Lead Security Architect in SECURITY ARCHITECTURE

Bank of England; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Bank of England is seeking a Lead Security Architect in Security Architecture, Technology Directorate, to lead secure design across projects in Leeds or London, collaborating with architects, SMEs and delivery teams.

You will drive threat-informed security patterns, define standards and roadmaps, and ensure secure-by-design delivery across discovery, design, build and delivery, aligning with policy and technical standards.

Qualifications

• Demonstrates a solid understanding of common infrastructure design patterns, enabling evaluation and implementation of robust solutions.
• Has a good grasp of encryption and networking protocols to secure data flows and systems.
• Experience in cyber roles with stakeholder management and cross-team collaboration.
• Proficient in reviewing technical documentation to identify design issues for secure outcomes.
• Able to articulate vulnerabilities as risks with clear actionable insights for decisions.
• Experience in writing technical documentation for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Champions a modern security posture with threat-informed thinking to reduce attack surface.
• Security architecture strategy and guardrails to define standards and roadmaps for projects.
• Secure-by-design delivery partnering with architects and delivery teams to embed controls across discovery, design, build and delivery.
• Act as senior architectural voice for high impact initiatives aligning security capabilities with business risk profiles.
• Architecture governance: drive design reviews, document interactions with enterprise and compliance frameworks.
• Cross-Technology influence: translate strategy into target designs across tech and business domains.
• Engage with Assurance to land controls at the right stages and surface risk.
• Communicate complex security choices simply to senior stakeholders to unblock decisions.
• Breadth and depth in IT/security architecture with a track record of secure designs and multi-team programs.
• Stakeholder leadership, including influencing senior leaders and guiding engineers/SMEs.
• Knowledge of frameworks (NIST, MITRE ATT&CK, ISO 27001) and applying them pragmatically.
• Team leadership experience in virtual teams or direct line management.

Responsibilities

• Lead stand‑ups with project teams to discuss progress and resolve issues within the cyber security remit.
• Review design proposals for new services, assessing for security issues and coordinating risk mitigation.
• Collaborate with SMEs to validate risks and devise mitigations, ensuring designs meet security standards.
• Drive architecture governance through effective design reviews and sign‑offs, mapping interactions with the wider enterprise.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams to translate strategy into target designs balancing resilience and productivity.

Job description

Lead Security Architect in Security Architecture, Technology Directorate

Permanent

Full Time

Location: Leeds or London

Role Requirements:

• Demonstrates a solid understanding of common infrastructure design patterns, enabling effective evaluation and implementation of robust solutions.
• Possesses a good grasp of widely used encryption and networking protocols, ensuring the secure and reliable operation of systems and data flows.
• Has experience working in a cyber role that involves stakeholder management, facilitating collaboration and clear communication across teams and departments.
• Displays proficiency in reviewing and assessing technical documentation to identify potential design issues, contributing to more secure and reliable outcomes.
• Able to articulate vulnerabilities as risks, providing clear and actionable insights to inform decision-making and prioritisation.
• Experienced in writing technical documentation, ensuring clarity and consistency for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Champion a modern security posture - threat informed and focused on measurable reduction of attack surface.
• Security architecture strategy & guardrails - define and evolve the security patterns, principles, standards, and roadmaps that guide projects and platforms.
• Secure-by-design delivery - partner with solution architects, SMEs and delivery teams to embed controls and use threat-led thinking throughout discovery, design, build, and delivery; ensure designs meet policy and technical standards.
• Act as senior architectural voice for high impact initiatives, aligning security capabilities to business outcomes and risk profiles, and shaping option analysis with clear trade-offs.
• Architecture governance - drive effective design reviews and signoffs; document how solutions interact with the wider enterprise and ensure compliance with our delivery and assurance frameworks.
• Cross-Technology influence - collaborate across Technology and business domains to translate strategy into target designs, balancing resilience with productivity and simplification.
• Partner with our Assurance team to land the right controls at the right stages, ensuring risk is actively surfaced and owned.
• Communicate complex security choices simply - at meetings/workshops, in option papers, and roadmaps that influence senior stakeholders and unblock decisions.
• Breadth and depth in IT/security architecture, with a track record delivering secure designs and steering multiteam programmes.
• Stakeholder leadership-comfortable influencing senior leaders and guiding engineers/SMEs; strong documentation and communication skills.
• Knowledge of well-known Frameworks (e.g., NIST, MITRE ATT&CK, ISO 27001) and the ability to apply them pragmatically within delivery.
• Team leadership experience either as a virtual team or direct line management experience.

