Head of Information Security

Role Summary

THE MISSION OF THIS ROLE

To build a viable, right-sized security system for Scorewarrior — one that protects what actually matters without slowing the company down — and to own it end-to-end: from diagnosis and strategy to implementation, team, and culture.

WHO THIS ROLE IS NOT FOR

We believe in being upfront about fit. This role is probably not for you if:

• Your recent years were mostly about policies, reports, and committees — and real systems are something you haven't touched in a long time.
• Your default operating mode is hierarchy: separate authority, mandatory sign-offs, and blocking by default.
• You have a proven security project you replay at every company, regardless of its actual context and needs.
• Building and leading a team is something you'd rather avoid — hiring is a core part of this role, not an add-on.

Responsibilities

KEY OBJECTIVES

• Build a viable security system across the core domains: IAM (access management, MFA, SSO), infrastructure security (cloud, services, network), foundational SDLC/AppSec (security in the development process and in the code), and the processes and training around them. We expect you to start with a proper diagnosis of our landscape — and design the system for this company, rather than replaying a project from a previous job.
• Own security risks and speak both languages: business language with the CTO and CEO — risk, cost, and priorities; technology language with developers and infrastructure teams — architecture, trade-offs, and practical solutions.
• Make the right build-vs-buy calls: you know the security product market well enough to tell when a problem needs a tool, when a simpler method will do, and when the problem isn't in the tooling at all — it's in habits and heads.
• Introduce security as a partner, not a blocker: embed baseline practices so smoothly that teams barely notice them; for everything on top of that — inform, help when asked, and don't push when it's not the team's priority right now.
• Define how AI tools are used safely: own the policy and guardrails for the company-wide adoption of AI tools — what data can go where, and how teams can use them productively without creating new risks.
• Build the team: hire the first security engineers deliberately — knowing who you're hiring and why — and grow the function as the company's needs grow.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• In the first months, success means a clear diagnosis: you understand our landscape, know where the real risks are, and have a plan the CTO believes in — built for this company, not imported from a previous one.
• Further on, success means the security system is quietly working: baseline practices are embedded so smoothly that teams barely notice them, access and infrastructure are demonstrably better protected, and teams come to security for help rather than hide from it.
• And success means the function is growing deliberately: the first security engineers are hired, you can explain why each of them, and the team is structured around our actual problems — not around an org chart.

Requirements

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in security — real projects you designed, implemented, and stayed around long enough to see working. At the interview, we'll ask about specific cases, decisions, and their consequences — not about frameworks in theory.
• A background that gave you real systems experience. Two paths work equally well for us: a stable security engineering career from university onwards, or a transition into security from system administration, technical support, or network engineering. What matters is the result — you understand infrastructure and architecture from the inside, not from diagrams.
• Proven experience hiring and building a team — even a small one (2+ people). What matters is that it was deliberate: you can explain who you hired, why them, and how the team was structured around the actual problems.
• Experience building a security function, not just running one. You've taken security in an organization from an unclear state to a working system: assessed the landscape, set priorities, chose what to implement and what to skip — and can show what changed as a result.
• Strong awareness of the security product market. You can tell when a problem needs a tool, when a simpler method will do, and when the problem is in habits rather than tooling — and you have real examples of each call.
• A partner's operating style. You work through engineering teams, not above them: no separate authority demands, no blocking by default. Your practices get adopted because they make sense, not because they're mandatory.

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience in companies closest to our context: B2C products, SaaS platforms, gamedev, or mobile apps, with company size up to 1,000 people.
• Experience working with external security providers.
• Familiarity with common security frameworks.
• Experience being the first or founding security hire in a company.

About the Company

ABOUT SCOREWARRIOR

Scorewarrior is an independent game studio with a single mission: to excite and unite players all over the world. For over 10 years we've been pursuing it through Total Battle — a product we continue to actively and successfully grow. We're a team of 230 self-motivated professionals who know and love their craft, and we've recently begun an active company-wide adoption of AI tools.

Our home is a great office in Limassol, Cyprus. We offer a strong relocation package for you and your family, and we put real effort into making life on the island genuinely varied and interesting.

Location & format: Onsite — Limassol, Cyprus

Full relocation support provided

WHY JOIN SCOREWARRIOR?

• A Great Place to Work. 99% employee satisfaction, low turnover, and colleagues who genuinely enjoy collaborating.
• Live and work in sunny Cyprus. We’re an office-first team in Limassol with a modern seaside workspace, and full relocation and visa support for you and your family.
• Shape a global hit. We’re the only European studio with a 4X strategy title in the world’s top-10. Our top-50 mobile game has grown 25x in revenue and audience in the last five years.
• Grow fast in a company that’s already strong. We’re independent, financially rock-solid, and expanding at startup speed, and we have never had lay-offs.
• Work where ideas win. Flat structure, collective decision-making, and honest feedback create full transparency and help you grow fast.
• Earn industry-leading rewards. High salaries, a 13th month, performance bonuses, and extra rewards for long service, marriage, or welcoming a child, and lunch every day.
• Feel supported at every stage of life. Private family health insurance, plus a monthly allowance for children’s pre-school, school, and university education.
• Your growth is our priority. From specialized training and certifications to language courses and books, you’ll have everything you need to keep learning.