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cloud risk manager

title: Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cloud Risk Manager
salary: $ - $
categories: [Cloud Security, Risk Management, Compliance, Information Security, DevSecOps]
description: A comprehensive overview of the key responsibilities, required technical skills and professional background for the role of a Cloud Risk Manager.
Comprehensive responsibilities and skills profile for a Cloud Risk Manager.
Includes 20+ recruiter-style responsibilities drawn from real job openings and
10+ in-demand technical and soft skills optimized for SEO and LLMs: cloud risk
management, cloud security, AWS, Azure, GCP, DevSecOps, IAM, compliance (SOC 2,
ISO 27001, NIST), CSPM, CWPP, vulnerability management, third‑party risk, and
incident response.

🎯 Role Definition

The Cloud Risk Manager is an experienced information security and risk professional responsible for identifying, assessing, quantifying, and mitigating security, compliance, and operational risks across cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). This role develops cloud risk frameworks, enforces cloud governance and controls, partners with engineering and product teams to embed security into CI/CD and Infrastructure-as-Code, leads cloud security assessments, manages third-party cloud vendor risk, and oversees cloud incident response and remediation activities. The Cloud Risk Manager translates business priorities into measurable cloud risk reduction activities and metrics, enabling secure, compliant, and scalable cloud adoption.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Cloud Security Analyst / Cloud Security Engineer
  • IT Risk Analyst / Risk & Compliance Analyst
  • Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst with cloud security focus

Advancement To:

  • Senior Cloud Risk Manager / Principal Cloud Risk Manager
  • Director of Cloud Security / Director of Cloud Risk & Governance
  • Head of Cloud Security / Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Lateral Moves:

  • Cloud Security Architect
  • Cloud Compliance Manager / Third-Party Risk Manager
  • DevSecOps Lead or Platform Security Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, maintain, and continually improve a cloud risk management program that identifies and prioritizes enterprise cloud risks, integrates with enterprise GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance) processes, and maps to regulatory frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, PCI-DSS, and applicable data protection laws.
  • Lead comprehensive cloud risk assessments (technical, operational, and business) across IaaS, PaaS and SaaS environments; produce quantitative and qualitative risk ratings, risk registers, and remediation plans; and present findings to senior stakeholders and risk committees.
  • Design and enforce cloud governance policies and guardrails for multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP), including landing zone standards, network segmentation, identity and access management (IAM) policies, encryption and key management, and secure baseline configurations.
  • Partner with engineering, DevOps, and platform teams to embed security and risk controls into CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM), ensuring automated detection and prevention of misconfigurations and insecure deployments.
  • Operate and scale cloud security tooling such as Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP), SAST/DAST, vulnerability scanners, and security information and event management (SIEM) to continuously identify exposures and enforce remediation SLAs.
  • Lead cloud-focused threat modeling and attack surface analyses for new products and significant architecture changes; translate threat modeling results into prioritized mitigations and integration with incident response playbooks.
  • Drive vulnerability and patch management for cloud workloads, containers, and serverless functions by setting SLA targets, tracking remediation, coordinating with application owners, and measuring key performance indicators.
  • Manage third-party cloud vendor security and due diligence: conduct security questionnaires, contractual security requirement negotiations, continuous monitoring, and periodic assurance reviews for cloud service providers and SaaS vendors.
  • Develop and maintain cloud incident response and runbook procedures that include detection, containment, eradication, and post-incident remediation steps for cloud-native incidents (misconfigurations, compromised identities, data exposures).
  • Oversee identity and access governance for cloud platforms: manage role-based access controls, least privilege enforcement, privileged access reviews, service account lifecycle, and integration with SSO and IAM solutions (AWS IAM, Azure AD, GCP IAM).
  • Define and report cloud risk metrics and KPIs (mean-time-to-detect, mean-time-to-remediate, number of high/critical misconfigurations, percentage of workloads with encryption, etc.) to senior management and the board to drive accountability and investment in cloud security.
  • Create and deliver cloud risk training and enablement for engineering and product teams, covering secure coding practices, secure infrastructure patterns, secrets management, and cloud-specific compliance responsibilities.
  • Lead cloud security architecture reviews and provide prescriptive guidance on secure design patterns for microservices, containers (Kubernetes), serverless, and hybrid cloud architectures to reduce systemic risk.
  • Coordinate cross-functional remediation programs for high-risk cloud findings by tracking remediation owners, establishing timelines, and escalating when necessary to ensure timely closure and risk reduction.
  • Evaluate and recommend cloud-native and third-party security controls and services (CASB, CSPM, CWPP, KMS solutions, container scanning, policy-as-code) that optimize detection, prevention, and response against evolving cloud threats.
  • Ensure data protection controls for cloud environments: classify data, define encryption-at-rest and in-transit policies, manage key rotation and access, and implement data loss prevention (DLP) controls and privacy-by-design principles.
  • Conduct regular continuous monitoring and assurance exercises including configuration drift detection, automated compliance checks, and periodic penetration tests and red-team engagements focused on cloud infrastructure and services.
  • Maintain the cloud control matrix and map cloud implementations to industry standards, regulatory obligations, and contractual commitments; prepare audit artifacts and lead internal/external cloud audits and assessments.
  • Influence product roadmaps and platform investments by articulating cloud risk trade-offs, cost of risk reduction, and technical debt related to cloud security, and by proposing prioritized security initiatives tied to business outcomes.
  • Establish and mature a risk acceptance framework and decision-making process for cloud security exceptions, documenting compensating controls and time-limited approvals in partnership with risk owners.
  • Collaborate with legal and privacy teams to identify cloud-specific compliance and data residency risks, recommend mitigations, and ensure contractual and policy alignment for international cloud deployments.
  • Drive automation of cloud risk processes (e.g., automated remediation, alert enrichment, evidence collection for audits) to improve efficiency, reduce manual effort, and scale cloud risk posture management.
  • Mentor and lead junior cloud security and risk engineers; build a high-performing cloud risk team and foster a culture of proactive risk ownership across engineering and product organizations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Provide subject matter expertise during procurement and product design phases to ensure cloud risk and compliance are considered early.
  • Assist in drafting and maintaining cloud security playbooks, runbooks, and standard operating procedures for day-to-day cloud risk management activities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Cloud platforms: deep practical experience with AWS, Azure, and/or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) — designing, assessing, and securing cloud environments.
  • Cloud security tools: hands-on with CSPM (Prisma Cloud, Dome9, Lacework), CWPP, container security (Aqua, Twistlock/Prisma Cloud), and cloud-native threat detection.
  • Infrastructure as Code and CI/CD: strong experience with Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM templates, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, and embedding security as code.
  • Identity & Access Management (IAM): expertise in RBAC, ABAC, cross-account roles, federated SSO, service accounts, and privileged access management in cloud contexts.
  • Vulnerability management & cloud-native scanning: ability to run, interpret, and remediate results from vulnerability scanners and container image scanners.
  • Security frameworks & compliance: working knowledge of NIST, ISO 27001/27017, SOC 2, PCI-DSS, CIS Benchmarks, and mapping technical controls to audit requirements.
  • Threat modeling & incident response: capability to run threat models, lead cloud incident response, and integrate cloud telemetry into SIEM and EDR tools.
  • Logging & monitoring: experience instrumenting cloud telemetry, centralized logging (CloudWatch, Stackdriver, Azure Monitor), and alerting for security events.
  • Networking & encryption: solid understanding of cloud networking, VPCs, subnets, service-to-service security, TLS, KMS, and encryption strategies for data at rest and in transit.
  • Automation & scripting: proficiency in Python, Bash, or other scripting languages to automate remediation, evidence collection, and security workflows.
  • Third-party risk management: handling vendor security questionnaires, contract security requirements, and continuous vendor monitoring for cloud services.
  • Container & orchestration security: practical exposure to Kubernetes security hardening, Pod Security Policies, RBAC, and runtime protection.

