Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) - Senior Vice President

Jefferies Financial Group and SMBC Nikko Securities have formed a new joint venture in Japan to combine their equities and capital markets businesses. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced professional to join this venture as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). This critical leadership role reports directly to the local Chief Information Officer (CIO) in Japan and to Jefferies’ Global Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

As the CISO for the joint venture, you will oversee all cybersecurity functions of the firm – from daily security operations to engineering strategy – ensuring robust protection and regulatory compliance. The ideal candidate is bilingual (fluent in Japanese and English) – a mandatory requirement for effective communication with local regulators and Japan-based teams – and balances technical expertise with executive-level leadership. You should be adaptable to the rapid pace of financial services, capable of leading high-performing security teams, and comfortable engaging with stakeholders at all levels (from engineers to C-suite executives and regulators). We seek a self-motivated leader who can work with minimal supervision

Key Responsibilities:

In this role, the CISO will be accountable for a wide range of strategic, managerial, and technical responsibilities, including but not limited to:

• Provide strategic security guidance and direction for the engineering of high-performing teams across diverse security domains
• Lead, supervise, and inspire the local security team. Build and mentor a high-performance team, fostering collaboration and excellence across all security functions.
• Conduct technical security reviews of all new vendor solutions and technologies integrated into the joint venture’s systems to ensure they meet strict security standards. Proactively work with third-party providers to address any security gaps (vendor risk management).
• Provide security guidance for technology projects and deployments, including evaluating and recommending appropriate technical controls. Ensure that new applications, infrastructure changes, and business initiatives have security built-in from the design phase through deployment.
• Proactively identify emerging technology threats– such as cloud computing vulnerabilities or data privacy risks – and implement risk mitigation strategies to address them. This includes recommending enhanced controls, updating policies/procedures.
• Drive information security awareness and training programs for all employees of the joint venture. Promote a strong security culture by ensuring that staff at every level understand security policies, best practices, and their personal role in protecting the firm’s assets.
• Ensure compliance with all cybersecurity regulations and standards, aligning the joint venture’s security practices with industry best practices and corporate requirements. Liaise with external auditors and regulators – especially Japan’s financial regulatory bodies – to demonstrate the firm’s security posture and address any compliance issues
• Coordinate the response to security incidents and breaches, leading the incident response team in Japan. Ensure timely reporting of incidents to both local management and, when required, to regulators, and oversee thorough remediation efforts. Serve as the incident escalation point for the joint venture, in coordination with Jefferies Global Incident Response as needed.
• Participate in rolling out global security initiatives within the joint venture. This may include the deployment of firm-wide programs such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), network segmentation, secure server access, and other global cybersecurity projects, tailoring and implementing these initiatives to fit the joint venture’s environment.
• Report on the security posture of the joint venture through regular updates and detailed reports to local executive management and Jefferies global InfoSec leadership. Provide clear visibility into security risks, incidents, and mitigation activities, and advocate for necessary resources or changes to continually improve the security program.
• Be part of the vision and innovation of security solutions by actively engaging with the information security community – e.g. learning about emerging technologies, attending industry conferences, and liaising with vendors and peers – to keep the joint venture at the forefront of cybersecurity developments

Required Background:

Candidates for the CISO position should meet the following requirements:

• Bilingual communication: Fluent in Japanese and English (written and spoken). This is mandatory for effective interaction with Japanese regulators, local staff, and global teams.
• InfoSec expertise: Deep knowledge of information security principles, practices, and emerging threats, gained through extensive experience in cybersecurity leadership roles (financial services industry experience preferred).
• Regulatory & compliance knowledge: Proven ability to ensure compliance with relevant cybersecurity regulations and frameworks. Familiarity with Japan’s financial regulatory environment and international standards (e.g. NIST, ISO 27001) is highly desirable.
• Security program experience: Demonstrated success in developing and implementing security programs, including security awareness training and organizational policy development
• Education: Bachelor’s degree (BS/BA) or higher in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field
• Self-motivated leader: Self-disciplined, proactive, and able to lead by example. Capable of mentoring others while effectively managing complex security incidents and delivering projects

Jefferies is a leading global, full-service investment banking and capital markets firm that provides advisory, sales and trading, research, and wealth and asset management services. With more than 40 offices around the world, we offer insights and expertise to investors, companies, and governments.

At Jefferies, we believe that diversity fosters creativity, innovation and thought leadership through the infusion of new ideas and perspectives. We have made a commitment to building a culture that provides opportunities for all employees regardless of our differences and supports a workforce that is reflective of the communities where we work and live. As a result, we are able to pool our collective insights and intelligence to provide fresh and innovative thinking for our clients.

Jefferies is an equal employment opportunity employer, and takes affirmative action to ensure that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, pregnancy, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, genetic information, reproductive health decisions, or any other factor protected by applicable law. We are committed to hiring the most qualified applicants and complying with all federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity laws. As part of this commitment, Jefferies will extend reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities, as required by applicable law.