Security Architect

Bright Ascension Ltd; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

36 days paid holiday

Health Cash Plan

Life Assurance cover

Enhanced parental leave

International travel opportunities

Job summary

Bright Ascension Ltd is seeking a skilled Security Architect to define and govern security aspects of the HELIX technology. The role requires strong experience in security architecture, cloud-based systems, and Zero Trust principles.

Located in the United Kingdom, the position offers hybrid working options with a competitive salary range of £65,000 to £70,000 and various employee benefits, including flexible hours, health plans, and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in security architecture for distributed and cloud-based systems.
• Practical knowledge of Zero Trust architecture principles.
• Experience with cloud platforms, including secure architecture patterns.

Responsibilities

• Define, develop, and maintain the security aspects of the HELIX reference architecture.
• Provide expert guidance on implementing security architecture.
• Support assurance activities including security controls verification.

Skills

Security architecture for distributed and cloud-based systems

Zero-trust architecture principles

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure)

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Cryptography and key management

Network security principles

Containerisation and orchestration technologies

Infrastructure-as-code

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

ISO/IEC 27001

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Security Architect. This will be a key role in defining, evolving, and governing the security and deployment aspects of the HELIX technology independent reference architecture, as we approach our next exciting period of growth to help deliver our plans.

The Security Architect drives a distributed, zero-trust security architecture that is deployable across diverse computing infrastructures, including cloud and mission-critical environments. The role bridges abstract architectural principles and real-world implementation, defining mappings to technologies and enabling product teams to build secure, compliant, and resilient systems for customers, including those in National Security and Defence domains in the UK and US.

We see this role as being full time, although this is negotiable. Ideally, we would like this role to be based in Edinburgh/Dundee, on a hybrid basis to allow for regular interaction with the wider business and colleagues in other departments.

What you will do

As a member of the Technology and Product Futures team your key responsibilities would be:

• Define, develop, and maintain the security aspects of the HELIX reference architecture.
• Embed security principles (e.g., zero trust, least privilege, defence-in-depth) within HELIX’s model-based, service-oriented, and component-based paradigms.
• Ensure architectural consistency across all HELIX products and development kits.

Technology Mapping and Standards

• Identify, evaluate, and select key security technologies and standards appropriate for HELIX applications.
• Define clear mappings from technology-independent architecture to implementation using selected technologies.
• Maintain alignment with industry and government security standards relevant to defence and sensitive applications.

Implementation Guidance and Assurance

• Provide expert guidance to product architects and engineering teams on implementing security architecture.
• Support assurance activities, including verification of security controls and architectural compliance.
• Collaborate with teams to ensure secure coding, secure system integration, and appropriate use of cryptography and identity services.
• Define and maintain a reference set of secure deployment patterns supporting distributed and cloud-based environments.
• Ensure deployment approaches meet both architectural principles and customer-specific needs.
• Support product engineering teams in implementing deployment architectures across varied infrastructure environments (e.g., public cloud, private cloud, on-premise, air‑gapped systems).

Technology Selection for Deployment

• Identify and guide the adoption of deployment technologies (e.g., containerisation, orchestration, infrastructure‑as‑code).
• Ensure deployment approaches support secure operations, scalability, and resilience.

Customer and Stakeholder Engagement

• Understand and incorporate customer deployment and security requirements, particularly in regulated and high‑assurance environments.
• Support product management and other customer‑facing teams in articulating HELIX security and deployment approaches.

Essential skills & experience

We see experience with the following as essential to the job:

• Strong experience in security architecture for distributed and cloud‑based systems.
• Practical knowledge of zero‑trust architecture principles and their application in complex systems.
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, or similar), including secure architecture patterns.
• Deep understanding of:
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM), federation, and authentication protocols (e.g., OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML)
  • Cryptography and key management (e.g., PKI, TLS, HSMs)
  • Network security principles (segmentation, secure communication, service mesh)
• Familiarity with containerisation and orchestration technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and their security implications.
• Experience with infrastructure‑as‑code and repeatable deployment patterns.
• Knowledge of relevant standards and frameworks such as:
  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework / NIST 800‑53
  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • UK NCSC guidance and Cloud Security Principles
  • Zero Trust Architecture (NIST SP 800‑207)
  • Experience defining architectures independently of specific technologies and then mapping them onto implementations.

Personal skills

• Strong systems thinking and ability to operate at both conceptual and implementation levels.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex security concepts to engineers and other stakeholders.
• Collaborative mindset with experience working across architecture and engineering teams.
• Ability to influence technical direction without direct authority.
• High attention to detail combined with strategic thinking.
• Strong problem‑solving capabilities in complex, ambiguous environments.

We think that the following skills would definitely be valuable in this role:

• Experience in National Security, Defence, or highly regulated domains in the UK or US.
• Familiarity with:
  • Secure by Design and DevSecOps practices
  • Cross‑domain solutions and handling data at different classification levels
  • Service mesh technologies (e.g., Istio, Linkerd)
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks such as:
  • UK OFFICIAL/SECRET handling requirements
  • US DoD Zero Trust Strategy
  • FedRAMP/IL‑level environments
• Experience with high‑assurance systems, mission‑critical systems, or accreditation processes.
• Exposure to model‑based engineering approaches.

What we can offer you

• A competitive salary in the range of £65,000‑£70,000 depending on experience, with regular reviews.
• A fantastic opportunity to join a growing, innovative, employee‑centred business pushing boundaries in the space industry.
• Flexible hours and hybrid working, enabling you to create your ideal work life balance.
• 36 days paid holiday per annum.
• Enhanced Company Sick Pay and Long‑Term Sickness cover.
• A Health Cash Plan to cover costs such as dental, physio and optical.
• Life Assurance cover (x4 salary).
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
• Opportunities for international travel for exhibitions and trade shows.
• Investment in you and your skill development and the opportunity to attend relevant events and conferences to aid career / skill development.
• Company events and regular activities for social engagement and team building.
• An open, supportive, inclusive environment where you can explore your ideas and make a big difference to the product and business.