GOVERN: Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities (GV.RR)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define cybersecurity roles and responsibilities appropriate for startup team structures
• Establish clear decision-making authorities and escalation processes
• Create accountability mechanisms that ensure security tasks are completed effectively
• Design role frameworks that evolve with organizational growth and complexity
• Implement coordination processes that support effective security teamwork

Introduction: Clarity in Chaos

In large enterprises, cybersecurity roles are well-defined: the CISO sets strategy, security analysts monitor threats, and compliance officers manage audits. Everyone knows their lane and stays in it.

Startups don’t have that luxury. Your CTO might be writing code in the morning, reviewing security policies at lunch, and responding to a customer security questionnaire in the afternoon. Your operations manager could be handling HR, finance, and incident response all in the same week.

This role ambiguity creates gaps: critical security tasks fall through the cracks because everyone assumes someone else is handling them. Or worse, nothing happens during a security incident because no one knows who should take charge.

This lesson shows you how to create role clarity without role rigidity—ensuring everyone knows their security responsibilities while maintaining the flexibility that makes startups successful.

Understanding GV.RR: Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities

NIST CSF 2.0 GV.RR Outcomes

GV.RR-01: Cybersecurity roles, responsibilities, and authorities are established, communicated, assigned, and accepted by organizational personnel and management

GV.RR-02: Roles, responsibilities, and authorities for vulnerability coordination and disclosure are established

GV.RR-03: Cybersecurity roles, responsibilities, and authorities are established for those who design, develop, implement, operate, maintain, and dispose of organizational systems and services

GV.RR-04: Cybersecurity responsibility is included in personnel descriptions, performance objectives, and organizational responsibilities

Startup Role Reality

Traditional Enterprise Model:

• Specialized roles with narrow focus areas
• Clear hierarchy and reporting structures
• Dedicated resources for each security function
• Formal job descriptions and performance metrics

Startup Model:

• Multi-hat roles with broad responsibilities
• Flat structures with direct access to leadership
• Shared resources across multiple functions
• Flexible assignments based on growth and priorities

Key Differences:

• Depth vs. Breadth: Enterprise specialists vs. startup generalists
• Process vs. Agility: Formal procedures vs. adaptive responses
• Hierarchy vs. Collaboration: Command structures vs. team coordination
• Specialization vs. Integration: Siloed functions vs. cross-functional teams

Core Cybersecurity Roles for Startups

The Minimum Viable Security Team

Stage 1: Pre-Seed/Seed (1-10 employees)

Security Accountable Executive

• Primary Role: Founder, CEO, or CTO
• Time Commitment: 2-4 hours/week
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Overall security accountability and budget ownership
  • Security policy approval and major decision-making
  • Incident escalation and crisis communication
  • Board and investor security reporting
  • Vendor security approval for critical services

Technical Security Lead

• Primary Role: CTO, Lead Developer, or Senior Engineer
• Time Commitment: 4-6 hours/week
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Security tool implementation and configuration
  • Secure development practices and code review
  • Technical incident response and forensics
  • Security assessment and vulnerability management
  • Infrastructure security and access control

Operational Security Coordinator

• Primary Role: Operations Manager, Office Manager, or HR Lead
• Time Commitment: 2-3 hours/week
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Employee security training and awareness
  • Physical security and device management
  • Vendor onboarding and basic risk assessment
  • Policy communication and compliance tracking
  • Administrative incident response support

Stage 2: Series A (10-25 employees)

Security Program Manager

• Primary Role: Dedicated part-time position or consultant
• Time Commitment: 0.5-0.75 FTE
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Security program development and coordination
  • Risk assessment and management oversight
  • Compliance program management (SOC 2, etc.)
  • Security metrics and reporting
  • Cross-functional security project leadership

Security Operations Lead

• Primary Role: DevOps Engineer or SRE with security focus
• Time Commitment: 25-40% of role
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Security monitoring and incident detection
  • Infrastructure security and configuration management
  • Security tool administration and maintenance
  • Vulnerability scanning and patch management
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery

