Director of Governance, Risk, and Compliance / TPRM

Independence Pet Holdings•Illinois, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Independence Pet Holdings is a corporate holding company established in 2021, managing a diverse portfolio of pet health brands and services. The Director, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) and Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) is an enterprise leadership role accountable for the design, implementation, and continuous maturation of a unified risk and compliance program across a $2.5 billion insurance holding company. This position holds end-to-end accountability for the information security compliance posture of an organization comprised of 12 Managing General Agencies (MGAs) and 2 insurance carriers, operating within a complex and highly regulated environment. The role requires executive-level influence, regulatory fluency, and the ability to drive consistency across a federated, acquisition-driven operating model.

Requirements

12–15+ years of progressive experience in cybersecurity, risk management, compliance, or audit.
5–7+ years in senior leadership roles within insurance or highly regulated financial services environments (required).
Proven success leading enterprise GRC and TPRM programs across complex, multi-entity organizations.
Licensed attorney (JD) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) strongly preferred, particularly with experience in regulatory interpretation, audit, or assurance.
Background in external audit, internal audit, or regulatory advisory highly desirable.
MBA or equivalent advanced business degree preferred.
Deep knowledge of NIST 800-53, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and regulatory regimes such as NYDFS.
Strong command of third-party risk methodologies and vendor lifecycle governance.
Experience implementing and scaling GRC tooling platforms.
Ability to design and operationalize scalable, evidence-based control frameworks.
Executive presence with the ability to influence across Legal, Audit, Technology, Privacy, and Risk domains.
Strong strategic and analytical thinking with the ability to translate risk into financial and operational impact.
Exceptional communication skills, including board-level engagement.

Nice To Haves

CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
CISM (Certified Information Security Manager)
CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control)
CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor)
CGRC (Certified in Governance, Risk and Compliance)
CIA (Certified Internal Auditor)
CIPP / CIPM (privacy certifications)
ISO 27001 Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor

Responsibilities

Own and maintain the enterprise-wide information security compliance posture across all operating entities, ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations and internal risk appetite.
Establish a defensible, evidence-driven control environment capable of withstanding regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions.
Serve as the authoritative leader for compliance strategy across MGAs and carrier entities with differing regulatory obligations.
Design and implement a unified GRC operating model across multiple insurance entities with varying levels of maturity.
Establish a control-centric framework leveraging NIST 800-53, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and PCI DSS.
Transition the organization from periodic, interview-based assessments to continuous, evidence-driven compliance measurement.
Define and operationalize KRIs, control effectiveness metrics, and executive reporting.
Serve as the central point of accountability for regulatory readiness, including NYDFS, state insurance regulators, and international frameworks where applicable.
Lead enterprise-wide audit strategy (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, internal audits).
Interface directly with regulators and external auditors to ensure consistent narratives, defensible controls, and successful audit outcomes.
Drive enterprise remediation strategies with measurable timelines and executive accountability.
Build and scale a comprehensive TPRM program across the full vendor lifecycle.
Establish risk tiering, due diligence, and continuous monitoring aligned with enterprise risk tolerance.
Integrate TPRM into procurement, legal, and business operations to ensure consistent enforcement.
Oversee risk acceptance and exception governance frameworks.
Harmonize fragmented GRC practices across acquired entities into a centralized and scalable function.
Drive automation strategy leveraging GRC platforms (auditboard, Drata, or equivalent) to enable real-time compliance visibility and evidence collection.
Embed security, privacy, and identity governance into enterprise-wide control frameworks.
Advance organizational maturity toward a “Security First” operating model.
Provide regular reporting to executive leadership and board-level stakeholders (e.g., Audit Committee, Risk Committee).
Collaborate daily with the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) and Chief Risk Officer (CRO) organizations to ensure alignment across privacy, enterprise risk management, and information security compliance.
Translate complex regulatory and technical requirements into business-aligned decision frameworks.
Influence enterprise investment decisions through quantified risk exposure and control effectiveness.
Lead a multi-layered global GRC and TPRM organization, including: 4 senior GRC functional leaders, A transversal offshore operations team, A dedicated outsourced delivery pod (India-based) supporting scaled compliance and assessment activities.
Establish governance models, performance management, and operational rigor across distributed teams.
Drive talent strategy, succession planning, and capability development aligned to enterprise scale.
Designs, develops, and implements focused strategies.
Leads the development of programs that are critical to the organization and ensures execution of the function.
Provides advice and consultation to senior and executive management related to operational and/or strategic decisions and resolves critical issues.
Actively participates in the budget and goal setting process for the department.
Provides guidance, counseling, and continuing education opportunities to staff.
Selects, develops, coaches, mentors, and assesses performance of staff.
Provides guidance to consistently improve the processes of the area(s) of focus.
Develops, implements, and maintains administrative policies and procedures.
Provides leadership through influencing and directing the work of others to execute plans to meet strategic and operational objectives.
Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.