Avalara - Manager - Product Security

Job Description : As the Manager of Product Security with a focus on Data Privacy, you will play a crucial role in ensuring that our products are designed, developed, and deployed with strong security and privacy controls. You will lead a team of security professionals, collaborate with cross functional teams, and drive the implementation of privacy-by-design principles across all stages of the product lifecycle. Your key responsibilities will include safeguarding customer data, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations, and mitigating security risks in product development.Key Responsibilities : 1. Leadership & Strategy : - Lead the product security team focused on embedding data privacy and security controls into product design and development processes.- Develop and execute a comprehensive product security strategy with a focus on data privacy.- Partner with engineering, legal, compliance, and product teams to ensure privacy and security are integrated into all stages of the product lifecycle.- Drive privacy-by-design principles and advocate for secure development practices across the organization.2. Data Privacy Governance : - Ensure products comply with relevant data privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and other global standards.- Develop, implement, and maintain product security policies and procedures that align with legal, regulatory, and industry requirements.- Perform privacy impact assessments (PIAs) and security risk assessments (SRAs) on products and services.3. Risk Management : - Identify, assess, and manage privacy and security risks related to product development and deployment.- Implement controls and measures to mitigate data breaches, unauthorized access, and other security incidents.- Lead incident response efforts related to privacy violations or data security breaches in collaboration with legal and IT teams.4. Collaboration & Communication : - Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate security tools, practices, and automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.- Work closely with the legal and compliance teams to interpret and respond to data privacy regulations and standards.- Communicate privacy and security risks, issues, and solutions to senior leadership and other stakeholders.5. Training & Awareness : - Develop and conduct training programs to educate product development teams on privacy and security best practices.- Stay up-to-date with emerging data privacy trends, threats, and technologies and ensure the team is aligned with industry best practices.6. Monitoring & Reporting : - Oversee continuous monitoring of product security and privacy controls to ensure ongoing compliance and risk mitigation.- Provide regular updates to leadership on the status of product security initiatives, privacy compliance, and risk management activities.Qualifications : Education & Experience : - Bachelors or Masters degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or related field.- 10+ years of experience in product security, cybersecurity, or data privacy, with a focus on software product development.- Proven experience managing teams in a security or privacy role.Skills & Knowledge : - Deep understanding of data privacy laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA).- Strong knowledge of product security principles, including secure software development practices, encryption, and threat modeling.- Familiarity with privacy-enhancing technologies, data anonymization, and data retention practices.- Experience with security tools, automation, and CI/CD practices.Certifications (preferred) : - Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), or similar certifications.Personal Attributes : - Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.- Strong problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.- A proactive and solution-oriented approach to managing security and privacy risks (ref:hirist.tech)