Jr. Business Security Consultant

How does an organization ensure that information remains secure and that daily work can continue? Which risks deserve attention? And why? How do you translate security requirements into agreements and processes that work in practice? At Northwave, we help organizations with these questions.

You will join our Dutch Business Security Consultancy team from our European headquarters in Utrecht. Together with experienced colleagues, you will map out how organizations have set up their information security and help to improve it. You will work at the intersection of business and IT: you understand business processes, have a feeling for IT, and want to learn how to translate risks into practical improvements. We are not looking for a specific technical background, but for someone who understands the business and wants to make the connection with IT.

At Northwave, business, technical, and human aspects of information security come together. In addition to your collaboration with Business Security Consultants, you will get the opportunity to work with and learn from ethical hackers, forensic investigators during cyber incidents, and experts in the field of human behavior. This way, you discover how different expertises complement each other and what organizations need to be digitally resilient, beyond just policy on paper.

Do you want to understand how organizations work and learn how to make them more digitally resilient? Then we would love to meet you!

What will you do?

From the start, you will work together with experienced Business Security Consultants on client assignments. You will help clients gain insight into their current situation, their risks, implement improvements, and assess whether agreements and measures work in practice.

To do this, you will conduct interviews together with colleagues, study documents, and work out your findings. You will learn to ask follow-up questions, make connections, and distinguish between what is arranged on paper and what actually happens. You will translate your findings into understandable reports and actionable recommendations.

You will work on varied assignments for different clients. One time you might investigate the maturity level of an organization; another time you might help set up policies and processes or perform an internal audit. In doing so, you will learn how organizations handle risks and comply with relevant legislation and standards, such as ISO 27001 and the Cbw / NIS2.

• (GAP-)assessments: you map out the current situation and investigate where it deviates from relevant requirements and desired ways of working.

• Implementation projects: you help set up and improve policies, processes, and agreements for information security.

• Internal audits: you investigate together with colleagues whether policy is being complied with and whether measures work in practice.

• Advisory projects: you help translate findings into clear conclusions, practical advice, and concrete next steps for the client.

You will receive a permanent mentor and shadow experienced colleagues. First, you will observe and assist; after that, you will take on more and more parts yourself. You will receive responsibility that matches your development and can rely on colleagues to think along with you. This way, you build up substantive knowledge and also learn the consultancy profession: from asking good questions to discussing findings and advising clients.

You will coordinate your development plan with your manager. You determine which knowledge, skills, and experience you want to build and what is needed for that. This could be training or certification, but also working on specific assignments or gaining experience with a new topic. There is room to discover which direction suits you.

You will become part of our close-knit Dutch consultancy team in Utrecht. We discuss assignments, share knowledge, and help each other forward. Furthermore, within Northwave, you will find colleagues with diverse interests and expertise. Together, we work for clients in various sectors, from medium-sized organizations to large international companies.

As a team, we find it important to see each other regularly: to work together, to learn from each other, and to stay connected as a team. Therefore, we meet at the office in Utrecht at least once every two weeks on Fridays. Outside of that, we are regularly found in the office and we find it important that you align with this. This allows you to consult easily and build a bond with your colleagues.

You are someone who wants to understand how organizations work. You ask follow-up questions, make connections, and want to know what an improvement yields in practice. You are at the beginning of your consultancy career and want to grow in substantive knowledge and advisory skills. You don't need to be a security specialist yet: we value a good foundation, curiosity, and the motivation to learn. What we concretely expect you to bring: 

• You have recently graduated or have already gained work experience. Experience from an internship, graduation project, or first job is welcome; previous work experience in cybersecurity is not a requirement. 

• You have completed a HBO bachelor's or WO degree, for example in Business Administration, Business IT & Management, or a similar field—surprise us! A technical education is not necessary. 

• You can analyze and structure information and explain your conclusions understandably. 

• You want to learn how to interview clients, discuss findings, and help them implement improvements. 

• You work carefully, take initiative, and actively ask for help or feedback to progress. 

• You are willing to travel throughout the Netherlands for assignments and work regularly from our office in Utrecht. 

• You are fluent in Dutch, both orally and in writing; this is a hard requirement. You also communicate fluently and professionally in English, both orally and in writing. 

• A basic certification in cybersecurity or information security is a nice addition, such as Certified in Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Fundamentals, or ISO 27001 Foundation, but is not a requirement. Northwave supports and encourages you to obtain relevant certifications that fit your development plan. 

This is what you will get from us 

• A flexible and challenging environment at the intersection of business, IT, and cybersecurity, in which you develop into a Business Security Consultant. 

• A permanent mentor and experienced colleagues with whom you will shadow and learn the profession in practice. 

• Room for training, certifications, and targeted practical experience, based on the development plan you coordinate with your manager. 

• Varied assignments in which you learn to deal with current cyber risks and help organizations set up and improve information security in a practical way. 

• A close-knit Dutch team and colleagues from various cybersecurity disciplines with whom you can share knowledge, experiences, and interests. 

• Experience with diverse clients and variety between working at the client, at the office in Utrecht, and at home, with regular personal contact with your team. 

• A salary between € 2950 and € 4000 per month (depending on your experience), a lease car, MacBook, iPhone, 25 vacation days, a pension scheme, and plenty of room to develop yourself. 

• The chance to contribute daily to a digitally safer Europe. 

Do you want to combine your insight into organizations with your interest in IT and cybersecurity? And do you want to learn the consultancy profession in a team where you work together and help each other forward? Then apply and meet our Dutch Business Security Consultancy team in Utrecht.