What Security Execs Look for in Talent, Culture, and Strategy
🎙 Introduction
We sat down with the (anonymized) CISO of a top 20 DeFi protocol managing over $1B in TVL. With 15+ years in cybersecurity and the last 3 in Web3, he shares how the best teams build security into their culture, hire smarter, and avoid the most common mistakes.
🧭 Q1: What’s the CISO’s Real Mission?
“Protect funds, protect uptime, protect users. That’s it. But in Web3, that touches everything: smart contracts, wallets, Discord servers, even governance.”
He described his role as both technical and strategic—often mediating between engineers, DAOs, and external auditors.
🔍 Q2: What Kind of Talent Do You Prioritize?
“Curious problem solvers. I’ll take someone who can model an attack and explain it clearly over a resume full of certs.”
Roles he highlighted as most critical:
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Smart Contract Auditors
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DevSecOps Engineers
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Security PMs
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On-Chain Monitoring Leads
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Bug Bounty Managers
📦 Q3: When Should Protocols Start Hiring Security Talent?
“Before your audit. You want a security-aware codebase and test suite before the report. Too many teams go in blind.”
He recommends a part-time or fractional hire as early as testnet phase.
⚠️ Q4: Biggest Mistake He Sees Founders Make?
“They treat audits like insurance. One audit = safe. Not true. Security is iterative. It’s process, not a moment.”
He stressed the importance of treating audit reports as living documents tied to internal checklists.
💬 Q5: Final Advice for Founders Hiring Security?
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Ask for GitHub activity or audit reports—not just a CV
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Hire for alignment with your stack (Solidity, Rust, etc.)
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Prioritize strong communicators who can document and teach others
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Build security champions inside your eng team—not separate from it
🛡 Want to Build a Security-First Team Culture?
We help protocols place CISOs, DevSecOps engineers, and auditors who align with your speed, stack, and roadmap. If you’re building and want to protect what you’re scaling:
Book a call and let’s talk team building for security.