
- Experience with Cloud computing
- Data processing methods and procedures.
- Software systems and interfaces
- Computer and related hardware,