Soft Skills

  • Strong stakeholder management: ability to influence engineering, product, legal, and executive stakeholders and translate technical risks into business impact.
  • Clear communicator and report writer: concise technical writing and presentation skills for risk reports, board-level briefings, and audit artifacts.
  • Analytical and problem-solving mindset: aptitude for complex root cause analysis and pragmatic, prioritized remediation planning.
  • Project and program management: experience managing cross-functional remediation programs and delivering risk reduction initiatives on schedule.
  • Mentorship and team leadership: capacity to coach junior engineers, provide direction, and build a collaborative cloud security culture.
  • Business acumen: understands business drivers, product lifecycles, and how security decisions affect time-to-market and customer trust.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning: stays current with evolving cloud threats, controls, and vendor ecosystems, and adjusts the program accordingly.
  • Negotiation and conflict resolution: effective at negotiating acceptable risk trade-offs, SLAs, and contractual security terms.
  • Privacy and regulatory awareness: sensitivity to data privacy concerns and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions and industries.
  • Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills: able to track many remediation items, evidence artifacts, and audit timelines concurrently.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field; or equivalent work experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Computer Science, or an MBA with a technology focus.
  • Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCSP, CCSK, AWS Certified Security – Specialty, Azure Security Engineer Associate, or Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems
  • Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Network Engineering
  • Risk Management, Business Administration with technology specialization

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5+ years in information security, with 3+ years of direct cloud security or cloud risk management experience; mid to senior roles commonly require 5–10+ years.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years of combined security, risk, and cloud experience, including hands-on implementations across at least two major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP).
  • Demonstrated experience leading cloud risk programs, conducting cloud security assessments, implementing cloud governance, and interfacing with audits and regulators.
  • Previous experience working in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, payments, or government) preferred.
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