IT Risk Analyst II

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

3d•$108,200 - $162,400•Onsite

About The Position

The IT Risk Analyst II is a member of WGU's IT Security Risk team. Core responsibilities include third-party risk management (TPRM) and security risk assessments of vendors, suppliers, internal systems, and projects. The analyst recommends controls to reduce risk to the university, and those recommendations have to rest on real understanding: how the system works, what the vendor actually does for WGU, and what the business is trying to accomplish. This is a seasoned analyst role. You will work independently on problems of diverse scope, exercise good judgment in selecting assessment methods, and advise stakeholders inside and outside the security function.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a related field and 3 years of relevant work experience, 7+ years of information security, or 6+ years of experience with a relevant certification.
Working knowledge of risk management frameworks and practices, including NIST.
Working knowledge of regulations relevant to higher education and data protection, such as FERPA, GLBA, GDPR, and HIPAA.
Experience assessing security controls and recommending safeguards in a corporate environment.
Experience with cybersecurity and privacy principles used to manage risk to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of data.
Experience with AI tools, including building or using AI agents in day-to-day work.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; detail-oriented and results-driven.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain technical risk to non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Industry certification, such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, or CISA.
Experience with TPRM platforms or GRC tooling.
Higher education experience.

Responsibilities

Conduct third-party and supplier risk assessments end to end: scoping, evidence review (SOC 2 reports, questionnaires, contracts), risk analysis, and a clear residual risk conclusion.
Conduct security risk assessments of internal systems, projects, and applications using industry-accepted frameworks, including NIST and similar standards.
Perform Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research on third parties, suppliers, and applications to establish the security profile of the target of evaluation.
Work with engineers, architects, and business units to understand how a system, vendor, or project actually works before recommending controls. Recommendations are grounded in that understanding, not in a checklist.
Recommend security controls that fit the risk and the business context, and support the teams responsible for implementing them.
Provide guidance to operational teams and third parties on remediating deficiencies identified in assessments. Remediation is owned by the responsible team; the analyst advises.
Work with IT and business unit management to keep third parties, applications, and suppliers aligned with the university's security requirements.
Serve as lead analyst on risk analysis, third-party risk, and exception-to-policy efforts as assigned.
Articulate risk to management in plain language: what the risk is, who it affects, and what it costs to accept or fix.
Measure, collect, and report on key risk indicators and information security services.
Identify and build AI efficiencies in risk and assessment workflows, including AI-assisted analysis and agent-based tooling.
Contribute to security policies, standards, procedures, and assessment methodologies; identify process gaps and drive improvement.
Act as an advocate for information security, helping the business understand risk, standards, and best practices for third parties and products.