CISO Recruitment Agency
Licorne Society helps companies hire their security leaders: RSSI, CISO and Director of Cybersecurity, on a permanent or a fractional basis.
5/5 · 206 Google reviews More than 200 startups, scale-ups and digital companies have hired their security leadership with Licorne Society.
Testimonials
They trusted the Licorne Society team with their cybersecurity hiring
Lots of complex hires in a short space of time. Strong, high-quality candidates presented and shortlisted. Friendly people who understand the brief very well and are always available. We recommend them.
We brought in Licorne Society during our technology transformation, when we needed to hire new TECH skills across several areas: Product, Delivery, QA, Engineering. Not only were they very responsive, they also put forward the candidates who best matched the brief. Of the 4 agencies we worked with, Licorne Society had the highest success rate. Well done!
We have been working with Licorne Society for several years to hire tech engineers and strengthen our development / devops / security teams. Thanks to Licorne Society, we have made several key hires over the past few years, which have helped raise our teams' overall performance.
Our RSSI and cybersecurity director profiles, ready to meet your company's challenges
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Startup / scale-up RSSI
- The company's first security hire, able to build governance from the ground up
- Equally at home with strategy and execution, comfortable with small tech teams
- A product and business mindset to get the leadership team on board with security
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Experienced CISO
- 15+ years' experience in senior cybersecurity roles
- Able to define an overall security strategy and manage a budget
- Expert in building and managing a Cyber department
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Fractional / interim RSSI
- A senior expert available at short notice for a one-off assignment
- Ideal for building out security, preparing for a certification (ISO 27001, SecNumCloud) or passing an audit
- A sensible alternative ahead of a permanent hire
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Compliance & regulatory RSSI
- Expert in regulatory frameworks (GDPR, DORA, NIS2, ISO 27001)
- Able to engage with regulators, auditors and major-account clients
- Particularly sought after in finance, healthcare and sensitive sectors
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Industrial / OT RSSI
- Experience securing industrial systems and OT / IoT environments
- Able to reconcile operational safety, production and cybersecurity
- Sought after in industry, energy and hardware-heavy companies
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Cloud / DevSecOps RSSI
- Comfortable with cloud-native architectures and integrating security into pipelines
- Able to win over engineering teams and build a DevSecOps culture
- Well suited to SaaS scale-ups and highly automated environments
Our RSSI and CISO recruitment expert
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Pierre-Alexis Ardon
- CEO and co-founder of the Licorne Society recruitment platform. 🦄
- Former Product Manager at a startup on a Data / Data Science product. 🚀
- Expert in structuring technical and cybersecurity teams at startups, scale-ups and large corporates. 🔐
Our team of consultants specialising in Tech and cybersecurity recruitment can support you on all your security leadership hires.
Recruiting a CISO
Hiring an RSSI or a CISO is a strategic challenge, and increasingly a regulatory one.
With cyber threats on the rise and regulations such as DORA and NIS2 coming into force, information systems security is no longer optional. Hiring a security leader has become a priority for startups, scale-ups and large corporates, but these people are scarce and highly sought after.
What we do
quickly find the best security leaders on the market, on permanent, fractional or interim contracts
Why us?
- A clear grasp of the cybersecurity challenges specific to your company's maturity and sector.
- A powerful network of RSSIs, CISOs and cybersecurity directors, from a startup's first security hire to a group CISO.
- In-depth knowledge of the regulatory frameworks and certifications that shape the role.
That is what makes Licorne Society the go-to partner for hiring your security leadership, on permanent and freelance contracts, in France and abroad ⭐
A 3.0 recruitment agency specialising in RSSI and CISO searches
- 01
A community of cybersecurity talent
Licorne Society has more than 4,500 active job seekers registered on its platform.
- 02
Deep expertise in security roles
For every brief, our team finds, approaches and screens the best security leaders in the ecosystem.
- 03
A unique sourcing technology
100% tailored to each role and to your target, combining artificial intelligence and automation.
How our CISO recruitment service works
- 1
Scoping your needs
We (really) take the time to understand.
- 2
Targeted sourcing
We quickly tap into our network of more than 50,000 professionals, and approach directly the candidates who are not in it yet.
