Vice President, Cyber Defense
Fannie Mae · Financial Services · 5,001-10,000 employees
Washington, DC · Hybrid · full_time
CLI Career Level
VP-equivalent
Low confidence
Opportunity Score
81/100
Strong
Moderate confidence
Executive Fit
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Career Level and Opportunity Score describe the role itself. Executive Fit is the only figure that depends on your profile.
First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last verified 2 hours ago · Sourced from LinkedIn — VP / Head of Security (US)
CLI Take
Scope matches the title
CLI reads this as a VP-equivalent mandate, consistent with how the employer has titled it. CLI's analysis of the posting describes a strategic build or transformation mandate. The reporting line and team size are not disclosed and remain the main open questions before pursuing it.
Why this role scores the way it does
81/100 — strong opportunity quality. CLI reads this as a VP-equivalent mandate. Strongest signal: CLI's analysis of the posting describes a strategic build or transformation mandate. 5 of 10 dimensions are not disclosed, which lowers confidence rather than the score.
Career level read
VP-equivalent — The employer lists this as “Vice President, Cyber Defense”. CLI reads it as VP-equivalent because the role shows 5,001-10,000 employee organization.
Low confidence
What makes it attractive
- CLI's analysis of the posting describes a strategic build or transformation mandate.
- Employer profile: 5,001-10,000 employee organization, government ownership, public, revenue over 10b.
- Title and described scope are broadly consistent.
What to probe before applying
- No material concerns identified in the posting.
Scoring components · Strong
The employer discloses a base range, but there is no comparable set to benchmark it against yet.
Reporting line: not disclosed.
Scope: no enterprise, global or multi-unit remit is described.
CLI's analysis of the posting describes a strategic build or transformation mandate.
Executive and board exposure: not disclosed.
Title and described scope are broadly consistent.
Employer profile: 5,001-10,000 employee organization, government ownership, public, revenue over 10b.
Team size: not disclosed.
Budget ownership: not disclosed.
No adverse signals identified in the posting.
Dimensions the employer does not disclose are excluded and the remaining weights are rebalanced, so missing information lowers confidence rather than the score.
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Compensation
$250,000 – $350,000 base salary, disclosed by employer
The mandate
The Vice President, Cyber Defense is a senior executive tasked with defining and executing Fannie Mae's enterprise cybersecurity strategy, specifically overseeing Threat Detection and Response, Cyber Incident Management, and cyber protection. This leader must strengthen the organization's ability to anticipate, disrupt, and respond to threats while driving modernization and automation across a complex on-prem and multi-cloud environment.
This executive leader oversees the Threat Detection and Response, Incident Management, and cyber protection organizations. The role involves partnering with business and risk leaders to drive modernization initiatives and ensure the scalability of cybersecurity applications across the enterprise.
Domains and regulation
- Cyber Defense
- Incident Response
- Threat Intelligence
- Cloud Security
- Infrastructure Security
- GRC
- Application Security
- Identity
Requirements
Must have
- Significant progressive leadership experience in cybersecurity, technology, or technology risk in large, complex enterprises.
- Demonstrated success leading enterprise-scale Cyber Defense, Security Operations, Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, or Detection Engineering.
- Proven experience developing and executing cybersecurity strategies and major transformation programs.
- Demonstrated leadership during significant cyber incidents, including communication with senior executives.
- Deep understanding of modern adversary behaviors, including AI-driven attacks and threats to cloud, identity, and third-party ecosystems.
- Experience operating within a highly regulated environment and working with Risk, Legal, Compliance, and Audit stakeholders.
Preferred / bonus
- Nothing listed as optional.
Only must-have items are scored as hard constraints in Executive Fit.
Likely challenges
- Modernizing a large-scale Security Operations or Cyber Defense organization within a complex technology environment.
- Leading enterprise-scale responses to significant cyber incidents and making consequential decisions under pressure.
- Transforming legacy manual processes through automation and bleeding-edge cybersecurity technology.
- Navigating the defense challenges of a large-scale technology transformation in a hybrid/multi-cloud environment.
Not stated in the posting: Specific reporting line (title of the executive this role reports to) is not disclosed beyond 'manager'.; Specific team size or headcount not disclosed.; Specific board-level reporting requirements are not explicitly stated, though executive communication is required..
About Fannie Mae
Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored enterprise that provides liquidity, stability, and affordability to the U.S. housing market by purchasing mortgages from lenders. It operates in the secondary mortgage market, managing trillions of dollars in assets and supporting millions of homeowners and renters. For a security leader, the organization represents a critical component of national financial infrastructure operating under strict federal oversight and regulatory requirements.
- Industry
- Financial Services
- Headcount
- 5,001-10,000 employees
- Headquarters
- Washington, D.C.
- Founded
- 1938
- Ownership
- Government · OTCQB:FNMA
- Funding
- Publicly traded
- Revenue
- Over $10B
Full company profile for Fannie Mae →
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