Design Lead

HelloKindred; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

HelloKindred is a staffing specialist for marketing, creative and technology roles. We are seeking a Design Engineer to manage end-to-end solution design and publish architecture patterns in line with business requirements.

You will present at design authorities and with senior leadership, providing technical thought leadership across cybersecurity domains. The role covers governance, risk management, and leadership within large-scale IT transformation programs, with hybrid work setup and BPSS

Qualifications

• Bring significant experience and proven technical depth in at least one cybersecurity domain, including security operations and incident response, threat and vulnerability management, identity and access management, cryptography, infrastructure, network, application, data, or cloud security.
• Demonstrate a broad Information Technology background and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with non-security technical SMEs.
• Possess excellent knowledge of cybersecurity organisational practices, operational risk management processes, principles, architectural requirements, and engineering threats and vulnerabilities, including incident response methodologies.
• Understand national and international laws, regulations, policies, and ethics related to financial industry cybersecurity.
• Demonstrate experience and understanding of the roles and interlock between enterprise and solution architecture.
• Bring experience across both operational and transformation cybersecurity roles, or a clear working understanding of both perspectives.
• Demonstrate experience working within large-scale IT transformation programmes.
• Bring 3+ years of experience working in a HashiCorp Vault environment, with on-premises experience preferred.
• Demonstrate 3+ years of experience using HashiCorp Terraform, including designing and building complex modules.
• Possess in-depth real-world experience with Vault integration, including Secret Engines and authentication methods, to create robust and reusable patterns for consumption.
• Demonstrate ownership of root cause investigations into Vault integration problems, monitoring usage trends, and creating service efficiencies.
• Bring experience designing or implementing Workload Identity Frameworks within large-scale enterprises.
• Demonstrate the ability to define secrets management strategy and influence the future direction of secrets management within a financial institution.
• Understand Federated Identity Management and the enablement of identity sharing and single sign-on across different organisations or domains.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Privileged Access Management (PAM), including securing, controlling, and monitoring access to critical systems by privileged users.
• Possess experience with secure authentication protocols such as Kerberos, OAuth, and SAML.
• Hold a degree or equivalent work experience directly related to cybersecurity, computer science, software engineering, or a related field.
• Hold CISSP, CISM, or another broad cybersecurity industry-recognised certification, preferably.
• Hold SABSA or TOGAF certification, preferably.
• Demonstrate high proficiency and expertise in Jira for project and task management.
• Bring working proficiency in Confluence for documentation and Jira for task management.

Responsibilities

• Architecture and Design: Produce, manage, and update end-to-end solution designs in line with reference architecture and business requirements.
• Governance: Ensure high-level designs, architecture patterns, decision records, deviation requests, and technical risk or issue records undergo appropriate architectural and project governance processes.
• Risk and Dependency Management: Map design decisions to resultant technical risks and issues to clearly articulate the cause and rationale behind negatively impacting changes.
• Leadership and Teamwork: Provide technical thought leadership within the relevant domain of expertise and manage project teams of technical architects, engineers, and analysts.

Skills

HashiCorp Vault

HashiCorp Terraform

Identity & Access Management

Security Operations

Incident Response

Cloud Security

Jira

Confluence

Security Architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer science, software engineering, or related field

CISSP

CISM

SABSA

TOGAF

Tools

Vault integration

Secret Engines

OAuth

SAML

Job description

HelloKindred are specialists in staffing marketing, creative and technology roles, offering a range of talent solutions that can be delivered on-site, remotely or hybrid.

Our vision is to make work accessible and people’s lives better.We do this by disrupting traditional employment barriers –connecting ambitious talent to flexible opportunities with trusted brands.

Job Description

Anticipated Contract End Date/Length: November 30, 2026, with extension
Work Set Up: Hybrid (3 days per week in office)
Clearance Required: BPSS

Our client in the Information Technology and Services industry is looking for an experienced Design Engineer to manage end-to-end solution design and deliver architecture design documents in line with functional and non-functional business requirements, strategies, principles, standards, and patterns. Alongside the creation of high-level designs, the Design Engineer will publish new architecture patterns, key decisions, design deviations, and technical risks and issues where appropriate.

