Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Data Security

Location: Austin, United States of America

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billons of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

Position Summary

Remote, USA

We are seeking a visionary and pragmatic Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to evangelize the technological strategy and innovation agenda of our Data Security Business Line.

The CTO will help shape the long-term technical vision, represent Thales externally as a thought leader, and ensure that our solutions remain at the forefront of innovation and compliance in an evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Strategic Technology Leadership

• Define and evolve the long-term technology vision and roadmap of the Data Security portfolio in alignment with Thales’ broader business objectives.

• Guide architectural direction, development priorities, and emerging technology adoption (e.g., PQC, confidential computing, multi-cloud security and DSPM).

• Partner with Product Management and Engineering to ensure execution aligns with strategic vision.

Customer and Partner Engagement

• Participate in high-level meetings with strategic customers, cloud providers, and business partners to discuss technology strategy, product alignment, and roadmap evolution.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to CIOs, CISOs, and CTOs of major enterprise clients

Thought Leadership and Evangelism

• Represent Thales in external forums as a cybersecurity thought leader through keynote speeches, panels, white papers, blogs, and interviews.

• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to shape and execute a proactive thought leadership strategy.

• Engage with media, industry analysts (e.g., Gartner, Forrester), and think tanks to position Thales as a technology leader in data security.

Industry and Standards Engagement

• Lead Thales’ involvement with key industry standards bodies, including the CAB Forum, ETSI, NIST, and others relevant to PKI, encryption, and compliance.

• Influence and stay abreast of emerging standards and regulatory developments to ensure product alignment and market readiness.

Technical Due Diligence and Innovation Scouting

• Lead technology evaluations for potential acquisitions, partnerships, and strategic investments.

• Identify and assess new technologies and market trends, advising on build/buy/partner decisions.

Internal Leadership and Talent Development

• Inspire and mentor senior architects and technical leaders across engineering and R&D.

• Cultivate a high-performance, innovation-driven technical culture across geographically distributed teams.

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience as CTO, Chief Architect, or senior technical executive in cybersecurity or enterprise software.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

• Minimum of 10 years of experience.

• Deep expertise in data security domains: encryption, key management, cloud security, data security platforms.

• Ability to formulate and execute strategic initiatives that address current and future challenges in data security, while staying ahead of emerging threats and trends.

• Strong experience engaging with senior enterprise customers, standards organizations, and analysts.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to distill complex technical ideas for both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and technologists from other companies (i.e. partners, alliances), fostering a culture of innovation and teamwork.

Special Position Requirements

Travel: Domestic and International Travel expected 25-30% of the time.

Why Join Us?

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