Security Specialist

About this role

Orion Innovation is a premier, award-winning, global business and technology services firm. Orion delivers game-changing business transformation and product development rooted in digital strategy, experience design, and engineering, with a unique combination of agility, scale, and maturity. We work with a wide range of clients across many industries including financial services, professional services, telecommunications and media, consumer products, automotive, industrial automation, professional sports and entertainment, life sciences, ecommerce, and education.

Security Specialist

Role Overview

Orion Innovation is seeking a Senior Data Security Practitioner to lead Phase 1 of an enterprise Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform selection program at one of the world's leading global financial institutions. The client is evaluating approximately ten DSPM vendor platforms against 300+ internal requirements using its own technical workbook and grading methodology. This is a high-visibility, senior client-facing role: the practitioner will refine and socialize requirements with client constituents across three global locations, run the vendor RFP and grading cycle, and present the down-select recommendation that reduces the field to 3–4 platforms for formal lab validation. The role demands equal parts deep data security expertise and executive-grade.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead evaluator and day-to-day driver of Phase 1, accountable for the requirements package, vendor grading, and down-select deliverables

• Re-evaluate, refine, and prioritize 300+ client data security requirements; socialize and validate them in workshops with business and technical constituents across New York, Glasgow, and Budapest

• Package finalized requirements into the client's prescribed RFP format and manage issuance to approximately ten DSPM vendor partners

• Manage the vendor response cycle, including Q&A traffic, clarifications, and submission logistics, maintaining full transparency with all vendor partners

• Grade vendor responses against the client's accepted technical workbook and grading schedule; organize scoring, produce summary reporting, and document removal rationale per client criteria

• Operate strictly within the client's evaluation methodology and governance — executing and elevating the client's process, not redesigning it; manage scope creep through formal change control

• Present the down-select recommendation (3–4 finalist platforms) to client constituents and senior stakeholders

• Build and document constituent relationships and evaluation context for structured handoff into the prime partner's lab validation phase (Phase 2)

• Maintain weekly status reporting and escalate risks to the prime engagement lead, including realistic counsel on the aggressive 12-week client timeline

Essential Requirements

• Minimum 10–12 years of experience in enterprise data security, with demonstrated depth across the full data security program lifecycle

• Hands-on experience designing, implementing, or formally evaluating DSPM, DLP, and Data Access Governance (DAG) platforms for large multinational organizations; current knowledge of the DSPM vendor landscape (e.g., Varonis, Cyera, BigID, Securiti, Microsoft Purview, and peers)

• Strong command of enterprise cryptography and HSM / key management program operations

• Deep expertise in data classification, tagging, discovery, prioritization policy, and data lifecycle management at enterprise scale

• Working understanding of the intersection of data security and identity (data access governance, entitlements, IAM integration)

• Experience with data flows in hybrid compute environments spanning multi-cloud and on-premises estates with heterogeneous data handling and storage techniques; Microsoft Azure experience preferred

• Understanding of current AI-related requirements for data security platforms — including data exposure risks from copilots, LLM integrations, and agentic systems

• Python-based development capability and a programmatic / automation-first approach to security tooling; demonstrated capability in agentic coding approaches

• Data security experience within a financial enterprise; fluency with regulatory and compliance expectations in strongly regulated environments (e.g., DORA, GDPR, FFIEC, NYDFS, GLBA — depth in at least one strong regime required)

• Understanding of compliance governance and the typical data classification schemes required in a financial environment

• Enterprise architecture literacy — able to read and reason about a complex data application stack, not only the security tooling layered on it

• Experience with integration testing and lab-based proof of concept execution, with evidential reporting against formal acceptance criteria

• Formal RFP / vendor evaluation experience with structured grading methodologies and evidential reporting

• Exceptional written and verbal communication: able to run multi-stakeholder workshops, manage constituents across time zones, deliver executive reporting, and present findings to Director / MD-level audiences

• Proven ability to work independently, make decisions, manage expectations, and re-prioritize in a fast-paced environment

• Based in or commutable to New York, NY, with availability for regular on-site presence; approved delivery location per client Task Order: New York, NY

Desirable Qualifications

• CISSP, CISM, CDPSE, or equivalent senior security/privacy certification

• Prior engagement experience at Tier 1 Bank or an equivalent investment bank

• Prior experience at a Big-4 firm, IBM, Accenture, or specialist data security consultancy

• Familiarity with non-human identity (NHI) security trends and tooling

• Availability and interest in continuing into Phase 3 (live-environment PoC) following the prime-led lab validation phase — continuity of client relationships is highly valued

Orion is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualifie

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