Compliance and Risk Specialist

• Primary Role: Legal, Finance, or Operations team member
• Time Commitment: 15-25% of role
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Regulatory compliance tracking and reporting
  • Audit preparation and vendor assessment coordination
  • Contract security review and negotiation
  • Privacy program implementation
  • Risk register maintenance and reporting

Stage 3: Series B+ (25+ employees)

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

• Primary Role: Dedicated full-time security executive
• Time Commitment: Full-time
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Security strategy development and execution
  • Board and executive security reporting
  • Security budget management and resource planning
  • External security relationships and partnerships
  • Security team hiring and development

Security Engineer/Analyst

• Primary Role: Dedicated security technical professional
• Time Commitment: Full-time
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Security architecture design and implementation
  • Threat detection and incident response
  • Security tool engineering and automation
  • Penetration testing and vulnerability assessment
  • Security research and threat intelligence

GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance) Manager

• Primary Role: Dedicated compliance and risk professional
• Time Commitment: Full-time
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Compliance program management and audit coordination
  • Risk assessment and treatment planning
  • Policy development and maintenance
  • Vendor risk management and third-party assessments
  • Regulatory reporting and liaison

Role Assignment Matrix (RACI)

R=Responsible, A=Accountable, C=Consulted, I=Informed

Decision-Making Authorities and Escalation

Security Decision Framework

Level 1: Operational Decisions (No Escalation Required)

• Routine security tool configuration and maintenance
• Standard vulnerability patching and updates
• Employee security training scheduling
• Basic vendor security assessments
• Non-critical incident response actions

Authority: Technical Security Lead, Security Operations Lead

Level 2: Tactical Decisions (Manager Approval)

• Security tool procurement and implementation
• Policy updates and procedure changes
• Non-standard security configurations
• Medium-risk vendor approvals
• Security project resource allocation

Authority: Security Program Manager, CISO (with consultation)

Level 3: Strategic Decisions (Executive Approval)

• Major security investments and budget changes
• Security strategy modifications
• High-risk vendor approvals
• Policy exceptions for business needs
• Compliance program decisions

Authority: CEO, CTO (with Security leader input)

Level 4: Crisis Decisions (Immediate Executive Involvement)

• Major security incident response
• Regulatory notification decisions
• Public communication about security matters
• Legal and law enforcement coordination
• Business continuity activation

Authority: CEO (with Crisis Response Team)

Escalation Triggers and Timelines

Immediate Escalation (0-1 hours):

• Confirmed or suspected data breach
• System compromise affecting customer data
• Ransomware or widespread malware infection
• Service outage with security implications
• Media inquiries about security incidents

Rapid Escalation (1-4 hours):

• Failed compliance audit findings
• Significant vendor security incident
• Employee security policy violations
• Regulatory inquiry or investigation
• Customer security incident claims

Standard Escalation (24-48 hours):

• Budget variance in security spending
• Policy exception requests
• New regulatory requirements
• Vendor risk assessment failures
• Security tool performance issues

Routine Escalation (Weekly/Monthly):

• Security metrics and performance reports
• Risk assessment updates
• Compliance status reviews
• Security project status updates
• Resource planning and allocation

Crisis Decision-Making Structure

Incident Commander: Security Program Manager or CISO

• Authority: Coordinate response, allocate resources, communicate status
• Escalation: CEO for business decisions, legal for regulatory matters

Technical Lead: CTO or Senior Security Engineer

• Authority: Technical response decisions, system isolation, forensics
• Escalation: Incident Commander for business impact decisions

Communications Lead: CEO or designated communications manager

• Authority: External communications, customer notifications, media relations
• Escalation: Board chair for public statements, legal counsel for liability

Business Lead: COO or Operations Manager

• Authority: Business continuity decisions, alternative processes, customer impact
• Escalation: CEO for strategic business decisions

Role Integration and Accountability

Performance Integration

Job Description Integration:

