Security Risk Management Specialist

Remote from: 🌐 Anywhere
Annual salary: Undisclosed
Salary information is not provided for this position. Check our Salary Directory to estimate the average compensation for similar roles.
Department: Cybersecurity
Employment type: Full Time,
Job posted: 21 Jul 2026
Apply before: 21 Aug 2026
Views / Applies: 55 / 4

About company

About Canonical Ltd.

Trusted open source for enterprises

Computer Software
2004

Actively Hiring

AI Summary

Canonical is seeking a Security Risk Management Specialist to lead the strategy and practices for identifying, tracking, and reducing security risk. This role involves defining risk management standards, conducting quantitative and qualitative risk assessments, and collaborating cross-functionally to improve security resilience. The ideal candidate has a strong technical background, expertise in threat modeling and risk frameworks, and excellent communication skills. The position offers the opportunity to shape security risk management across the organization and contribute to the broader open source ecosystem.

Role DNA

Job Complexity

Easy Hard

Pace & Pressure

Relaxed Fast-paced

Autonomy Level

Guided Full Ownership

Communication Load

Independent Highly Collaborative

AI Insight This role requires deep expertise in security risk management, strategic thinking, and cross-functional leadership, making it challenging. However, it is not the hardest level as it focuses on established practices.

Salary Analysis

AI Insight No salary was provided in the job listing. Based on market data, the estimated median salary for this role in the US is $125,000, with a typical range of $90,000 to $160,000. This reflects the seniority and specialized skills required.

Core Skills Required

Security Risk Management Threat Modeling Risk Assessment Quantitative Risk Analysis FAIR Methodology Security Frameworks Cross-functional Collaboration Risk Communication Security Training Strategic Planning

Cover Letter Sample

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my interest in the Security Risk Management Specialist position at Canonical. With over X years of experience in cybersecurity risk management, I have developed a deep understanding of threat modeling, risk quantification, and the implementation of security frameworks. My background includes leading risk assessments, developing playbooks, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive security improvements.

I am particularly drawn to Canonical's mission to secure the open source ecosystem. In my previous role, I successfully established a risk management program that reduced security incidents by 30%. I am confident that my expertise in FAIR and other quantitative models, combined with my ability to communicate complex risks to stakeholders, would enable me to contribute effectively to your team.

I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how I can help Canonical further strengthen its security posture. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Sample Interview Questions

Can you describe your experience with quantitative risk analysis frameworks like FAIR?

I have used FAIR extensively to quantify cyber risks in monetary terms. For example, I led a risk assessment for a cloud migration project, using FAIR to estimate potential loss events and prioritize controls. I also trained team members on applying the framework to various scenarios.

How would you define and track key risk indicators (KRIs) for a security program?

I start by identifying critical assets and threat scenarios. KRIs should be leading indicators, such as number of unpatched vulnerabilities or time to detect incidents. I would work with stakeholders to set thresholds and automate reporting, ensuring KRIs align with business objectives and risk appetite.

Describe a time you had to influence a business decision based on risk analysis.

In a previous role, I identified that a third-party integration posed high risk due to data exposure. I presented a quantified risk analysis showing potential financial impact. The business decided to implement additional security controls and renegotiate the contract, reducing risk to an acceptable level.

How do you stay current with emerging threats and risk management practices?

I subscribe to threat intelligence feeds, participate in industry forums like ISACA and OWASP, and attend conferences. I also regularly review publications from NIST and SANS. Additionally, I engage with peer organizations to share threat information and best practices.

What is your approach to developing a security risk management playbook?

I start by mapping out the organization's risk landscape and existing processes. The playbook should be practical and step-by-step, covering risk identification, assessment, treatment, and monitoring. I involve stakeholders from IT, legal, and business units to ensure alignment. The playbook is then tested through tabletop exercises and updated based on lessons learned.

In security risk management we’re looking to harness the power of industry best practice combined with driving new innovation on how we do security risk assessments and modelling. Our security risk management team is the primary owner of the strategy and practices of how we identify, track and reduce our security risk across everything we do.

To support this we need to use industry best practices paired with emerging threat information to to promote risk identification, quantification, impact analysis, and modelling to ultimately drive decision making. In this role, you will help establish and execute a broad strategic vision for the security risk program at Canonical. You will not only work within the team but also cross-functionally with various teams across the organisation. The team contributes ideas and requirements for Canonical product security, improving the resilience and robustness of all Ubuntu customers and users subject to cyber attacks. Additionally, the team collaborates with our Organisational Learning and Development team to develop playbooks and facilitate security training across Canonical.

The security risk management team’s mission is not only to secure Canonical, but also to contribute to the security of the wider open source ecosystem. They might share knowledge through public presentations and industry events, and share threat intelligence with the wider community or represent Canonical in sector-specific governance bodies.

What you will do in this role:

Define Canonical’s security risk management standards and playbooks
Analyse and improve Canonical’s security risk practices
Evaluate, select and implement new security requirements, tools and practices
Grow the presence and thought leadership of Canonical security risk management practice
Develop Canonical security risk learning and development materials
Work with Security leadership to present information and influence change
Participate in developing key risk indicators, provide inputs to the development of key control indicators, and key performance indicators for various programs
Apply statistical models to risk frameworks (such as FAIR, sensitivity analysis, and others)
Participate in risk management, decision-making, and collaborative discussions
Lead quantified risk assessments and understand the value of qualitative data for improvements to quality and engineering processes
Interpret internal or external cyber security risk analyses in business terms and recommend a responsible course of action
Develop templates and materials to help with self-service risk management actions
Monitor and identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness of risk management processes
Launch campaigns to perform security assessments and help mitigate security risks across the company
Build evaluation methods and performance indicators to measure efficiency of security functions and capabilities.

What we are looking for

An exceptional academic track record
Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or a compelling narrative about your alternative path
Drive and a track record of going above-and-beyond expectations
Deep personal motivation to be at the forefront of technology security
Leadership and management ability
Excellent business English writing and presentation skills
Problem-solver with excellent communication skills, a deep technical understanding of security assessments and risk management
Expertise in threat modelling and risk management frameworks
Broad knowledge of how to operationalize the management of security risk
Experience in Secure Development Lifecycle and Security by Design methodology

What we offer you

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognise outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus. We provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.

Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person
Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
Annual compensation review
Recognition rewards
Annual holiday leave
Maternity and paternity leave
Employee Assistance Programme
Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
Priority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company events

About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source. As the company that publishes Ubuntu, one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud, we are changing the world on a daily basis. We recruit on a global basis and set a very high standard for people joining the company. We expect excellence – in order to succeed, we need to be the best at what we do. Canonical has been a remote-first company since its inception in 2004. Working here is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer

We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.

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