Architect III - Security Architect

Western Alliance Bank; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental insurance

401(k) matching program

Tuition assistance program

Wellness program

Job summary

Western Alliance Bank is seeking an experienced Security Architect to join the Enterprise Architecture team. This role involves advancing the organization's business strategy within cybersecurity, managing security solution architectures, and participating in governance forums.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree, over 10 years of experience in security domains, and strong knowledge of regulatory requirements like FFIEC and PCI DSS. Competitive benefits include salaries, medical insurance, and a 401(k) matching program.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of related experience.
• Strong understanding of security domains with depth in at least two.
• Ability to evaluate technology landscapes and emerging threats.

Responsibilities

• Own security solution architecture for assigned products.
• Develop and maintain security standards and design patterns.
• Translate business and technical requirements into security architecture blueprints.

Skills

Security domains knowledge (IAM, Network, Application, Cloud, Data, AI)

Architecture artifacts creation

Cloud architecture design (Microsoft Azure, AWS)

Threat modeling methodologies

Communication skills

Knowledge of regulatory requirements (FFIEC, PCI DSS, SOX)

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

Microsoft Azure

AWS

Job description

Job Title

Architect III - Security Architect

Location

Block 23

Job Summary

As a Security Architect, you will be a key member of the Enterprise Architecture team, responsible for advancing the organization’s business and technology strategy within the cybersecurity domain. You will participate in governance forums such as the Architecture Standards Board (ASB) and Technology Review Board (TRB), manage the business capability inventory for your domain, and develop applicable standards and patterns for ASB review and approval. You will also design and document solution architectures related to applications and capabilities within your domain, working closely with business, product, and IT teams to ensure designs are secure, compliant, and reliable while meeting business needs.

Responsibilities

• Own security solution architecture for assigned products and platforms within the Security domain.
• Develop and maintain security standards, reference architectures, and design patterns for use in governance and solution delivery.
• Translate business and technical requirements into security architecture blueprints and document all design and analysis work.
• Track emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and technology trends to ensure security strategies remain current and effective.
• Provide architecture guidance during solution design reviews, ensuring alignment with enterprise security posture and regulatory requirements.
• Act as a security SME within EA domains, influencing architecture decisions and ensuring secure design principles and best practices are integrated early in the solution lifecycle.
• Evaluate emerging security tools and services, advising on adoption strategies and integration feasibility.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field required.
• Strong understanding of security domains (IAM, Network, Application, Cloud, Data, AI) with depth in at least two.
• Hands‑on experience creating architecture artifacts (standards, patterns, diagrams) and supporting governance processes.
• Ability to evaluate technology landscapes and emerging threats and distill them into repeatable, secure design patterns.
• Hands‑on experience designing secure cloud architecture, with a strong emphasis on Microsoft Azure; AWS experience is also acceptable.
• Experience with threat modeling methodologies and ability to operationalize them within governance processes.
• Knowledge of CASB solutions, data governance and security practices, and Zero Trust principles for securing cloud, applications, and data.
• Excellent communication skills, able to engage both technical teams and business stakeholders.
• Knowledge of financial services regulatory requirements such as FFIEC, PCI DSS, SOX.
• Familiarity with DevSecOps practices and CI/CD security integration.
• Security Architect level certifications (e.g., CISSP, CCSP, Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Expert).
• Previous leadership experience preferred.
• Intermediate knowledge of general Financial Services or Banking is preferred.
• Intermediate knowledge of applicable regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices.
• Advanced experience working in an architecture function with knowledge and experience developing reference architectures and patterns and supporting governance functions related to: Application Development, Cloud Compute, Storage and Networking technologies. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Serverless, Containers, Automation, Security.
• Advanced understanding of product management, agile principles and development methodologies and capability of supporting agile and DevOps teams by providing advice and guidance on opportunities, impact and risks, taking account of technical and architectural debt.
• Advanced speaking and writing communication skills.
• May require up to 25% travel.

Benefits

Competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401(k) matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program. In addition, you will have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge and learn the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands‑on experience to help grow your career.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to equal employment and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, nation origin, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetic information. Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, please email [e-mail] or call 602-386-2488. When contacting us, please provide your contact information and state the nature of your accessibility issue. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests that involve a reasonable accommodation in the application process.