Security Specialist

Focus Financial Partners•St. Louis, MO

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

This Security Specialist role will serve as a lead for cybersecurity awareness & training program responsible for the execution and continuous improvement of the firm’s cybersecurity awareness and training program across all Focus firms. This role serves as the primary owner for delivering engaging, effective, and risk‑based cybersecurity training to employees at all levels of the organization. Reporting to the Head of Cybersecurity Governance, this individual‑contributor role works in close partnership with Legal, Privacy, Regulatory Compliance, HR, IT, and Security teams to ensure training content aligns with regulatory requirements, internal policies, and evolving cyber threats. The role plays a critical part in strengthening the firm’s security culture and reducing human‑driven cyber risk. This role is hybrid with 3 days per week onsite in our St. Louis office.

Requirements

5–8+ years of experience in cybersecurity awareness, training, GRC, or related security roles.
Hands‑on experience delivering cybersecurity training programs in a regulated or complex environment.
Strong understanding of common cybersecurity risks, user behavior factors, and awareness best practices.
Experience partnering with Legal, Privacy, and Compliance teams on regulatory or audit‑driven initiatives.
Excellent communication and content‑development skills, with the ability to explain security concepts to non‑technical audiences.
Highly organized and self‑directed, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives across a distributed organization.

Nice To Haves

Experience in financial services or similarly regulated industries.
Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks and regulatory requirements (e.g., NIST CSF, NYDFS, GLBA).
Experience with phishing simulation and training platforms.
Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, Security+, or relevant security awareness credentials

Responsibilities

Execute the firm‑wide cybersecurity awareness and training program across all Focus firms.
Deliver mandatory annual security training, role‑based training, and targeted campaigns addressing key cyber risks (e.g., phishing, social engineering, data protection).
Manage and execute phishing simulation programs, including campaign design, delivery, analysis, and follow‑up education.
Coordinate training rollouts, schedules, and communications to ensure consistent adoption across diverse business units.
Develop, maintain, and refresh cybersecurity training content to ensure relevance, clarity, and engagement.
Tailor training materials for different audiences, including employees, advisors, leadership, and specialized roles.
Incorporate lessons learned from incidents, phishing results, regulatory feedback, and emerging threat trends into training content.
Balance regulatory requirements with practical, user‑friendly messaging that supports business productivity.
Work closely with Legal, Privacy, and Regulatory Compliance teams to ensure training content aligns with applicable laws, regulations, and contractual obligations.
Support regulatory examinations, audits, and client due diligence efforts by providing training materials, metrics, and evidence.
Maintain documentation demonstrating compliance with cybersecurity training and awareness requirements.
Monitor regulatory expectations related to security awareness and adjust training accordingly.
Define and track key training and awareness metrics (e.g., completion rates, phishing susceptibility, behavioral improvements).
Analyze trends and results to identify risk areas and inform targeted training initiatives.
Provide regular reporting and insights to the Head of Cybersecurity Governance and other stakeholders.
Demonstrate the effectiveness of training programs in reducing human‑driven cyber risk.
Partner closely with Cybersecurity Risk, Engineering, and Operations teams to align training with real‑world threats and controls.
Coordinate with HR and Communications teams to support onboarding, policy acknowledgment, and change‑management initiatives.
Serve as a trusted advisor to business teams on security awareness best practices.