Partner 18, Senior Program Manager, Cybersecurity

We’ve established a team that is defined by respect for the entrepreneur and the company-building process; we know what it’s like to be in the founder’s shoes. We’ve invested in companies like Affirm, Airbnb, Coinbase, Databricks, Devoted Health, Insitro, Figma, GitHub, Instacart, OpenSea, Roblox, Stripe, and Substack. Our team is at the forefront of new technology, helping founders and their companies impact and change the world.

The Role 

The Cybersecurity Program Manager will lead the planning, coordination, and execution of a16z’s cybersecurity program portfolio. Reporting to the Chief Information Security Officer, this role is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of security initiatives, driving clarity, accountability, and delivery across multiple concurrent workstreams. You will partner with teams across technical, operational, and business functions to ensure cybersecurity programs are executed effectively, risks are managed proactively, and security outcomes align with firm-wide priorities. This role will also own program reporting, including project status, risk summaries, and key metrics, to keep stakeholders and leadership informed and aligned.

We are open to candidates based in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. The role requires an in office presence at least 2 days a week in our Menlo Park, CA or San Francisco, CA office. 

To join our team, you should be excited to:

• Own and manage the cybersecurity program portfolio, including roadmap planning, intake, prioritization, and milestone tracking
• Lead the execution of cybersecurity initiatives in collaboration with cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment, accountability, and progress across technical, operational, and business domains
• Develop long-range plans and strategic objectives that balance day-to-day execution with broader program maturity and long-term business alignment
• Track program risks, issues, and interdependencies using tools like ClickUp, and ensure timely resolution and clear accountability
• Build and maintain the cybersecurity risk register, including risk ownership, mitigation plans, and reporting timelines
• Drive stakeholder alignment through structured operating cadences such as standups, planning reviews, and retrospectives
• Communicate clearly and consistently about program status, risks, blockers, and key performance metrics, ensuring stakeholders at all levels are informed, aligned, and empowered to take action
• Deliver and manage firmwide security training, awareness campaigns, and onboarding programs for new hires
• Support third-party security due diligence processes and vendor risk assessments in partnership with Legal and Compliance
• Maintain program documentation including project plans, charters, timelines, and decision logs to ensure audit-ability and transparency
• Partner closely with the Chief Information Security Officer to align program outcomes with firm-wide strategic and operational priorities

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in program management, or technical project management, preferably in a regulated environment such as finance, enterprise technology, or SaaS
• Proven success leading complex, cross-functional security or risk-oriented programs from planning through execution, with measurable delivery outcomes
• Highly self-directed, with the ability to take ambiguous or high-level guidance and translate it into actionable execution plans
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to convey program status, risks, metrics, and priorities to technical and executive audiences
• Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders across technical and non-technical teams
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a small, dynamic team environment with shifting priorities, rapid timelines, and minimal structure
• Experience running structured program cadences such as standups, retrospectives, quarterly planning, and stakeholder reviews
• Familiarity with security and compliance frameworks such as NIST CSF, ISO 27001, or SOC 2, and ability to translate them into operational program plans
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools such as ClickUp, Asana, Confluence, or equivalent
• Comfortable developing and maintaining program documentation such as risk registers, project charters, workback plans, and RACI matrices
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives in a fast-paced environment
• Relevant certifications in project and program management such as PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, or ITIL v4 are strongly preferred
• Low ego, high empathy, and the capacity to collaborate effectively with diverse teams

The anticipated salary range for this role is between $176,000 - $205,000, actual starting pay may vary based on a range of factors which can include experience, skills, and scope.

This role is eligible to participate in the a16z carry program and various discretionary bonus programs as well as benefit and perquisite plans including health, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401K plan, vacation, and sick leave.