Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

CONFIDENTIAL RETAINED SEARCH | SAN DIEGO LIFE SCIENCES

Search Reference: TNF-LS-CISO-2026 | Cybersecurity Leadership Mandate, Life Sciences

ABOUT THIS SEARCH

Top Notch Finders has been retained on an exclusive and strictly confidential basis to identify a Chief Information Security Officer for a client in the San Diego / CaliBaja life sciences corridor. To protect the interests of our client and of every candidate who engages with us, the identity of the company is disclosed only to qualified candidates under a confidentiality agreement. All inquiries and applications are received and managed solely by Top Notch Finders.

POSITION SNAPSHOT

• Company profile: Biotech, pharma, medtech, or digital health company handling regulated clinical and patient data.
• Reports to: CEO, COO, or CTO, increasingly with a board-reporting relationship.
• Location: San Diego / CaliBaja region; specifics disclosed to qualified candidates.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Chief Information Security Officer leads enterprise cybersecurity strategy, protecting clinical trial data, patient information, and intellectual property against a rapidly escalating threat landscape, with cyber risk now a standing board-level agenda item.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute the enterprise cybersecurity strategy and risk management framework.
• Oversee HIPAA, GDPR, and other regulatory compliance requirements related to data security.
• Manage third-party and vendor risk, including CRO and CDMO data-sharing arrangements.
• Lead incident response planning and execution for security breaches.
• Report cyber-risk posture and mitigation strategy directly to the board.
• Build and manage the security operations, GRC (governance, risk, compliance), and identity-access teams.
• Translate technical security risk into business terms for non-technical executive stakeholders.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 15-20 years of progressive cybersecurity leadership experience, including a prior CISO or senior security leadership role.
• CISSP, CISM, or an equivalent security certification required or strongly preferred.
• Experience securing regulated healthcare and life sciences data environments (HIPAA, 21 CFR Part 11).
• Demonstrated ability to communicate risk to boards and executive leadership in business terms.
• Experience building GRC and third-party risk management programs.
• Advanced degree in cybersecurity, information systems, or a related field preferred.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND HOW TO APPLY

This is a discreet, retained engagement. Your candidacy will never be presented to any organization without your explicit prior authorization, and no application will be visible to the hiring company at this stage. Accomplished cybersecurity executives are invited to submit a resume in confidence through the Top Notch Finders website. Please reference search code TNF-LS-CISO-2026 in your submission. Do not include patient-identifiable, trial-blinded, or other confidential clinical information of any kind in your application materials. Only candidates whose backgrounds align closely with the mandate will be contacted.