## [Role Title] - Security Responsibilities

### Primary Security Duties (X% of role)
- [Specific security task 1]: [Expected outcome and frequency]
- [Specific security task 2]: [Expected outcome and frequency]
- [Specific security task 3]: [Expected outcome and frequency]

### Security Performance Metrics
- [Metric 1]: [Target and measurement method]
- [Metric 2]: [Target and measurement method]
- [Metric 3]: [Target and measurement method]

### Required Security Knowledge
- [Certification or training requirement 1]
- [Certification or training requirement 2]
- [Experience or skill requirement]

### Security Accountability
- Reports security incidents within [timeframe]
- Maintains security awareness through [training requirement]
- Follows all security policies and procedures
- Escalates security concerns through [process]

Performance Review Integration:

• Security responsibilities included in annual review criteria
• Security incident handling evaluated for relevant roles
• Security training completion tracked and reported
• Security innovation and improvement recognized

Career Development Integration:

• Security skills development included in professional growth plans
• Security certifications supported through training budgets
• Security project leadership opportunities provided
• Security expertise recognized in promotion decisions

Coordination Mechanisms

Daily Coordination:

• Security status included in daily standups (for relevant teams)
• Security alerts and updates shared through team channels
• Security issues escalated through normal management channels

Weekly Coordination:

• Security metrics included in weekly team reports
• Cross-functional security issues discussed in staff meetings
• Security project updates shared with relevant stakeholders

Monthly Coordination:

• Security performance reviewed in monthly business reviews
• Cross-team security coordination meeting (as teams grow)
• Security training and awareness updates communicated

Quarterly Coordination:

• Comprehensive security role review and adjustment
• Security performance against goals evaluated
• Role clarity and satisfaction assessed through feedback
• Security resource allocation and planning discussions

Scaling Roles with Growth

Role Evolution Patterns

From Generalist to Specialist:

• Stage 1: One person handling all security aspects
• Stage 2: Security generalist with specialized support
• Stage 3: Specialized security roles with defined focus areas
• Stage 4: Security organization with multiple specialized teams

From Part-Time to Full-Time:

• Stage 1: Security as additional responsibility (10-20% of role)
• Stage 2: Security as significant responsibility (40-60% of role)
• Stage 3: Security as primary responsibility (80-100% of role)
• Stage 4: Multiple full-time security professionals

From Internal to Mixed:

• Stage 1: All security handled internally
• Stage 2: Internal coordination with external specialists
• Stage 3: Mixed internal team with external partnerships
• Stage 4: Comprehensive internal capability with strategic partners

Growth Trigger Points

Hire First Security Person When:

• Reaching 15-25 employees
• Customer security requirements exceed current capabilities
• Compliance requirements demand dedicated focus
• Security incidents consume significant leadership time
• Technical complexity exceeds generalist capabilities

Expand Security Team When:

• Security person regularly working more than full-time hours
• Multiple simultaneous security projects and initiatives
• 24/7 monitoring and response capabilities needed
• Specialized skills (GRC, engineering, architecture) required
• Security becoming competitive differentiator

Build Security Organization When:

• 100+ employees with complex technology stack
• Multiple products or business lines with different requirements
• Global operations with regulatory complexity
• Security as primary competitive advantage
• Enterprise customers requiring mature security organization

Real-World Example: Fintech Startup Role Evolution

Company: Digital lending platform growing from 8 to 45 employees Industry: Financial services with regulatory requirements Timeline: 18-month growth period

Month 1-6 (8-15 employees, Seed Stage):

Security Accountable Executive: CEO

• Weekly security check-ins with CTO
• Quarterly compliance updates to board
• Customer security questionnaire oversight

Technical Security Lead: CTO (Lead Engineer background)

• AWS infrastructure security configuration
• Basic security monitoring setup
• Employee security training coordination
• Customer security assessment responses

Results:

• Basic security hygiene established
• Passed 3 customer security reviews
• Zero security incidents
• Security budget: $15,000/year

Month 7-12 (15-28 employees, Series A):

Security Program Manager: Part-time consultant (0.6 FTE)

