Purpose of the Job
The Head of Cyber Security Architecture is responsible for defining, governing, and implementing enterprise security architecture across the organization. The role leads the Security Architecture function and partners with technology, risk, privacy, procurement, and business teams to ensure security controls are effectively designed, implemented, measured, and operationalized. The position oversees security architecture governance, strategic security technologies, and the Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) program to strengthen enterprise cyber resilience.
Job Description
Security Architecture Strategy and Governance
- Develop security strategy, standards, patterns, target-state architectures, and technology roadmaps.
- Review projects, cloud services, third-party integrations, APIs, and emerging technologies to ensure secure design and regulatory alignment.
- Conduct architecture assessments, threat modelling, attack-path analysis, and risk-based security reviews
Security Tool Implementation and Engineering Oversight
- Govern security technology architecture, implementation, integration, testing, lifecycle management, and operational readiness.
- Lead deployment and optimization of key security technologies and define evaluation, testing, acceptance, and service transition requirements.
- Manage technology vendors and implementation partners to ensure quality delivery and risk closure.
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)
- Lead exposure management, including asset discovery, vulnerability prioritization, cloud posture management, control validation, and remediation governance.
- Integrate vulnerability management, attack surface monitoring, penetration testing, threat intelligence, red teaming, and security validation into a unified program.
- Establish metrics and dashboards to measure exposure reduction, remediation effectiveness, and residual risk.
People Leadership and Stakeholder Management
- Lead the Security Architecture team, manage resources, and prioritize delivery.
- Provide strategic security guidance to business and technology stakeholders and embed security into delivery processes.
- Ensure solutions are operationally ready with defined ownership, monitoring, controls, and governance.
- Drive continuous improvement through technology optimization, lessons learned, and maintenance of audit-ready documentation and records.
Operational Assurance and Continuous Improvement
- Ensure secure solutions are operationally ready with approved standards, ownership, monitoring, and measurable controls.
- Optimize the security technology portfolio by addressing gaps, overlaps, and improvement opportunities.
- Drive continuous improvement through post-implementation reviews and lessons learned.
- Maintain architecture governance, documentation, risk records, and audit-ready evidence.
Job Requirements - Experience and Education
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or related field; master’s degree preferred.
- 10+ years of cybersecurity experience spanning security architecture, engineering, and enterprise security technologies.
- Proven experience leading Security Architects or senior security professionals in complex enterprises.
- Strong track record delivering enterprise security capabilities such as SIEM, WAF, PAM/PIM, DLP, Email Security, and Mobile Security.
- Experience in architecture reviews, threat modelling, technology selection, vendor evaluations, implementation governance, and CTEM-related practices.
Technical Knowledge
- Strong understanding of enterprise, cloud, network, application, API, endpoint, identity, data, and mobile security architectures.
- Knowledge of Zero Trust, IAM, data protection, cryptography, PKI, security monitoring, DevSecOps, secure SDLC, CI/CD security, and application security testing.
- Familiarity with ISO 27001, NIST, CIS Controls, SABSA, TOGAF, MITRE ATT&CK, OWASP, and cloud security frameworks.
Preferred Certifications
• CISSP, ISSAP, SABSA, TOGAF, CCSP, CISM, GIAC certifications, and relevant Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud security certifications.