Chief Information Security Officer, Couchbase
$217-255k
+ RSU equity program + ESPP program
Operational data platform for AI
Job no longer available
Operational data platform for AI
501-1000 employees
Job no longer available
$217-255k
+ RSU equity program + ESPP program
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To simplify how organizations develop, deploy, and run modern applications wherever they are.
Role
Who you are
- We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to lead our global security strategy
- The ideal candidate is both a strategic thinker and hands-on leader who thrives in a high-growth, engineering-driven organization and understands the unique challenges of securing distributed database and cloud services at scale
- They work collaboratively across the company to champion a “security is everyone’s job” mindset and ensure that security solutions are robust, adaptable, and enable business growth
- 15+ years of progressive experience in information security, risk management, or IT leadership, including at least 5 years in a senior security leadership role
- Proven track record leading enterprise-wide cybersecurity strategy and operations in a global, cloud-first technology company
- Solid understanding of secure coding principles (e.g., OWASP Top10, OWASP SAMM) and Agile software development practices
- Demonstrated experience with security in public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), CNAPP (Sysdig, Wiz, etc), SAST, DAST, SCA, Networking (Firewalls, Switches, Access Points, etc.), Operating Systems (Linux, Mac, Windows), Secure Software Development, IAM, Key Management, Encryption, SIEM (Splunk, Rapid 7, Alienvault, etc.), DLP (Netskope, Checkpoint, Proofpoint, Symantec, etc), Email Security (Abnormal Security, Mimecast, etc.), and Endpoint Security (SentinelOne, CrowdStrike, etc.)
- Strong background in application and product security, including secure software design, code analysis, penetration testing, and bug bounty management
- Must have strong collaborative skills, a growth mindset, and a willingness to make tomorrow better than today
- Industry Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCISO are preferred
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field
- Studies show underrepresented talent is less likely to apply unless they meet all the criteria. We encourage you to apply if you’re excited about the role and can bring strong contributions to our team
What the job involves
- The CISO will define, implement, and continuously evolve Couchbase’s enterprise and product security posture to protect our people, data, infrastructure, and customers across a hybrid SaaS and on-prem environment
- Enterprise strategic leader responsible for defining and executing Couchbase’s global information and cybersecurity strategy—building trust as the foundation for a database company powering mission-critical applications worldwide
- Lead all aspects of security governance, architecture, operations, and incident response to safeguard our data platform, products, and cloud infrastructure
- Champion a “secure-by-design” culture across engineering, cloud, and GTM functions—ensuring that security accelerates, rather than constrains, innovation
- Partner with product and R&D teams to embed advanced security capabilities into Couchbase’s database, Capella cloud platform, and AI-driven initiatives
- Modernize and simplify our security posture through automation, threat intelligence, and proactive risk management to support Couchbase’s ongoing digital and AI transformation
- Collaborate with technology and business leaders to balance speed, trust, and compliance—integrating security into everything from software development lifecycles and infrastructure provisioning to data governance and vendor ecosystems
- The CISO will position Couchbase as one of the most secure, trusted, and innovation-ready data platforms in the world
- Develop, implement, and maintain an enterprise-wide information security strategy and governance framework aligned with organizational goals
- Establish and maintain information security policies, standards, and procedures that support business continuity and risk management. This includes continuing to build and enhance governance, privacy, and security frameworks to encompass AI/ML workloads and data pipelines, ensuring responsible, compliant, and secure adoption of AI technologies across the enterprise
- Oversee enterprise-wide security risk management, including assessments, and mitigation plans
- Ensure compliance with relevant information security frameworks and standards including but not limited to SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS, ISO
- Collaborate with Legal and Compliance on evolving data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.) and integrate privacy by design across systems and products
- Direct day-to-day security operations, including monitoring, detection, and response to threats
- Lead security incident response planning and execution, acting as the senior point of escalation during security incidents
- Serve as the primary advisor to the executive team and Board on cybersecurity strategy, risk posture, and incident readiness
- Drive the identification and remediation of security vulnerabilities within defined SLAs
- Manage key performance metrics for security maturity, leveraging automation, analytics, and AI to drive continuous improvement across detection, response, and compliance
- Review, refine and mature existing security processes and tools, including but not limited to SIEM, DLP, vulnerability management, email security, end point security, penetration testing, threat hunting, threat analysis, security monitoring, and security incident response
- Oversee business continuity and disaster recovery planning, ensuring resilience across cloud and data center operations
- Perform security software architecture review and integrate threat modeling and abuse cases into the SDLC; Advise and implement secure software architecture patterns
- Assess and architect security for SaaS/Cloud applications across AWS, GCP and Azure
- Drive the development and implementation of standard security review processes across the company that result in effective methods for reducing security risks before product releases
- Integrate application security tools within existing development, build, and deployment processes
- Oversee the execution of dynamic & static code scan reviews and run-time tests
- Own and manage the bug bounty program
- Assist with the planning and execution of application penetration tests
- Interface and collaborate with Engineering, Cloud, and SOC teams during security incidents
- Work with customers as needed, to explain or enhance any security policies or product related engineering
- Drive the remediation of security vulnerabilities in the products within defined SLAs
- Assist in completing RFP security questionnaires
Our take
Critical functions for digital businesses such as computing and storage have become cheaper by orders of magnitude with the advent of cloud computing. However, these businesses still face the challenge of architecting their services under this paradigm. Couchbase’s NoSQL database is designed to help organizations build scalable, distributed systems that take advantage of cloud-native infrastructure.
The company's major bets on Kubernetes, mobile and NoSQL have paid off too. With many large enterprises now treating Couchbase as mission-critical infrastructure, a trajectory that culminated because of ts 2021 IPO. While it operates in a highly competitive database market, the company has continued to grow post-IPO and is now positioning itself around the next shift in enterprise architecture: AI-native applications.
The recent launch of Couchbase AI Services reflects an effort to unify operational data, vector search and model hosting within a single platform, reducing the complexity that often prevents generative AI and agent-based systems from moving beyond proof-of-concept. By embedding governance, validation and security controls directly into the data layer, Couchbase is aiming to make its database a core foundation for production AI workloads.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
16% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 8 rounds)
May 2020
$105m
SERIES G
Mar 2016
$30m
SERIES F
Total funding: $251m
Company HQ
Cypress, San Jose, CA
Leadership
BJ Schaknowski
(CEO)Prior to joining Couchbase in 2025, BJ was the CEO of symplr. He also served as the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Vertafore and as an SVP of Marketing, Sales & Services at LexisNexis Software Solutions.
Veronica Curran
(CPO)Veronica Previously founded Magnolia People Solutions where she served as a Managing Partner for nearly 2 years. Prior to that, she was the Chief People and culture Officer at SmartBear and the CPO at Alumni Ventures Group.
Gopi Duddi
(CTO)Gopi joined Couchbase in 2022 as an SVP of Engineering, moving into the role of CTO in 2025. Prior to this, he spent 10 years at Amazon AWS, joining in 2012 as a Senior Manager of Database Services before moving into the role of GM. He also spent 7 years at IBM In various Managerial roles.
Josh Harbert
(CMO)Josh is also the co-founder and President of SustainableIT.org. Previously, he served as the CMO at Delphix and the VP of Marketing at Tanium and Qumulo.
Amir Jafari
(CFO)Amir is also the CFO/Head of Finance & Operations at Blend. Previously, he served as the CFO at Plastiq and Reputation.com.
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