• SOC 2 compliance program leadership
• Security policy development and implementation
• Vendor risk assessment process creation
• Security metrics and reporting establishment

DevOps Security Lead: Senior DevOps Engineer (30% security focus)

• Security monitoring and alerting implementation
• Infrastructure hardening and compliance
• Automated security scanning integration
• Incident response technical leadership

Compliance Coordinator: Operations Manager (20% security focus)

• Employee security training program management
• Policy communication and compliance tracking
• Basic vendor onboarding and assessment
• Physical security and device management

Results:

• SOC 2 Type I achieved in 9 months
• Passed 8 customer security assessments
• 1 minor incident (phishing attempt, contained quickly)
• Security budget: $85,000/year

Month 13-18 (28-45 employees, Series B Preparation):

Chief Information Security Officer: Full-time hire

• Security strategy development and board reporting
• Security team hiring and development
• Customer and partner security relationship management
• Regulatory compliance and audit coordination

Security Engineer: Full-time hire

• Security tool development and automation
• Threat detection and incident response
• Penetration testing and vulnerability assessment
• Security architecture and engineering

GRC Analyst: Full-time hire

• SOC 2 Type II audit management
• Vendor risk assessment and monitoring
• Policy maintenance and training coordination
• Risk register and compliance reporting

Results:

• SOC 2 Type II achieved
• Passed Series B security due diligence
• Zero security incidents in 6 months
• Security-enabled $3.2M in enterprise deals
• Security budget: $180,000/year (salaries + tools)

Key Success Factors:

• Started with clear accountability at founder level
• Gradually specialized roles based on business needs
• Maintained role flexibility during rapid growth
• Integrated security responsibilities into all team members
• Measured success through business outcomes, not just security metrics

Common Role Clarity Challenges

Challenge: “Everyone Thinks Someone Else is Handling It”

Solution:

• Create explicit RACI matrices for all security activities
• Regular security responsibility reviews in team meetings
• Clear ownership assignment for every security task
• Backup responsibility assignment for key roles

Challenge: “We Don’t Have Time for Security Tasks”

Solution:

• Realistic time allocation for security responsibilities
• Integration of security tasks into regular workflows
• Automation and tooling to reduce manual effort
• Clear prioritization of security vs. other responsibilities

Challenge: “Roles Keep Changing as We Grow”

Solution:

• Regular role review and adjustment processes
• Flexible role definitions that evolve with needs
• Clear communication about role changes
• Documentation of role evolution for future reference

Challenge: “Security Person is a Bottleneck”

Solution:

• Distribute security responsibilities across teams
• Create security champions in each department
• Delegate decision-making authority appropriately
• Build security capabilities throughout organization

Key Takeaways

1. Start Simple, Evolve Gradually: Begin with clear accountability and add specialization as you grow
2. Clarity Prevents Gaps: Explicit role definition ensures all security tasks have owners
3. Flexibility is Essential: Roles must adapt to changing business needs and growth
4. Integration Matters: Security responsibilities work best when integrated into everyone’s job
5. Accountability Drives Results: Clear expectations and measurement improve security outcomes

Knowledge Check

1. Who should be the Security Accountable Executive in a 12-employee startup?

   • A) Dedicated CISO
   • B) External consultant
   • C) Founder, CEO, or CTO
   • D) Lead developer

2. At what stage should startups typically hire their first dedicated security person?

   • A) 5-10 employees
   • B) 15-25 employees
   • C) 50-75 employees
   • D) 100+ employees

3. What’s the most important element of security role definition?

   • A) Detailed job descriptions
   • B) Clear accountability and decision authority
   • C) Specialized security skills
   • D) Formal reporting structures

Additional Resources

• Security role templates and job descriptions (coming soon)
• RACI matrix templates for security functions (coming soon)
• Security role assessment and planning tools (coming soon)

Congratulations! You’ve completed the GOVERN function of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0. In the next phase, we’ll dive into the IDENTIFY function, learning how to systematically understand your cybersecurity risks and assets. This foundation will inform all your protection, detection, response, and recovery activities.