Head of Security

DeepL DeepL · AI Frontier · London, United Kingdom · Engineering

Head of Security role at DeepL, an AI product and research company. The role involves owning the overall Information and IT Security strategy, leading teams, developing security frameworks, managing compliance programs (SOC 2, ISO 27001, BSI C5), overseeing security architecture, and fostering a security culture. Requires proven experience in Security Engineering or Information Security leadership, with a background in SaaS, AI, or technology sectors. Experience with IPO readiness, SOX compliance, and board-level reporting is a plus. The role emphasizes AI's power to transform engineering workflows and mentions AI/LLM/Agentic security as a nice-to-have.

What you'd actually do

  1. Own the overall Information and IT Security strategy, leading teams responsible for infrastructure security, application security, organisational security, and information governance.
  2. Develop, implement, and maintain robust security frameworks that ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data across the organization.
  3. Act as the central authority for all security-related initiatives, ensuring alignment with business goals and compliance requirements while being mindful regarding company efficiency.
  4. Own compliance programs (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, BSI C5).
  5. Shape our approach to risk assessment, third-party risk management, and internal security audits.

Skills

Required

  • Proven experience in Security Engineering or Information Security and in leadership roles, ideally as Head of Security, CISO, or equivalent.
  • 5+ years in information security
  • Experience in senior leadership roles
  • Experience with IPO readiness, including SOX compliance, and board-level reporting
  • Background in SaaS, AI, or technology sectors
  • Experience building security teams from the ground up and scaling them alongside business growth
  • Strong understanding of technical security domains (network, cloud, endpoint, identity management, incident response) and information security governance.
  • Solid knowledge of international and EU compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, GDPR and SOC2 / BSI C5
  • Strategic mindset combined with a hands-on approach to execution.
  • Fluent in English, with professional proficiency in German preferred.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to bridge technical and business perspectives.
  • Strong organisational and leadership skills with a focus on driving measurable outcomes and continuous improvement.

Nice to have

  • Experience with AWS Cloud and OnPremise Data Centres
  • First touch with AI / LLM / Agentic security
  • Experience with security tooling and automation platforms (SIEM, SOAR, IAM, etc.).
  • Background in rapid growth environments

What the JD emphasized

  • AI-Native Orchestration & Advocacy
  • AI/LLM/Agentic security