Flexible Working Options:

This role is open to flexible working patterns, these may include:

• Job share
• Flexible start and end time to each day
• Ability to adapt calendar as needed, this could be to fit in the school run, gym, or appointments
• A 50% in-office attendance requirement can be spread across the month to accommodate diverse working patterns, such as the flexibility to purchase a weekly train ticket for certain weeks
• Working from abroad policy (subject to approval and policy within the team)

Opportunities in Leeds and London:

In addition to London we're excited to be growing our presence in Leeds, a city we've been connected to for nearly 200 years! Our modern, accessible office in the city centre offers a supportive, flexible working environment. Most roles, including this one, are now available in Leeds, giving you the chance to build a meaningful career outside of London while contributing to our mission from a dynamic and growing location. You'll work collaboratively with London-based colleagues in a hybrid model, with regular opportunities to travel into the London office to meet and connect in person.

Want to learn more? Discover what makes our Leeds office such a dynamic place to work by visiting our Leeds page for more details.

A day in the role:

Your day typically begins with a project team stand‑up, where you discuss the current progress and any challenges faced by the team. As the representative for the cyber security division, you play a crucial role in resolving any issues that fall within your remit, ensuring that obstacles are swiftly addressed to keep projects on track

During the afternoon, your focus shifts to the review of a design proposal for a new service. This involves a thorough assessment of the proposal. As you work through the details, you remain vigilant for any potential security issues. Where you identify a concern, you collaborate closely with subject matter experts to validate the risks. Together, you devise suitable mitigation strategies. This collaborative method ensures that the proposed service remains consistent with best security practices and supports the bank's commitment to robust security.

Following your workday, there are many opportunities to socialise. You can join a variety of sports clubs, reading groups, and other ad‑hoc activities organised by the social committee, providing a welcoming environment for all colleagues.

How this role fits into the wider Bank:

The Cyber Security Division (CSD) is a distinguished team of cyber security professionals dedicated to safeguarding the Bank of England from cyber‑attacks and related incidents. In 2023, CSD received the Financial Services Award of the Year at the National Cyber Awards, building upon prior recognition for individual team members at the WeAreTechWomen and Women in IT Awards, as well as Central Banking's Best Cyber Resilience Initiative.

Those working in Cyber Security are passionate about protecting the Bank from security incidents. The Bank of England's complex technological landscape presents significant challenges, often spanning multiple systems located in internal data centres, cloud environments, and SaaS platforms. Addressing these challenges demands cross-team collaboration and a high level of technical expertise.

The role involves assessing the security of solutions proposed by different Bank teams. By working closely with colleagues across technology and throughout the organisation, you will contribute significantly to protecting the organisation and its information assets.

Teams within the division are committed to continuously developing their expertise in a rapidly changing environment. Staff are encouraged to enhance their skills through both internal and external opportunities, including mentoring, training, and pursuing formal qualifications, in line with industry best practices.

Our Approach to Inclusion

The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve.

At the Bank of England, we want all colleagues to feel valued and respected, so we're working hard to build an inclusive culture which supports people from all backgrounds and communities to be at their best at work. We celebrate all forms of diversity, including (but not limited to) age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We believe that it's by drawing on different perspectives and experiences that we'll continue to make the best decisions for the public.

We welcome applications from individuals who work flexibly, including job shares and part time working patterns. We've also partnered with external organisations to support us in making adjustments for candidates and employees in the recruitment process where they're needed.

From 1st October 2026, we expect all our colleagues to spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in the office per month. This is to capitalise on the benefits of working together in person across teams, while maintaining the flexibility offered by home working. Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them and their team.

Finally, we're proud to be a member of the Disability Confident Scheme. If you wish to apply under this scheme, you should check the box in the 'Candidate Personal Information' under the 'Disability Confident Scheme' section of the application.

Salary and Benefits Information

We encourage flexible working, part time working and job share arrangements. Part time salary and benefits will be on a pro‑rated basis as appropriate.

In addition, we also offer a comprehensive benefits package as detailed below:

• Currently a non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/80th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/65th) or decrease (to 1/105th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year. The Bank has the discretion to vary standard accrual rates and dial up and dial down rates at any time and to withdraw dial up and dial down options at any time.
• A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
• An 8% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
• 26 days' annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits.
• Private medical insurance and income protection.

National Security Vetting Process

Employment in this role will be subject to the National Security Vetting clearance process (and typically can take between 6 to 12 weeks post offer) and the passing of additional Bank security checks in accordance with the Bank policy. Further information regarding the vetting and security clearance requirements for the role will be provided to the successful applicant, and information about how the Bank processes personal data for these purposes, is set out in the Bank's Privacy Notice.

The Bank of England welcomes applications from all candidates, but as a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approved sponsor, we have a responsibility to comply with the Immigration Rules and guidance. As such, our ability to employ individuals who require sponsorship for immigration purposes is limited. The Bank cannot guarantee that you and / or the role you are applying for will be eligible for sponsorship and that any application made to UKVI will be successful. Eligibility will therefore be considered on a case by case basis.

The Application Process

The assessment process will comprise of two interview stages.

This role closes on 9 October 2026