Virtual CISO & Cybersecurity Practice Lead

Virtual CISO & Cybersecurity Practice Lead

Remote

Reputation Management Consultants (RMC) is an affiliated organization with a premier advisory firm specializing in reputation management and strategic consulting for mid‑market companies and high‑profile clients. We are launching a dedicated cybersecurity division to address a critical truth our clients face every day: a data breach is a reputation event. We’re rebuilding an AI‑powered cybersecurity practice from the ground up and are looking for a senior practitioner to lead it.

This is not a staff role buried inside an org chart. This is a founding leadership position where you will build and run a cybersecurity practice within an established, profitable firm, with existing client relationships, sales infrastructure, and operational support behind you from day one.

You will serve as the senior cybersecurity practitioner and virtual CISO to a growing portfolio of mid‑market clients (typically $25M–$150M in revenue, 100–1,000 employees). You will own the full client lifecycle, from initial security risk assessments through ongoing advisory, compliance management, and incident response coordination.

• Serve as the outsourced CISO for 8–12 clients, providing executive‑level security leadership on a fractional basis
• Conduct security risk assessments, gap analyses, and penetration testing oversight for prospective and current clients
• Develop and maintain security programs, policies, and incident response plans tailored to each client’s risk profile and regulatory environment
• Manage compliance frameworks including SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI‑DSS, CCPA, NIST CSF, and CMMC
• Present security posture, risk exposure, and remediation roadmaps to boards of directors, C‑suites, and audit committees in clear, business‑oriented language
• Oversee and leverage AI‑driven security tooling for vulnerability scanning, log analysis, threat detection, and compliance evidence collection
• Quarterback incident response when clients face active threats or breaches, coordinating forensics, legal, communications, and remediation
• Collaborate with RMC’s reputation management team to deliver integrated crisis response when security events create reputational exposure
• Participate in business development — joining sales conversations, scoping engagements, and helping close new cybersecurity retainers
• Recruit, manage, and mentor junior analysts as the practice scales
• Build standardized methodologies, reporting templates, and delivery playbooks that allow the practice to scale without sacrificing quality

• 7–10+ years of hands‑on cybersecurity experience spanning at least two of the following: penetration testing, incident response, security architecture, GRC (governance, risk, and compliance)
• 3+ years operating at the CISO, Director of Security, or senior consulting level; you’ve sat in the room with boards and translated technical risk into business impact
• CISSP certification (active and in good standing)
• Deep working knowledge of SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST CSF, and at least one additional framework (PCI‑DSS, ISO 27001, CMMC, CCPA)
• Experience building or significantly expanding a security program from early stages, not just maintaining one someone else built
• Ability to manage multiple client engagements simultaneously without quality degradation
• Comfortable participating in sales and business development conversations — you understand that your credibility is what closes deals

• CMMC Registered Practitioner (RP) or Certified CMMC Assessor (CCA)
• Additional certifications: CISM, CRISC, OSCP, GPEN, or SANS GIAC credentials
• Experience running a cybersecurity consulting practice, MSSP, or vCISO firm — either as founder or practice lead
• Background in incident response or digital forensics
• Familiarity with AI‑driven security platforms and willingness to integrate emerging AI tooling into service delivery
• Experience with cyber insurance underwriting requirements and risk assessment frameworks
• Existing professional network in the Southern California cybersecurity community

• You’ve built something before — a practice, a team, a firm — and you…