Security Program Manager

Our mission is to make higher education accessible and affordable for everyone. We empower students with financial support and supercharge their ability to pay down their debt, so they can get on the right financial track, fast.

We build tools that help people feel in control of their financial future, including:

• Private student loans - low rates, people-first service, and flexible payments.
• Student loan refinancing - break free from high-interest rates or monthly payments.
• Scholarships - access to thousands of scholarships to help students pay less.

Earnies are committed to helping students live their best lives, free from the stress of student debt. If you’re as passionate as we are about our mission, read more below, and let’s build something great together!

The Security Program Manager position will report to the Head of Security.

As the Security Program Manager, you will:

• Align security policies and controls with applicable compliance requirements (e.g., GLBA, FFIEC, NY DFS, SOC 2, SOX).
• Lead and refine security governance, risk, and compliance processes, including the production of regular program status reports.
• Lead high-impact security and compliance projects with cross-team dependencies, ensuring timely and successful completion.
• Facilitate scrum ceremonies within the security team to foster a shared understanding of security objectives and initiatives.
• Oversee the Security Champions program, driving security awareness and participation throughout the organization.
• Overseeing vendor and third-party assessments to ensure compliance with security requirements.

About You:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in information security, compliance, risk management, or program management, with the ability to contribute at both strategic and tactical levels.
• A minimum of 1 year experience managing complex security compliance functions and ensuring successful execution of key initiatives.
• Deep expertise in audit processes and security compliance frameworks such as GLBA, FFIEC, NY DFS, SOC 2, and SOX.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional initiatives and managing complex projects from inception to completion.
• Strong understanding of cloud-native technologies (e.g., AWS, Kubernetes) and modern CI/CD workflows.
• Willingness to travel to the Oakland office monthly to collaborate with other Earnies.

Even Better:

• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA or CRISC are a plus

Where:

• This role will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• While you’ll enjoy the flexibility of remote work, we also love to see our Earnies face-to-face! We ask you to join us at our Oakland office for 3 consecutive days a month for team collaboration and some fun. It's a

A little about our pay philosophy: We take pride in compensating our employees fairly and equitably. We are showcasing a range of your potential base salary based on the roles location. The successful candidate’s starting pay will also be determined based on job-related qualifications, internal compensation, candidate location and budget. This range may be modified in the future.

Earnest believes in enabling our employees to live their best lives. We offer a variety of perks and competitive benefits, including:

• Health, Dental, & Vision benefits plus savings plans
• Mac computers + work-from-home stipend to set up your home office
• Monthly internet and phone reimbursement
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
• 401(k) plan to help you save for retirement plus a company match
• Robust tuition reimbursement program
• $1,000 travel perk on each Earnie-versary to anywhere in the world
• Competitive days of annual PTO
• Competitive parental leave

What Makes an Earnie:

At Earnest, our people bring our cultural principles to life. These principles define how we work, how we win, and what we expect of ourselves and each other:

• Every Second Counts: Speed is our competitive advantage. Our customers need better solutions, and the faster we execute, the greater our chance of success.
• Choose To Do Hard Things: We win by tackling the hard things that others avoid, fueled by grit and resilience.
• Pursue Excellence: Great companies, teams, and individuals never settle and are proud of the work that they do. What’s good enough today won’t be good enough tomorrow. Excellence isn’t a destination; it’s a mindset of continuous improvement.
• Lead Together: Our success comes from how we work together. Leadership is not about titles—it is about action. We take ownership, drive results, and move forward as a team.
• Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously: We take our work seriously, not ourselves. The stakes are high, but a sense of humor keeps us grounded, creative, and resilient.

At Earnest, we are committed to building an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging enables us to move forward with our mission. We are dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team and encourage anyone to apply if your experience is close to what we are looking for.

Earnest provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or genetics. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for the position in a manner consistent with the Fair Chance Ordinance.