Senior Director, Governance, Risk

ABOUT UNIVERS Univers combines global operating scale, deep industrial intelligence, and recognition from the institutions shaping energy, technology, and sustainability. The platforms built for the last decade were designed to monitor. Univers was built to act — not just report. Univers operates at global scale:
• 1,070 GW+ Energy assets under AI management
• 450M+ Connected sensors and devices
• 800+ Enterprise customers
• Leader Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader Home
- Univers ROLE OVERVIEW / THE OPPORTUNITY We are seeking an experienced Senior Director, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) to scale and lead Univers' global GRC function. This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for establishing enterprise-wide risk management, strengthening governance and internal controls, enhancing privacy and third-party risk programs, and supporting the company's IPO readiness efforts. Reporting to the General Counsel and working closely with executive leadership and the Board, the successful candidate will help embed a culture of accountability, risk awareness, and operational excellence across the organization. The ideal candidate combines strong business judgment, strategic thinking, and executive presence with deep expertise in governance, risk management, compliance, privacy, audit, and controls. They must be able to influence senior leaders, drive cross-functional accountability, and translate compliance requirements into practical business outcomes. RESPONSIBILITIES / WHAT YOU WILL DO Enterprise Risk Management
• Design and implement Univers' enterprise risk management (ERM) framework.
• Develop and maintain enterprise risk registers, risk assessments, and remediation plans.
• Establish risk governance processes, reporting frameworks, and executive risk reviews.
• Provide regular risk reporting and insights to senior management and the Board. Governance & Internal Controls
• Develop and maintain a global governance and controls framework.
• Enhance policy governance, ownership, monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms.
• Establish processes to measure compliance effectiveness and accountability.
• Drive continuous improvement of governance processes across global operations. Compliance & Assurance
• Lead and mature compliance programs supporting global business operations.
• Oversee SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and other significant assurance and certification programs.
• Coordinate internal and external audits.
• Ensure compliance activities are aligned with business priorities and strategic objectives. Privacy & Regulatory Compliance
• Build and enhance Univers' global privacy compliance program.
• Partner with Legal, Product, Engineering, Security, and Operations teams to ensure compliance with evolving global regulations, including European data protection requirements.
• Support regulatory readiness initiatives associated with global expansion. Third-Party Risk Management
• Establish and scale a comprehensive third-party risk management program.
• Implement vendor risk assessment, monitoring, and remediation processes.
• Partner with Procurement, Security, and Legal teams to strengthen supplier governance. IPO Readiness
• Support governance, compliance, risk management, and controls workstreams associated with Univers' planned U.
S. IPO.
• Partner with Finance, Legal, Security, and executive leadership to strengthen public-company readiness.
• Help establish governance practices consistent with investor and Board expectations. Culture & Leadership
• Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, and risk awareness.
• Drive organizational understanding of compliance obligations and business risk.
• Influence leaders across functions to adopt and enforce governance standards.
• Build and mentor a high-performing GRC organization over time. REQUIREMENTS / WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Required Qualifications
• 10+ years of experience in governance, risk management, compliance, audit, internal controls, privacy, cybersecurity governance, or related disciplines.
• Experience building or leading enterprise GRC programs in a rapidly growing global organization.
• Experience supporting IPO readiness, public-company compliance, or SOX-related initiatives.
• Experience in technology, SaaS, IoT, industrial technology, energy, or critical infrastructure sectors.
• Experience presenting to executive leadership teams, boards of directors, or audit committees.
• Demonstrated expertise in enterprise risk management and governance frameworks.
• Experience leading external audits, certification efforts, and compliance programs.
• Strong change management, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with global privacy programs, including GDPR.
• Professional certifications such as CRISC, CISA, CISM, CISSP, CIPM, CIPP/E, CPA, CIA, or equivalent.
• Experience operating in multinational environments across North America, Europe, and Asia. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE Within 12–18 months, the successful candidate will have:
• Established a formal enterprise risk management program.
• Implemented Board-level risk reporting.
• Deployed a global controls framework.
• Built a scalable privacy governance program.
• Established a comprehensive vendor risk management program.
• Strengthened compliance accountability across the organization.
• Enhanced readiness for public company governance and reporting requirements.