The Design Engineer should be comfortable presenting and sharing solutions at design authorities and with senior leadership and stakeholders. Additionally, the Design Engineer will provide technical thought leadership and direction to aligned projects and may stand in as a subject matter expert and consultant across related programmes.

Responsibilities

Architecture and Design

• Produce, manage, and update end-to-end solution designs in line with reference architecture and business requirements.
• Articulate and publish key design decision records and options to ensure all solutions follow a logical and transparent decision-making process.
• Articulate, publish, and ensure approval of any design deviations resulting in technical debt.
• Record and mitigate technical risks or issues arising from solution designs.
• Translate requirements into the architecture for each solution, ensuring technology and services meet customer needs and expected business outcomes.
• Ensure solution designs remain efficient, timely, and cost-effective throughout the project lifecycle.
• Balance business motivations with technical security requirements.
• Promote strong documentation and knowledge sharing.

Governance

• Ensure high-level designs, architecture patterns, decision records, deviation requests, and technical risk or issue records undergo appropriate architectural and project governance processes.
• Ensure all architecture artefacts undergo appropriate peer review before design authority presentation.
• Present publications at technical design authorities for input, feedback, and approval.

Risk and Dependency Management

• Manage and Escalate technical and project risks or issues effectively.
• Articulate solutions and remediation steps for technical risks and issues.
• Map design decisions to resultant technical risks and issues to clearly articulate the cause and rationale behind negatively impacting changes.

Leadership and Teamwork

• Provide technical thought leadership within the relevant domain of expertise.
• Work across Information Technology as a cybersecurity subject matter expert.
• Manage project teams of technical architects, engineers, and analysts.
• Take on deputised programme management-related responsibilities where necessary.

Qualifications

• Bring significant experience and proven technical depth in at least one cybersecurity domain, including security operations and incident response, threat and vulnerability management, identity and access management, cryptography, infrastructure, network, application, data, or cloud security.
• Demonstrate a broad Information Technology background and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with non-security technical SMEs.
• Possess excellent knowledge of cybersecurity organisational practices, operational risk management processes, principles, architectural requirements, and engineering threats and vulnerabilities, including incident response methodologies.
• Understand national and international laws, regulations, policies, and ethics related to financial industry cybersecurity.
• Demonstrate experience and understanding of the roles and interlock between enterprise and solution architecture.
• Bring experience across both operational and transformation cybersecurity roles, or a clear working understanding of both perspectives.
• Demonstrate experience working within large-scale IT transformation programmes.
• Bring 3+ years of experience working in a HashiCorp Vault environment, with on-premises experience preferred.
• Demonstrate 3+ years of experience using HashiCorp Terraform, including designing and building complex modules.
• Possess in-depth real-world experience with Vault integration, including Secret Engines and authentication methods, to create robust and reusable patterns for consumption.
• Demonstrate ownership of root cause investigations into Vault integration problems, monitoring usage trends, and creating service efficiencies.
• Bring experience designing or implementing Workload Identity Frameworks within large-scale enterprises.
• Demonstrate the ability to define secrets management strategy and influence the future direction of secrets management within a financial institution.
• Understand Federated Identity Management and the enablement of identity sharing and single sign-on across different organisations or domains.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Privileged Access Management (PAM), including securing, controlling, and monitoring access to critical systems by privileged users.
• Possess experience with secure authentication protocols such as Kerberos, OAuth, and SAML.
• Hold a degree or equivalent work experience directly related to cybersecurity, computer science, software engineering, or a related field.
• Hold CISSP, CISM, or another broad cybersecurity industry-recognised certification, preferably.
• Hold SABSA or TOGAF certification, preferably.
• Demonstrate high proficiency and expertise in Jira for project and task management.
• Bring working proficiency in Confluence for documentation and Jira for task management.

Additional Information

Candidates must be legally authorized to live and work in the country where the position is based, without requiring employer sponsorship.

HelloKindred is committed to fair, transparent, and inclusive hiring practices. We assess candidates based on skills, experience, and role-related requirements.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. While we review every application carefully, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

HelloKindred is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.