Security Compliance Lead

About the team Plaid’s Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) team enables the business by proactively managing information security risk and maintaining effective controls. We partner across the company to keep Plaid’s platform secure, resilient, and aligned with industry and regulatory expectations. Our assurance program builds trust with customers, consumers, and data partners. Core compliance is how we prove it. We run the certifications, audits, and regulatory obligations that let banks, customers, and regulators rely on Plaid, and we keep them aligned with a product that keeps changing.

About the role As Security Compliance Lead, you’ll be the single accountable owner of Plaid’s core security compliance program: SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and their governance obligations. Banks, enterprise customers, and regulators rely on what you own when they decide to work with Plaid, and your work keeps those certifications and commitments reliable and on time as the business grows. You will set the program’s structure and direction, with a roadmap and KPIs that turn compliance from a pass/fail event into a program leadership can steer. The control catalog you build will sit behind every audit, so one control and one piece of evidence can satisfy many obligations, from SOC 2 to FedRAMP. Your internal audits will find gaps before an external auditor, customer, or regulator does. You will make sure compliance shapes product decisions before launch instead of reacting to them. As Plaid expands into new products, markets, and frameworks, you will build a program that keeps pace without adding headcount, using AI and automation.

Responsibilities

• Own the compliance program and governance calendar: Lead SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701 end to end. Run the annual and quarterly governance obligations (policy reviews, access and change-management reviews, security training, vendor reviews, and regulatory, bank, and partner assessments), each with an owner, a date, and evidence of completion.

• Build and own the control catalog: Design and maintain one control catalog mapped across every framework Plaid reports against, built to FedRAMP and NIST 800-53 depth, with clear control owners, quarterly owner certification, and testing.

• Run internal audit and policy assurance: Build a risk-based internal audit plan that tests operating effectiveness and whether policies are followed, and own the policy lifecycle. Track findings to remediation, and partner with Finance on ITGCs.

• Set direction and measure the program: Define what a mature program looks like, set the roadmap and KPIs to get there, and report progress to security leadership each quarter.

• Embed GRC by design: Track product roadmaps and supporting infrastructure with Product and Engineering. You will assess how launches and material changes affect audit scope and system boundaries, and build lightweight checkpoints into product discovery.

• Scale through AI and automation: Build repeatable processes, runbooks, and AI-driven automation for evidence, testing, scoping, and audit requests.

Qualifications Must haves:

• Compliance program ownership:

• Has been the accountable owner of SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001/27701 programs through multiple audit cycles, including setting the roadmap and KPIs that matured them

• Has built or rebuilt a common control framework mapped across multiple frameworks, with control owners and testing

• FedRAMP:

• Hands-on FedRAMP experience (Rev5 or 20x): NIST 800-53 control implementation, boundary and SSP documentation, third-party assessment, and continuous monitoring

• Internal audit, policy assurance, ITGC, and SOX:

• Has planned and run risk-based internal audits that test operating effectiveness and policy adherence, and has driven findings to remediation

• Has worked with Finance or internal controls teams and external auditors on ITGCs and SOX

• Governance obligations and product-aware compliance:

• Has partnered with Product and Engineering to scope launches and infrastructure changes into audits, and has embedded compliance checkpoints into product development

• Has run a recurring governance calendar (policy, access, training, vendor, and regulatory or partner reviews) and translated obligations from customers, banks, regulators, or government agencies into control and audit requirements

• AI fluency and tooling:

• Takes an AI-first approach: has built AI workflows or automations that materially reduced manual compliance work, and shares what works with the team

Nice to have:

• Experience with EU financial-services obligations (DORA, central bank IT and cyber assessments, FCA operational and security risk reporting) or bank-consortium assessments such as TruSight

Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid!

Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at [email protected].

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Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.