Application Security Architect - VA

Nexiva Inc; Richmond (VA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Nexiva Inc. is seeking an Application Security Architect in a hybrid Richmond, VA setting. The candidate will define, embed, and oversee SSDLC-focused security strategies across complex apps, cloud-native systems, and GIS/enterprise platforms.

Required 15+ years of experience, strong threat modeling, and architecture leadership. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent plus industry certifications desired. Onsite presence is required 4 days/week during probation with potential reduced onsite later.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years in software engineering, application security, security engineering, or related roles; 2+ years designing security architecture.
• Strong understanding of secure SDLC and OWASP Top 10 risks.
• Architectures for data-at-rest, in-transit, and in-use across major platforms and data classifications.

Responsibilities

• Define application security architecture principles, standards, and guardrails for web, mobile, API, microservice, and cloud-native systems.
• Lead threat modeling for new apps and high-risk changes; oversee security reviews.
• Implement security requirements for authentication, authorization, encryption, and data protection across platforms.
• Partner with engineers to embed security in SDLC, CI/CD, IaC, testing, release, and monitoring.
• Evaluate security tools (SAST/DAST/IA) and manage vulnerability remediation processes.
• Advise incident-response on application-layer threats and contribute to post-incident improvements.

Skills

Security architecture

Threat modeling

Cloud security

OAuth/OpenID Connect

RBAC/ABAC

CI/CD security

Kubernetes security

Encryption

Security reviews

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or equivalent

Tools

SAST

DAST

Container/image scanning

IAM security tooling

Job description

Application Security Architect, (Hybrid) Richmond, VA

Need Senior 15+years Candidate

Local candidates only, In-person interview.

The candidate must be able to work onsite 4 days/week during an initial 90-day probationary period; there is a possibility of reduced onsite commitment after successful probation, though some onsite presence will continue to be required weekly.

Client is seeking an Application Security Architect to define, embed, and oversee application security strategies across enterprise IT initiatives.

This role will be responsible for the solution of Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) across a hybrid ecosystem, spanning complex web applications, Agentic AI solutions, cloud-native solutions, enterprise GIS platforms, low-code no-code and create patterns. Lead the data protection strategy, data governance frameworks, and privacy posture across our state-wide transportation ecosystem. Define how structured, unstructured, and spatial data (GIS) are classified, encrypted, stored, and accessed across cloud data platforms. support architecture, development, and cybersecurity teams to perform threat modeling, secure architectural designs and ensure compliance with client and client's security standards.

Bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience) is required. Certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, CCSP, GIAC, or relevant vendor credentials are highly desired.

Core responsibilities

• Define application security architecture principles, standards, patterns, reference implementations, and guardrails for web, mobile, API, microservice, and cloud-native systems.
• Perform architecture and design reviews, identify trust boundaries, attack paths, data flows, security gaps, and compensating controls.
• Lead or facilitate threat modeling for new applications, major features, integrations, and high-risk changes.
• Establish repeatable security requirements for authentication, authorization, session management, encryption, secrets management, logging, privacy, API protection, and data protection.
• Partner with software engineers to integrate security throughout the SDLC, including code review, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, testing, release approval, and production monitoring.
• Evaluate and guide use of security tools such as SAST, DAST, software composition analysis, container/image scanning, API security testing, secret scanning, and runtime protection.
• Define a vulnerability-management approach for applications and dependencies, including severity criteria, remediation SLAs, exception processes, and verification of fixes.
• Assess third-party libraries, open-source dependencies, SaaS integrations, and vendor-provided components for security risk.
• Design identity and access-control patterns, including least privilege, MFA/SSO integration, service-to-service authentication, RBAC/ABAC, and privileged-access controls.
• Work with cloud and platform teams to secure application hosting environments, including Kubernetes, serverless, containers, CI/CD, cloud IAM, network segmentation, and secrets storage.
• Advise incident-response teams on application-layer threats and contribute to root-cause analysis and security improvements after incidents.
• Maintain architecture documentation, security decision patterns, risk registers, and exception documentation.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, or a related field or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years in software engineering, application security, security engineering, or related technical roles, including 2+ years designing security architecture for systems.
• Strong understanding of secure software-development principles and common application risks, including the OWASP Top 10, insecure authorization, injection, deserialization, and API abuse.
• Design and implement end-to-end security architectures for data-at-rest, in-transit, and in-use across Azure, SQL Server, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and ArcGIS platforms, utilizing automated classification (e.g., Microsoft Purview), robust encryption, DLP rules, and privacy risk assessments (DPIAs) to protect sensitive state transportation and infrastructure assets.
• Enforce granular data access controls (including RBAC, Row-Level Security, Column-Level Encryption, and dynamic masking) and establish centralized database audit logging and activity monitoring pipelines to ensure strict alignment with client SEC 530 security standards.
• Demonstrated experience with threat modeling and security architecture reviews.
• Experience securing APIs, web applications, distributed systems, cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized workloads.
• Working knowledge of secure coding in one or more common ecosystems, such as Java, .NET, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python platforms.
• Experience with identity, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML, JWTs, authorization design, PKI/TLS, encryption, and secrets-management practices.
• Ability to explain technical risks and tradeoffs clearly to engineers, product managers, executives, and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to create architecture diagrams, standards, risk assessments, and actionable remediation plans.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in a regulated environment such as financial services, healthcare, government, or payments.
• Experience implementing DevSecOps programs and security automation at scale.
• Familiarity with privacy engineering, data classification, and compliance frameworks relevant to the organization.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, CCSP, GIAC, cloud-security certifications, or relevant vendor credentials.
• Experience conducting or coordinating penetration testing and translating results into durable architectural improvements.

Required/Desired Skills

Skill

Required /Desired

Amount of experience you have

Experience you have in years

Software engineering, application security, security engineering, or related technical roles

Required

10

Experience in designing and implementing security architecture for IT systems

Required

6

Secure software-development principles and common risks, including the OWASP Top 10, insecure authorization, injection, deserialization and API abuse

Required

6

Design and implement end-to-end security architectures for data-at-rest, in-transit, and in-use for full MS stack (Azure, O365, Power Platform, D365)

Required

6

Demonstrated experience with threat modeling and security architecture reviews

Required

6

Experience securing APIs, web applications, distributed systems, cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized workloads

Required

6

Experience with identity, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML, JWTs, authorization design, PKI/TLS, encryption, and secrets-management practices

Required

6

Strong written communication skills, including ability to create architecture diagrams, standards, risk assessments, and actionable remediation plans

Required

10

Experience in a regulated environment such as financial services, healthcare, government, or payments

Highly desired

6

Experience conducting or coordinating penetration testing and translating results into durable architectural improvements

Highly desired

6

Experience implementing DevSecOps programs and security automation at scale

Highly desired

4

Familiarity with privacy engineering, data classification, and compliance frameworks

Highly desired

4

Experience with security architectures in Esri's ArcGIS platform

Highly desired

2