Global Director – Vulnerability Management & Security Configuration

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Northern Trust is seeking a Global Director of Vulnerability Management & Security Configuration to define and execute the enterprise strategy for reducing technology risk across infrastructure, cloud, and AI-driven environments.

This leader will drive the evolution from traditional vulnerability management to a modern, AI-enabled, risk-based capability, leveraging automation, contextual prioritization, and advanced analytics to reduce attack surface s is a hands-on, engineering-led leadership role requiring strong presence at both the executive and deep technical levels.

Key Responsibilities Strategy & Transformation Define and lead the global strategy for vulnerability management and security configuration across:

Infrastructure (on-prem & cloud), endpoints, and platform environments

Transition capabilities from pre-AI to AI-enabled, including:

Risk-based prioritization

Automation-led remediation

Threat-informed decisioning

Align to CTEM principles and enterprise risk objectives

Program Execution Operate and scale a global vulnerability management program, including:

Discovery, prioritization, remediation, and governance

Security configuration and continuous compliance

Implement risk-based models incorporating:

Threat intelligence and exploitability

Asset criticality and external exposure

Enforce enterprise-wide policy and remediation standards

Engineering & Modernization Lead automation-first, API-driven capabilities across vulnerability lifecycle

Integrate with enterprise platforms:

Asset inventory, CI/CD, and change management systems

Embed shift-left and continuous control practices across infrastructure life cycles

Security Configuration Define and enforce enterprise hardening baselines

Implement continuous monitoring and drift detection

Ensure alignment with regulatory and industry standards

Leadership & Governance Lead a lean, high-performing team (~4 FTE, ~10 contractors)
Foster a hands-on, engineering-led culture

Deliver clear executive reporting on risk, exposure, and remediation performance

Drive governance including exception management and SLA enforcement Qualifications
12+ years in cybersecurity with deep experience in vulnerability management and security engineering

Proven success building and scaling enterprise programs

Strong background in:

Infrastructure / cloud security

Configuration management and hardening

Dev Sec Ops  integration (platform-focused)
Track record leading large-scale transformation initiatives

Why This Role Matters This role is central to advancing Northern Trust’s ability to proactively manage cyber risk in an AI-driven landscape, shifting from reactive vulnerability management to a scalable, intelligence-led capability.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa)
Salary Range:$164, USDSalary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Working with Us:

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a…