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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for GRC Analyst

💰 $70,000 - $120,000

GRCRisk ManagementComplianceInformation Security

🎯 Role Definition

The GRC Analyst (Governance, Risk & Compliance Analyst) is responsible for operationalizing the organization's risk and compliance program—conducting risk assessments, managing control testing and remediation, supporting audits and regulatory responses, and implementing GRC tooling and process improvements. The ideal candidate translates regulatory requirements into pragmatic controls, partners with IT and business stakeholders, drives third‑party risk management, and maintains a living risk register that informs executive decision‑making.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Information Security Analyst
  • IT Auditor or Internal Auditor
  • Compliance Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior GRC Analyst / Sr. Risk Analyst
  • GRC Manager / Risk & Compliance Manager
  • Director of Risk, Head of GRC, or Chief Risk Officer (CRO)

Lateral Moves:

  • Third‑Party Risk Manager / Vendor Risk Manager
  • IT Risk & Controls Specialist
  • Privacy & Data Protection Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead and execute enterprise risk assessments (quantitative and qualitative), documenting risk scenarios, likelihood/impact ratings, and control effectiveness to populate and maintain the organization's risk register and risk heat maps.
  • Design, implement and maintain risk treatment plans and remediation roadmaps; track remediation progress, validate remediation evidence, and escalate unresolved issues to stakeholders and leadership.
  • Plan, coordinate and perform control testing (operational, technical, and application controls) for internal compliance programs, SOX, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and other regulatory frameworks, producing detailed test results and remediation recommendations.
  • Develop, review and maintain information security and compliance policies, standards, procedures and guidelines; ensure policies are aligned with regulatory requirements, industry best practices and business objectives.
  • Manage vendor and third‑party risk lifecycle: perform vendor risk assessments, review SOC reports and attestation documents, monitor remediation from suppliers, and integrate third‑party risk into the enterprise risk profile.
  • Serve as primary liaison for internal and external audits; coordinate evidence collection, prepare audit artifacts and control narratives, respond to audit findings, and support remediation validation and reporting.
  • Operate and administer GRC platforms (e.g., Archer, MetricStream, LogicGate, ServiceNow GRC, OneTrust) to automate control testing, risk monitoring, policy distribution, and attestation workflows; configure reports and dashboards for stakeholders.
  • Conduct regulatory and standards mapping (NIST CSF, ISO 27001, PCI‑DSS, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA as applicable), analyze gaps, and recommend prioritized remediation and compliance roadmaps.
  • Create and deliver succinct risk reports, control performance dashboards, and executive summaries for Board, Audit Committees, and senior leadership to inform risk appetite and strategic decisions.
  • Facilitate cross‑functional workshops with IT, engineering, legal, privacy, finance and business owners to assign control ownership, validate control design, and ensure closure of outstanding compliance items.
  • Maintain an accurate control inventory and control maturity assessments; recommend control enhancements, compensating controls, and continuous monitoring mechanisms to improve overall control posture.
  • Develop and manage compliance attestations, employee security training attestations, and periodic certifications to ensure organizational adherence to required standards and contractual obligations.
  • Support incident response and post‑incident reviews by assessing control failures, documenting root causes, recommending corrective actions, and updating risk and control frameworks based on lessons learned.
  • Execute privacy and data protection assessments (DPIAs) in collaboration with privacy teams to identify personal data flows, assess privacy risk, and implement risk mitigation strategies.
  • Build and run key risk indicators (KRIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) that provide early warning of compliance or control degradation; integrate automated telemetry where possible.
  • Evaluate new business initiatives, mergers & acquisitions, product launches and cloud migrations for risk exposure and compliance implications; provide risk acceptance recommendations and mitigation plans.
  • Prepare and maintain detailed control documentation and control narratives (system descriptions, process flows, control objectives) to support auditability and regulatory submissions.
  • Participate in policy exception reviews and risk acceptance committees; document rationale, residual risk, compensating controls, and timeframe for remediation.
  • Stay current on evolving regulatory and industry requirements; translate regulatory changes into action items, controls and process updates across the organization.
  • Provide subject matter expertise for contract review and security clauses; advise procurement and legal on appropriate compliance and control requirements for vendor contracts.
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives to streamline GRC processes, improve automation of evidence collection, reduce audit burden, and increase operational efficiency.
  • Mentor junior analysts and subject matter experts on risk methodologies, control testing best practices and the use of GRC tools to strengthen team capability.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad‑hoc reporting and data analysis for risk trends, control performance and regulatory readiness.
  • Assist with integration of security telemetry into the GRC platform to automate control evidence collection and continuous monitoring.
  • Contribute to tabletop exercises and business continuity planning, ensuring compliance and risk considerations are incorporated.
  • Support cross‑team projects to translate compliance requirements into technical implementation tasks for engineering and operations teams.
  • Help maintain training and awareness material targeted at control owners to improve timely attestations and reduce audit findings.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Governance, Risk & Compliance fundamentals: governance frameworks, risk management methodologies, control lifecycle management.
  • Knowledge of regulatory frameworks and standards: NIST CSF, ISO 27001/27002, SOC 1/2, PCI‑DSS, SOX, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA (as applicable).
  • Hands‑on experience with GRC platforms: Archer, MetricStream, OneTrust, LogicGate, ServiceNow GRC or equivalent.
  • Audit and control testing skills: control design review, walkthroughs, sample selection, evidence validation and documenting findings.
  • Vendor/third‑party risk assessment: SOC report review, vendor questionnaires, contract control clauses, SLA and compliance monitoring.
  • Risk assessment techniques: threat modelling, scenario analysis, qualitative and quantitative risk scoring, risk registers.
  • Security controls and technical familiarity: IAM, encryption, network segmentation, vulnerability management, endpoint security concepts.
  • Data analysis and reporting: Excel (advanced), Power BI or Tableau, ability to synthesize data into executive dashboards and KRIs.
  • Policy and procedure authoring: drafting, version control, communication and governance of policy lifecycles.
  • Basic scripting or query skills (SQL, Python or structured query tools) to support evidence extraction and automation.
  • Incident response and root cause analysis experience to translate incidents into control improvements.
  • Familiarity with privacy assessments (DPIA), data mapping and data protection controls.

