Compliance Program Strategist

Fortra is a company committed to tackling meaningful challenges and fostering a collaborative work environment. They are seeking an experienced Compliance Strategist to lead their FedRAMP compliance authorization journey, managing the strategy, execution, and ongoing compliance efforts across various teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary owner of the organization’s compliance/certification program, accountable for strategy, execution, and ongoing maintenance
• Act as a central liaison between executive leadership, security/compliance teams, product/engineering, operations, vendors, auditors, and government agencies
• Partner with additional internal teams such as legal, finance, sales, and marketing
• Develop and manage a detailed roadmap from program initiation through FedRAMP authorization of the first module in 2026/7, then subsequent modules or future certifications
• Lead cross-functional project execution, ensuring coordination between internal and external stakeholders
• Implement a phased, milestone-driven approach ensuring program milestones are clearly defined, tracked, and delivered on time
• Effectively communicate progress, roadblocks, and outcomes to senior leadership and stakeholders
• Apply deep knowledge of cybersecurity compliance frameworks, and public sector compliance requirements to guide program activities
• Identify, assess, and manage risks throughout the program lifecycle, ensuring transparency and proactive mitigation
• Ensure security and compliance activities align with organizational goals and regulatory expectations; partnering with CISO compliance organization
• Partner with Finance and Business leaders to build business cases, forecast costs, and track program to budget spend
• Provide scenario planning and financial oversight to ensure cost-effective delivery
• Regularly report on program status, risks, and financial health to leadership
• Future-proof cost-benefit analysis by designing playbook of pursuing and implementing strategic compliance certifications
• Establish processes for continuous monitoring, documentation, and renewal of authorization
• Drive lessons learned and best practices into ongoing compliance efforts
• Serve as a subject matter expert on public sector compliance strategy, supporting business development and customer-facing teams as needed
• Evaluate current and future compliance needs of Fortra’s customers, products, and platform

Requirements:

• Proven experience leading FedRAMP (or similar certification) authorization efforts from initiation through authorization and/or continuous monitoring
• Strong program management skills with a track record of delivering complex, cross-functional initiatives
• Expertise in NIST frameworks, FedRAMP processes, and public sector compliance requirements. Knowledge of like frameworks such as SOC2, ISO, etc., a plus
• Strong ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels, driving execution while providing executive-level reporting and insights
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills
• Strong business acumen with a pragmatic approach to decision making and data-gathering
• Bachelor's Degree or relevant certification equivalent
• Experience working with government agencies, 3PAOs, and cloud service providers
• Background in risk management, compliance operations, or security program management
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing program budgets