- 3
Screening the best candidates
We take the time to call every relevant candidate to understand their background and aspirations.
- 4
Shortlist within a few days
You receive a list of qualified candidates who are available and interested.
RSSI, CISO, Director of Cybersecurity: what are the differences?
These three titles often cover the same function, but with nuances of scope and context.
- RSSI (Responsable de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information)
- the historical French term, widely used in large corporates, industry and the public sector.
- CISO (Chief Information Security Officer)
- the English equivalent, dominant at startups, scale-ups and in international environments, with a more C-level flavour.
- Director of Cybersecurity
- a title often reserved for organisations where security is a department in its own right, with sizeable teams.
Depending on your organisation, the role will report to the CIO (in French), the CTO or directly to the CEO. We help you decide where the role should sit before launching the search.
How do you recruit an RSSI or a CISO?
Hiring a security leader means defining the need precisely before launching the search. The key steps:
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Define the scope for your context
a hands-on RSSI to lay the foundations of security, or a CISO in a management role to lead an existing team and budget.
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Target the right sector experience
the challenges an RSSI faces in finance (DORA), healthcare or industry (OT) are very different. Regulatory experience is often decisive.
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Source in a talent-short market
the best candidates are rarely active job seekers, so a direct approach (in French) is essential.
Whether you are a startup, a scale-up, an SME or a large corporate going through a transformation, securing this key hire takes a structured search. For support, talk to our Executive Search team.
Resources & related pages
Further reading on recruiting your security leadership
To scope your need, see our job profiles for security leadership roles (in French):
- RSSI / Responsable de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information: leads the security strategy, governance and risk management.
- CISO / Chief Information Security Officer: the C-level equivalent, often reporting to the CTO, the CIO or the CEO.
Hiring for more technical cyber roles (SOC analyst, pentester, cybersecurity engineer, in French)? See our cybersecurity recruitment agency page, which covers every security role.
This page is part of our Executive Search and headhunting offering, dedicated to hiring executives and C-level leaders.
Ready to hire your CISO?
Frequently asked questions about recruiting an RSSI or a CISO
01 What is the difference between an RSSI and a CISO?
What is the difference between an RSSI and a CISO?
Both refer to the executive responsible for information systems security. RSSI (Responsable de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information) is the French term, CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) its English equivalent, more common at startups, scale-ups and international groups. The scope can vary: governance and compliance, operational security, or both.
02 How long does it take to hire an RSSI?
How long does it take to hire an RSSI?
It generally takes a few days to receive a first shortlist of qualified, available candidates, then two to four weeks to complete interviews and make the hire, depending on your decision-making process. For such a scarce profile, a direct approach is essential.
03 Can you recruit a fractional or interim RSSI?
Can you recruit a fractional or interim RSSI?
Yes. Many SMEs and scale-ups do not need a full-time RSSI: we also place people on a fractional, interim management or freelance basis to build out security, achieve a certification (ISO 27001, SecNumCloud) or pass an audit before hiring in-house.
04 What budget should you plan for hiring an RSSI or a CISO?
What budget should you plan for hiring an RSSI or a CISO?
An RSSI's pay depends heavily on the sector, the size of the organisation and the level of regulation (DORA, NIS2, healthcare, finance). A security leadership role usually commands a C-level package: we share the market ranges we see when scoping the search.
05 Where can you find RSSI candidates?
Where can you find RSSI candidates?
The vast majority of good security leaders are not actively looking. We identify and approach them directly within our network of more than 50,000 professionals, in addition to the candidates registered on the platform.
Our specialities
A specialist recruiter for every need
Executive Search
We help companies find and hire senior executives and C-level leaders.
Learn more Tech & DataTech recruitment
Hire people with strong technical expertise in software development and data, in a highly competitive market.
Learn more Sales & MarketingSales & Marketing recruitment
We help companies structure their Marketing and Sales teams so they can drive the growth of the business.
Learn more OperationsOperations & Finance recruitment
Hire the people who will run and optimise your operations and processes.
Learn moreOur scope
Other roles covered by our services
Our locations
We recruit across the major French tech and digital ecosystems, and support your growth across Europe.