Associate Director, Security & Compliance

Great Minds • Dc, DC

15h • Remote

About The Position

Great Minds is a high-growth, mission-driven organization founded by educators in 2007, dedicated to developing high-quality, knowledge-rich math, science, and ELA curricula. Their product suite, including Eureka Math, Wit & Wisdom, PhD Science, Geodes, and Arts & Letters ELA, is widely used across the U.S. The company is evolving to offer more connected, customer-informed experiences, aiming to be a comprehensive partner for educators. The Associate Director, Security & Compliance will lead the strategy, development, and execution of the organization's security and compliance program, with a strong focus on K-12 student data privacy regulations. This leadership role involves managing a team of two security professionals and acting as the primary cross-functional liaison for security, privacy, and compliance with Legal, Product, Engineering, and IT. The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader capable of strategic planning, process development, audit management, and closing compliance gaps.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in information security, compliance, or related field
• 3+ years in a leadership or management role
• 3+ years working in a SaaS (software-as-a-service) product environment, preferably in a security or engineering oriented role
• 2+ years managing third-party audits and vendor security assessments
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly maturing a compliance program
• Proven experience with compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, NIST, ISO 27001, or similar
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical risk into business terms
• Able to effectively collaborate cross-functionally amongst engineering, product, legal, HR, and corporate IT functions
• Familiarity with cloud security in AWS environments
• Bachelor’s degree

Nice To Haves

• 2+ years working with GRC tooling and/or security automation
• Strong working knowledge of K-12 education privacy regulations (FERPA, COPPA, state student data privacy laws)
• Master’s degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Establish security and compliance priorities and roadmaps aligned with Digital department risk and objectives
• Design, implement, and own a comprehensive compliance program, including policies, procedures, control frameworks, and training materials
• Provide strategic direction for application security practices, including secure SDLC, shift-left, and penetration testing
• Develop and track key metrics to measure program maturity and report progress to Digital leadership
• Coordinate and manage audit activities with third-party audit partners
• Partner with Legal to interpret regulatory requirements and translate them into actionable engineering and operational controls
• Drive security awareness initiatives across the broader organization
• Represent Great Minds interests in relevant industry groups or associations

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees