Sr. Insider Risk Analyst at Alpaca

About Alpaca

Alpaca is a global leader in agent-first brokerage infrastructure, headquartered in the US. We provide comprehensive services for stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, fixed income, and 24/5 trading. Our licensed financial services subsidiaries serve hundreds of financial institutions across 40 countries, collectively powering over 10 million brokerage accounts. Alpaca's diverse global team comprises experienced engineers, traders, and brokerage professionals dedicated to democratizing financial services worldwide. We are deeply committed to open-source contributions and continuously enhancing our award-winning, developer-friendly API and robust backend infrastructure. Alpaca is proudly supported by $400 million in funding from leading global investors.

Our dynamic team of over 400 members is globally distributed, with teammates working from their preferred locations across the USA, Canada, Japan, Hungary, Nigeria, Brazil, the UK, and beyond. We seek passionate individuals eager to contribute to Alpaca's rapid growth who align with our core values: Stay Curious, Have Empathy, and Be Accountable.

Your Role as Senior Insider & Data Risk Analyst

As a Senior Insider & Data Risk Analyst at Alpaca, you will lead critical insider risk investigations and play a pivotal role in maturing our Insider Risk Management Program and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities. This key position involves triaging and investigating security signals across various domains, including people, devices, identity, and data movement. You will apply established risk tiering and escalation standards, collaborating closely with People/HR, Legal, Compliance, Engineering, and IT on sensitive cases such as employee departures, policy violations, and data misuse. This role operates at the nexus of insider risk, data protection, privacy, and financial services, reporting directly to the Cyber GRC Lead. You will serve as the primary escalation point for the Security team concerning insider and data loss incidents impacting our trading systems, customer data, and proprietary information. This is a practical, senior individual contributor role, ideal for an experienced, discreet, and highly organized professional capable of independently managing investigation workflows, translating complex risks into clear insights for leadership, and building sustainable security programs and processes. Previous experience within a regulated or financial services environment is a significant advantage.

Key Responsibilities (Things You Get To Do)

• Lead insider risk investigations from initial triage through to closure, ensuring proper management of case timelines, containment strategies, escalation procedures, and thorough documentation of determinations and lessons learned.
• Advance Alpaca's Insider Risk Management Program by refining case management processes, developing robust risk tiering, and implementing repeatable workflows.
• Operate and meticulously tune Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools across diverse environments and endpoints, continuously refining rulesets to enhance signal quality and minimize false positives.
• Mature data classification methodologies and align DLP controls effectively with defined data sensitivity levels.
• Investigate potential instances of data exfiltration, misuse, and policy violations, proactively building and tuning detection and monitoring mechanisms.
• Investigate and mitigate misuse and exfiltration risks across critical data sources including source code, Google platforms, AWS, Azure, third-party applications, Slack, and trading/platform system access.
• Partner with People/HR, Legal, Compliance, and IT to manage sensitive cases with the utmost discretion and care, including employee departures, policy breaches, and data mishandling.
• Assess and mitigate risks arising from unauthorized AI/agentic tooling and potential sensitive data exposure through both approved and unsanctioned AI tools.
• Leverage Agentic AI capabilities to continuously enhance the Insider Risk program's maturity and effectiveness.
• Lead comprehensive insider and data risk assessments and diligently maintain corresponding risk registers.
• Provide essential support for internal and external audits, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Contribute valuable insider risk and data handling content to the company's security awareness and training program.
• Act as the primary insider risk escalation point for the Security team, mentoring and guiding other team members on investigation best practices and casework.
• Actively monitor and adapt to new developments in insider risk, data protection, privacy, and financial services regulations.

Required Skills and Experience (Must Haves)

• Exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail; comfortable and effective in a fast paced, high demand, globally distributed work environment.
• Minimum of 4+ years of professional experience in insider risk, DLP operations, digital forensics, or security investigations, including hands on case management for sensitive personnel matters.
• Demonstrated hands on experience leading investigations and managing cases with unwavering discretion, integrity, and sound judgment, particularly concerning sensitive personnel issues.
• Practical experience operating Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions within SaaS and endpoint environments, including adept tuning of rules to significantly improve signal quality.
• Proficiency with workflow automation, AI, or SOAR platforms for efficient alert triage and case orchestration.
• Solid foundational understanding of data classification principles and robust data governance practices.
• Working knowledge of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems and log analysis tools (e.g., ELK/Elastic, Splunk) to effectively support investigations.
• Familiarity with industry frameworks such as NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and key privacy regulations like GDPR and APPI.
• Strong written communication abilities, capable of drafting clear, concise investigation reports, comprehensive case documentation, and impactful executive summaries.
• Unquestionable high integrity and discretion when handling confidential and highly sensitive information.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively across diverse departments including People/HR, Legal, Compliance, Engineering, and IT.

Valuable Additional Qualifications (Nice to Haves)

• Academic background, personal interest, or real world experience within fintech, financial services, or trading platforms.
• Experience in digital forensics or eDiscovery.
• Familiarity with User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) or dedicated insider risk detection platforms.
• Scripting or automation skills for developing detections and performing data analysis (e.g., Python, SQL).
• Experience working with major cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Experience supporting or observing SOC 2, ISO 27001, or other regulatory audits.
• Relevant industry certifications such as GCFA, GCFE, CISSP, CISM, CIPP, CFE, or similar.
• Interest in AI related data risk (e.g., data exposure through AI tools) and leveraging AI tooling for enhanced efficiency.
• Familiarity with financial services regulatory expectations (e.g., SEC/FINRA, broker dealer controls) and multi-jurisdiction privacy requirements.
• Experience in security operations or incident response.

Benefits and Perks (How We Take Care of You)

• Competitive Salary & Stock Options, providing an opportunity for ownership.
• Comprehensive Health Benefits to support your well being.
• New Hire Home-Office Setup: A one-time USD $500 stipend to help you create an effective remote workspace.
• Monthly Stipend: USD $150 per month via a Brex Card for various expenses, including home office support.

Alpaca is an equal opportunity workplace, dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and actively pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce. For more details, please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy.