Research Vice President, AI Security and Trust in Needham, Massachusetts at IDC

About the Role & Team

IDC is seeking a Research Vice President, AI Security and Trust to serve as a senior market-facing leader in one of the most dynamic areas of the security market. This role will shape IDC’s global point of view on how organizations secure AI models, data, agents, applications, and infrastructure.

The Research Vice President will define and lead a forward-looking research agenda spanning AI runtime security, AI trust and governance, AI data security, agentic identity management, AI-enabled security operations, and AI factory / AI infrastructure security. The role requires strong market vision, executive presence, analytical depth, and commercial leadership.

This individual will engage regularly with senior vendor executives, enterprise buyers, investors, media, and industry stakeholders to assess market requirements, technology adoption patterns, investment priorities, and competitive dynamics. The successful candidate will help establish IDC as a leading voice in AI security and trust, while supporting syndicated research growth, custom research opportunities, and strategic client engagement.

What You’ll Do

• Lead IDC’s research agenda for the emerging AI security and trust market, including high-growth categories such as AI runtime security, AI trust and governance, AI data security, agentic identity, AI-enabled SOC, and AI infrastructure security.

• Shape IDC’s market taxonomy, research priorities, and point of view on how AI security is evolving across cybersecurity, AI, cloud, data, software, and digital infrastructure markets.

• Develop and publish differentiated research, including market analysis, vendor assessments, forecasts, buyer guidance, thought leadership, and executive-level advisory content.

• Conduct and oversee market sizing, forecasting, competitive analysis, and trend analysis for emerging AI security segments.

• Track vendor strategies, startup activity, funding trends, partnerships, product innovation, regulatory developments, and emerging buyer requirements across the AI security landscape.

• Engage senior technology vendor executives through briefings, inquiries, advisory calls, strategy sessions, executive discussions, and industry events.

• Engage enterprise security, AI, cloud, infrastructure, and data leaders to understand adoption priorities, governance challenges, implementation patterns, and buying behavior.

• Represent IDC externally through presentations, webinars, conferences, media engagement, investor discussions, and executive client meetings.

• Partner with IDC analysts across security, AI, cloud, infrastructure, data, and software to build integrated, cross-domain research perspectives.

• Mentor and collaborate with analysts and research colleagues to strengthen IDC’s collective coverage of AI security, trust, and governance.

• Support and help grow syndicated subscriptions, custom research, consulting opportunities, and strategic account engagement tied to IDC’s expanding coverage of AI security and trust.

Preferred Coverage Areas

• The role may include leadership across several of the following domains:

• AI Runtime Security: Protection against LLM attacks, prompt injection, misuse, model manipulation, and emerging runtime enforcement approaches.

• AI Trust and Governance: Governance frameworks, policy controls, compliance, assurance, model oversight, and responsible AI security practices.

• AI Data Security: Discovery, classification, protection, and governance of AI-ready data, including key and secrets management and related cryptographic issues.

• Agentic Identity Management: Identity, authentication, authorization, and privilege control for nonhuman identities, agents, and autonomous systems.

• AI-Enabled SOC / Agentic SOC: Use of AI in security operations, automation, analyst augmentation, and emerging vendor ecosystems in next-generation SOC tooling.

• AI Infrastructure Security: Security requirements for AI factories, accelerated infrastructure, cloud and hybrid deployments, model hosting environments, and AI workload protection.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

• 12–15+ years of relevant experience in technology research, advisory, consulting, product strategy, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, or related markets.

• Deep understanding of cybersecurity markets, vendors, buyer priorities, and emerging technology adoption patterns.

• Strong knowledge of AI, cloud, data, software, and infrastructure trends, especially where they intersect with security, trust, governance, and risk.

• Demonstrated ability to define research agendas, analyze emerging markets, synthesize qualitative and quantitative inputs, and produce clear, differentiated market insight.

• Proven executive presence, including the ability to engage with CISO, CIO, CTO, product, strategy, investor, and senior vendor leadership audiences.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex market shifts clearly to senior executive audiences.

• Experience engaging with technology vendors, enterprise buyers, investors, media, and industry influencers.

• Strong commercial instincts, including the ability to support syndicated research growth, client inquiry, custom research, consulting, and strategic account development.

• Ability to work independently while influencing and collaborating effectively across a global research organization.

• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to balance recurring research deliverables, client engagement, thought leadership, and commercial support.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, especially PowerPoint and Excel; experience with forecasting, survey analysis, and market modeling is a plus.

• Willingness to travel for client meetings, industry events, and team collaboration.

Why This Role Stands Out
At IDC, your work helps shape how the world understands technology and where it goes next. You collaborate with curious, high-caliber colleagues who value rigor, integrity, and shared success. As the premier global provider of trusted technology intelligence, IDC equips business and technology leaders with the evidence they need to make confident decisions. Our insights inform strategy, investment, and innovation across industries and regions.

Recognized by IIAR as Analyst Firm of the Year for five consecutive years, IDC sets the standard for credibility and impact. With more than 1,000 analysts worldwide and a truly global perspective, we combine deep expertise with practical relevance. Here, your ideas matter, your voice is heard, and your contributions provide the insights leaders rely on every day. It is meaningful work, backed by a culture that supports growth, collaboration, and long-term career development with a globally respected brand.

What We Offer

• 15 vacation days (prorated based on start date)
• 12 company-paid holidays
• 6 paid sick days (prorated based on start date; may vary by state)
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 2 floating holidays (prorated based on start date)
• 1 volunteer day
• 401(k) company match (IDC matches 3% on the first 6% of employee contributions)
• Company-paid short-term disability
• Company-paid life insurance
  
• Company-paid parental leave
  

Compensation Transparency

At IDC, we are committed to fair and equitable pay practices. Employees are compensated equitably for their work, aligned with their skills and experience. Salary and incentive structures are determined through a rigorous process that considers experience, education, certifications, role-specific requirements, internal equity, and verified U.S. market data from an independent third-party partner.

The expected total annual compensation, depending on location and experience, is between $150,000 – $235,000, inclusive of base salary and variable compensation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IDC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. Employment eligibility verification required. We participate in E-Verify.