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication — able to translate technical controls into business impact for executives and non‑technical stakeholders.
  • Stakeholder management and influence — build credibility with IT, engineering, legal, product and business owners to drive remediation.
  • Analytical and critical thinking — interpret complex regulatory guidance and correlate it to operational controls and processes.
  • Project management and organization — manage multiple compliance initiatives, audit timelines, and remediation activities concurrently.
  • Attention to detail and documentation discipline — ensure evidence trails, control narratives and audit artifacts are precise and complete.
  • Problem solving and pragmatic risk judgement — recommend balanced, business‑aligned control solutions and risk acceptance where appropriate.
  • Collaboration and facilitation — lead cross‑functional workshops and control owner meetings with diplomacy and clarity.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning — keep pace with changing regulatory landscapes and emerging security technologies.
  • Ethical mindset and confidentiality — handle sensitive information responsibly and maintain professional integrity.
  • Time management and prioritization — triage findings and remediation activities based on risk and business impact.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Information Systems, Risk Management, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Risk Management, Business Administration (MBA) or related advanced degree.
  • Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, ISO 27001 Lead Implementer/Auditor, or Certified Data Privacy Professional (CIPP) are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Information Security / Cybersecurity
  • Computer Science / Information Systems
  • Risk Management / Finance
  • Business Administration / Legal / Compliance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–7 years of progressive experience in governance, risk and compliance, IT audit, security operations, or related fields.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years specifically in GRC, vendor risk, or audit roles with demonstrable experience in control testing, remediation, and use of GRC tooling.
  • Experience supporting SOC 2, ISO 27001 certification, PCI compliance or SOX control environments a plus.
  • Hands‑on experience managing third‑party risk programs and responding to external audit or regulatory examinations.
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