Head of Security

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AI is changing how the world communicates — and LILT is leading that transformation. We’re on a mission to make the world's information accessible to everyone
, regardless of the language they speak. We use cutting‑edge AI, machine translation, and human‑in‑the‑loop expertise to translate content faster, more accurately, and more cost‑effectively without compromising on brand, voice, or quality. At LILT, we empower our teammates with leading tools, global collaboration, and growth opportunities to do their best work. Our company virtues—
Work together, win together;
Find a way or make one;
Quicker than they expect;
Quality is Job 1—guide everything we do. We are trusted by Intel Corporation, Canva, the United States Department of Defense, the United States Air Force, ASICS, and hundreds of global enterprises. Backed by Sequoia, Intel Capital, and Redpoint, we’re building a category‑defining company in a $50B+ global translation market being redefined by AI.

As LILT’s first Head of Security, you’ll build and lead our information security function from the ground up. This high‑impact executive role is responsible for setting our security vision, driving compliance with global and federal standards, and serving as the hub for all internal and external security matters. You will partner with Engineering, Legal, Go‑to‑Market, People, IT, and other teams to ensure our platform and operations meet the highest levels of security assurance while enabling rapid enterprise growth.

This role is based in Washington D.C., with a hybrid schedule (Mon–Wed in‑office).

• Own the company‑wide security strategy, roadmap, and execution
• Lead initiatives to achieve and maintain key certifications and regulatory compliance, including:
  • HITRUST
  • ISO 27001
  • Federal regimes such as CMMC Level 2, NIST 800‑171, and FedRAMP Moderate
  • Emerging AI compliance regimes and standards
• Serve as the central point of contact for all security‑related inquiries, including:
  • Customer security questionnaires and enterprise procurement processes
  • Vendor risk assessments and ongoing monitoring
  • Internal audits, tabletop exercises, and risk management activities
• Partner with Engineering on secure architecture, incident response, vulnerability management, and encryption/identity controls
• Collaborate closely with Legal, People, Finance, and Operations on risk management, compliance, contracts, and enterprise governance
• Proficiency with common industry tools such as Drata/Vanta, Datadog, Wiz, Google Cloud Platform, etc.
• Manage security operations under tight budgets and aggressive timelines
• Represent LILT externally with customers, regulators, and auditors as our senior‑most security leader
• Drive company‑wide security awareness and training initiatives

• Experienced security leader with 7+ years in information security, including at least 1 year in senior management or a CISO‑equivalent role
• Demonstrated success in achieving certifications such as ISO 27001, HITRUST, or FedRAMP
• Strong working knowledge of federal and enterprise compliance regimes (CMMC, NIST, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR)
• Background working with regulated industries such as government, healthcare, or financial services
• Skilled at collaborating across Engineering, Legal, Go‑to‑Market, People, Finance, and Operations to align security with business needs
• Comfortable managing budgets, vendor relationships, and certification timelines in resource‑constrained environments
• Exceptional communicator who can translate technical risks for executives, customers, and regulators
• Mission‑driven leader excited to build a modern, scalable, enterprise‑grade security program

• CISSP, CISM, CCISO, or related certifications
• Prior experience as the first CISO in a scaling SaaS or AI/ML company
• Legal (JD) or engineering/technical background

Our founders, Spence and John, met at Google working on Google Translate. As researchers at Stanford and Berkeley, they both worked on language technology to make information accessible to everyone. While together at Google, they were amazed to learn that Google Translate wasn’t used for…