Director - Risk Detection & Response

GSK remains committed to achieving bold commercial ambitions for the future. By 2031, we aim to deliver £40 billion in annual sales, leveraging our existing strong performance momentum to significantly increase our positive impact on the health of billions of patients globally. Our Ahead Together strategy is centred on early intervention to prevent and alter the course of disease, thereby protecting people and supporting healthcare systems.

Our diverse portfolio consists of vaccines, specialty medicines, and general medicines.

Through continuous innovation and a dedicated focus on scientific and technical excellence, we strive to develop and launch new, groundbreaking treatments that address critical health challenges.


Job Purpose:

The Director, Risk Detection & Response leads and operationally runs the Risk Detection & Response function within GSK's Risk Operations Centre, directing a multi-disciplinary team that identifies and evaluates technology risk across GSK's business systems and infrastructure, sites, suppliers and people. The role gathers data on assets and threats, and assesses control design and operating effectiveness in that context.  It also manages the end-user policy exceptions and workstation software risk assessment processes.  The role oversees Internal Controls Assurance, which proactively monitors the effectiveness of GSK's internal governance and control processes. This is both an operational execution and process subject-matter-expert role, accountable for the operational effectiveness and efficiency of these services and for driving continuous improvement and intelligent automation.

About the team:

Risk Detection and Response is part of GSK's Risk Operations Centre. The team gathers data and evidence across GSK's systems, sites, suppliers and people to assess whether controls are well-designed and operating effectively, manages third-party cyber risk, end-user policy exceptions and workstation software risk, and runs Internal Controls Assurance, GSK's own self-auditing service over the effectiveness of governance and control processes.

Key responsibilities:

This role will provide you the opportunity to lead key activities to progress your career. These responsibilities include some of the following:

• Own end-to-end delivery of systemic on-going and ad hoc risk assessment across GSK's systems, sites, suppliers and people, including technical evaluation of control effectiveness and scoring of risk against the enterprise risk management rubric for impact and likelihood.

• Direct the team's assurance activity over control design attestations and evidence submitted by Digital & Tech product teams as they navigate the SDLC and compliance requirements.

• Own the Third-Party Cyber Risk Management programme, including upfront and periodic supplier risk assessments, governance of cyber contractual schedules, procurement redline support and mitigating control recommendations.

• Lead Internal Controls Assurance, the team's self-auditing service providing independent assurance over the effectiveness of GRC processes.

• Direct the build-out of capability to monitor the operating effectiveness of controls for applications and systems, and site-level Operational Technology controls across Supply Chain (manufacturing, logistics, quality labs) and R&D labs.

• Own the security assessment process for desktop software published to the end-user software portal, and the end-user policy exceptions process (e.g. USB blocking, web filtering, local admin).

• Manage, develop and resource-plan the team across its Systems Risk, Supplier Risk and Site/OT Risk pillars, including sourcing and directing vendor augmentation for project surges.

• Set, monitor and report KPIs on the effectiveness and efficiency of Risk Detection & Response processes, applying Lean Six Sigma methods to drive continuous, measurable improvement.

• Sponsor and prioritise the roadmap for AI agents and intelligent automation that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the team's processes, in partnership with the Associate Director leading AI enablement.

• Act as the escalation point for the function with Cyber Security Office and GRC stakeholders globally, representing Risk Detection & Response in cross-functional risk governance forums.

Basic Qualifications:

• Degree in cybersecurity, information risk/technology or a related discipline, or related experience.

• Demonstrated experience in operational risk assessment, control assurance or technology risk management.

• Working knowledge of control design and operating effectiveness assessment techniques.

• Practical experience with third-party and supplier cyber risk management.

• Substantial experience in cyber security, including standing up and operationally running a multi-disciplinary function.

• Proven experience managing and developing a team of managers and analysts, including vendor and contractor augmentation.

• Experience applying Lean Six Sigma or other process excellence methods to build a KPI-driven, continuously improving operation.

• Strong influencing and communication skills with Director and VP-level stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Internal Controls Assurance or internal audit-style self-assurance functions.

• Working knowledge of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and software development compliance requirements.

• Familiarity with Operational Technology (OT) environments, including manufacturing, logistics, quality labs and R&D labs.

• Experience sponsoring or building AI agents or intelligent automation for risk and compliance operations.

• Working knowledge of NIST CSF, ISO 27001 and CIS Controls.

• Experience in a regulated industry with change control constraints.

• Relevant certification such as CRISC, CISA, CISSP, CompTIA Security+, GIAC.

• Experience in pharmaceutical, life sciences or another highly regulated industry.

Typical tools and technologies: GRC platforms, ServiceNow, Power BI, risk assessment and control assurance tooling, AI/intelligent automation tooling.

#AGTech

Skills

Cloud Security, Controls Assurance, Control Strategy, Cybersecurity, Data Integrity, Design Controls, Executive Reports, Identity Access Management (IAM), Risk Assessments, Risk Management, Risk Management Assessment, Risk Management Framework, Security Architecture Design, Security Compliance, Security Policies, Security Risk, Technology Risk Management, Third Party Risk Management, Vulnerability Management, Web Application Security

 

 

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

Inclusion at GSK:

As an employer committed to Inclusion, we encourage you to reach out if you need any adjustments during the recruitment process.

Please contact our Recruitment Team at IN.recruitment-adjustments@gsk.com to discuss your needs.

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