HEAD OF INFORMATION SECURITY (F/M/D)

For our client, an internationally operating software and platform company headquartered in Cologne, we are looking for a Head of Information Security (f/m/d). You report to the VP IT & Infrastructure, lead a small team and own the security posture end to end. The mandate is to turn Information Security into a forward-looking function that works hand in hand with Engineering: secure by design across the SDLC, audit readiness for PCI-DSS and SOC 2, and a risk picture made measurable through KPIs. The platform processes sensitive data at scale, so security here is part of the product rather than a back-office function. The person we have in mind is technically credible, pragmatic, and at home in software-driven organisations. RESPONSIBILITIES: Own the overall security posture and keep improving it; make the risk picture transparent with defined, measurable KPIs. Shape the security strategy in line with business goals and the threat landscape, and build security into the SDLC and the day-to-day operation of the platform together with Engineering. Set pragmatic standards and guardrails with risk-based guidance that helps teams prioritise and ship secure solutions. Get the organisation audit-ready for PCI-DSS and SOC 2 by turning compliance requirements into practical, scalable controls. Strengthen threat detection and response with solid logging, monitoring and alerting across both applications and infrastructure. Evaluate and roll out security tooling that fits the engineeri