
Hi, I’m Spencer. I build
GRC systems like an engineer.
I’m an IAM security engineer (1st line of defense) who came up through audit (3rd line of defense) and GRC (2nd line of defense) - a unique intersection of audit depth and hands-on engineering. I can run an audit end to end, then write the code that makes the next cycle smaller or unnecessary.
I build homegrown automation, infrastructure-as-code, and continuous controls that keep systems secure while respecting engineering’s need for speed and quality. I’m equally comfortable below the abstraction layer and across the table from an auditor.
MY JOURNEY ACROSS FOUR LINES OF DEFENSE
01
Build & operate
2025–Present
IAM & Infrastructure Security, Instacart
02
Govern & challenge
2020–2025
Salesforce GRC → Instacart GRC
03
Internal assurance
2017–2020
Salesforce Security Assurance → Stitch Fix IT SOX
04
External audit
2015–2017
PwC Risk Assurance
Replaced Instacart’s four largest User Access Reviews with JIT access and time-bound entitlements. The automated control enforces least privilege continuously instead of merely streamlining a review.
Built a script reconciling ConductorOne logs against Okta, alongside evidence automation spanning around 200,000 GitHub pull requests and more than 30 systems.
Built Terraformed Datadog entitlement monitors, preventative IaC controls, and AWS IAM attack-path tooling with observable guardrails; locked down the highest-risk roles using AWS trust policies.
Led major certifications, drafted assurance reports, mapped technical controls across frameworks, and regularly defends innovative automated controls directly to auditors.
POINT OF VIEW
EXPERIENCE
03/2025 — Present
Los Angeles
04/2021 — 03/2025
Los Angeles
05/2020 — 04/2021
San Francisco
03/2019 — 05/2020
San Francisco
06/2017 — 03/2019
San Francisco
08/2015 — 05/2017
San Jose
ENGINEERING IN PRACTICE
Python · Streamlit · Snowflake · YAML policies · DynamoDB · Terraform · ECS Fargate + ALB · Secrets Manager
PASSION PROJECT
Outside work, I’m building OnlyCeliacs, a restaurant finder shaped by my own experience with celiac disease and the stress of finding safe places to eat with friends. It is also a deliberate solo-builder experiment in what tools like Claude Code make possible when a personal problem becomes a useful community product.
Founder
Solo builder
CAPABILITIES
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
The University of Montana
B.S. Management Information Systems & Accounting · 2011–2015
CISA · CPA
Certified Information Security Auditor · 2022 · Certified Public Accountant · 2016, inactive