Job Specifications
Company Description
We’re Checkout.com – you might not know our name, but companies like eBay, ASOS, Klarna, Uber Eats, and Sony do. That moment when you check out online? We make it happen.
Checkout.com is where the world checks out. Our global network powers billions of transactions every year, making money move without making a fuss. We spent years perfecting a service most people will never notice. Because when digital payments just work, businesses grow, customers stay, and no one stops to think about why.
With 19 offices spanning six continents, we feel at home everywhere – but London is our HQ. Wherever our people work their magic, they’re fast-moving, performance-obsessed, and driven by being better every day. Ideal. Because a role here isn’t just another job; it’s a career-defining opportunity to build the future of fintech.
Job Description
You are accountable for the organisation’s overall exposure to and resilience against real-world cyber threats.
As Director of Cyber Security, you own the cyber defence strategy, security architecture, and technical direction of the organisation. This role defines how we anticipate threats, detect hostile activity, contain incidents, and recover with minimal impact to customers, revenue, and trust.
You sit alongside Security Operations, with a clear mandate to progressively absorb higher-value operational ownership into Cyber Security. Over time, this role becomes the centre of gravity for detection engineering, incident response, and threat-driven defence.
When major incidents occur, you are the technical authority. You make decisions under uncertainty, set priorities, and advise executives on real risk and trade-offs. When incidents do not occur, it is because the systems, standards, and teams you built are doing their job.
This is a hands-on leadership role. You will design, build, and enforce modern cyber defence capabilities, not just describe them.
What you’ll be responsible for
Owning the end-to-end Cyber Security strategy, architecture, and operating model
Defining how the organisation anticipates, detects, responds to, and recovers from cyber threats
Acting as the senior technical decision-maker during high-severity security incidents
Owning adversary-focused defence, including threat modelling, detection engineering, and threat hunting strategy
Designing and enforcing runbooks, escalation models, and incident response playbooks
Setting security standards and having authority to block or escalate high-risk architectural decisions
Building and scaling Cyber Security capabilities, including:
Detection Engineering and Threat Hunting
Incident Response
Cyber Security Engineering
Driving measurable improvements in impact-focused outcomes such as time to containment, blast-radius reduction, and recovery effectiveness
Ensuring post-incident learnings result in concrete architectural, control, and process changes
Progressively absorbing operational ownership where it materially improves security outcomes
Partnering with IT, Cloud, Engineering, Legal, Risk, and Executive leadership to make informed risk decisions
What we’re looking for
Proven experience owning and scaling cyber security functions in complex environments
Deep background in incident response, detection engineering, and threat-informed defence
Experience designing security operating models and evolving teams as ownership shifts
Demonstrated authority during incidents, including advising executives on high-impact decisions
Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on when stakes are high
Experience enforcing security standards in fast-moving engineering environments
Background in regulated, high-growth organisations where failure is not theoretical
Strong cloud-first security architecture experience
Track record of modernising legacy detection and response approaches into adversary-focused defence
Comfortable being accountable for outcomes, not just activity
Bring all of you to work
We create the conditions for high performers to thrive – through real ownership, fewer blockers, and work that makes a difference from day one.
Here, you’ll move fast, take on meaningful challenges, and be recognized for the impact you deliver. It’s a place where ambition gets met with opportunity – and where your growth is in your hands.
We work as one team, and we back each other to succeed. So whatever your background or identity, if you’re ready to grow and make a difference, you’ll be right at home here.
It’s important we set you up for success and make our process as accessible as possible. So let us know in your application, or tell your recruiter directly, if you need anything to make your experience or working environment more comfortable.
Life at Checkout.com
We understand that work is just one part of your life. Our hybrid working model offers flexibility, with three days per week in the office to support collaboration and connection.
Curious about what it’s like to be part of
About the Company
Checkout.com is a financial technology company that delivers a high-performance payments platform. Enterprise and scaling businesses use our cloud-based platform to process payments, send payouts, and manage card programs. Checkout.com is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, and other locations across six continents. Customers include global brands such as Sony, SHEIN, Wise, Patreon, and GE HealthCare.
Know more