Governance Manager

GRC Manager

About Powerus

Powerus is building autonomous systems for defense and commercial applications. We are scaling rapidly and need people who take ownership, make decisions and deliver. We work in hours and days, not quarters and years.

The Role

We are looking for a hands-on Governance, Risk and Compliance Manager to build and run the security compliance program supporting our growth across defense manufacturing, engineering and technology.

You will translate customer, contractual and regulatory requirements into practical controls, clear responsibilities and evidence that stands up to scrutiny. You must understand how to establish strong governance while keeping a fast-moving business operating at pace.

This role requires someone who has built and implemented programs, worked directly with technical teams and taken responsibility for closing gaps.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the information security governance, risk and compliance program across the business.
• Identify applicable security obligations in customer contracts and work with Legal, IT, Engineering and Operations to implement them.
• Lead readiness and ongoing compliance activities for applicable CMMC, NIST SP 800-171 and DFARS requirements.
• Maintain system security plans, plans of action and milestones, risk registers, policies and supporting evidence.
• Define and document the systems, people and processes handling controlled unclassified information.
• Coordinate assessments, customer reviews and audits, ensuring findings have clear owners and are resolved promptly.
• Establish practical processes for access reviews, supplier security assessments, exceptions and change management.
• Work with IT and Engineering to strengthen controls across identity, endpoints, networks, cloud services and data handling.
• Coordinate incident response planning, exercises and follow-up actions with the relevant technical and business teams.
• Deliver security awareness training tailored to employees’ responsibilities.
• Give leadership clear reporting on material risks, compliance progress and decisions requiring action.

What We Are Looking For

• Proven experience delivering security governance, risk and compliance programs within defense, aerospace, advanced manufacturing or another demanding regulated environment.
• Practical experience with CMMC readiness, NIST SP 800-171 and defense contractual cybersecurity requirements.
• Experience preparing evidence, supporting assessments and driving remediation through to completion.
• Sufficient technical understanding to challenge control design and work effectively with IT and engineering teams.
• Experience working in a startup or rapidly scaling business, with the ability to build structure as the organization grows.
• Strong judgment, clear writing and the confidence to raise issues early.
• A hands-on approach and a record of delivering under pressure with competing priorities.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA or CRISC are desirable.

How We Work

We expect urgency, accountability and sound judgment. You must be comfortable with changing priorities, direct communication and taking work from an identified problem through to a completed solution. Quality and security must hold as the business scales.

Work Authorization and Security Requirements

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States, be U.S. citizens and be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.