Data Security Principal Architect

Compunnel, Inc.; Cumberland (RI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading data security company in the United States is seeking a Data Security Principal Architect to define and implement data protection frameworks. This role involves collaborating with various teams to secure data through its lifecycle while ensuring compliance with regulations. Ideal candidates have over 10 years of experience in information security, with a strong understanding of cryptographic standards and data protection tools. The position offers strategic autonomy and influences enterprise security posture.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in information security or data architecture roles.
• Experience contributing to LLM security is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with data engineering oversight.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the data protection strategy.
• Lead secure implementation of AI Data Pipelines.
• Develop data incident protocols and playbooks.

Skills

Cryptographic primitives understanding

Data protection in data lakes

Excellent communication skills

Risk assessment skills

Interest in AI safety

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Snowflake

Microsoft Defender

DLP tools

Azure Purview

Job description

The Data Security Principal Architect will serve as a strategic leader and technical expert within the Cybersecurity organization. This role is responsible for defining, implementing, and governing enterprise-wide data protection frameworks across structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. The position bridges traditional Microsoft Information Protection tools with modern AI-centric security practices, including encryption for LLM pipelines, secure vector stores, and legacy data remediation. The architect will collaborate with Security Engineering, Data Governance, Cloud Ops, and AI/ML teams to secure data throughout its lifecycle while ensuring compliance with regulatory, legal, and business mandates.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the data protection strategy, aligning with regulatory mandates such as NERC, SOX, CCPA, and GDPR
• Architect and deploy Azure Purview for data classification and insider risk management policies
• Lead secure implementation of AI Data Pipelines (RAG, Vector DBs), TDE for SQL workloads, and evaluate FHE and Differential Privacy for AI/LLM pipelines
• Develop strategies for legacy data de-duplication, archiving, and migration, and optimize lifecycle policies
• Implement and manage DLP rules across email, endpoints, cloud storage, and collaboration platforms (Microsoft 365, SharePoint)
• Provide architectural guidance to product teams and AI/ML engineers; author security patterns, threat models, and playbooks
• Evaluate and integrate third-party tools for data discovery, monitoring, and tokenization; drive automation around classification and response
• Define DSPM strategy and architecture
• Develop data incident protocols and playbooks
• Perform other duties as assigned and comply with all policies and standards

Level of Autonomy

• Makes strategic and technical decisions independently within the scope of data security and architecture
• Provides guidance and oversight to product, cloud, and AI/ML teams while influencing enterprise security posture

Job Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Experience: 10+ years in information security or data architecture roles; hands‑on experience with Snowflake, Microsoft Defender, DLP tools, Azure Purview, and data engineering oversight; previous experience in utilities or highly regulated industries preferred; experience contributing to LLM security or responsible AI design patterns preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep understanding of cryptographic primitives and modern data security standards (AES, SHA, TLS) and familiarity with quantum-ready cryptography standards
• Strong experience with structured data protection in data lakes or Azure Synapse
• Knowledge of legacy data cleanup, tape archive migration, and DSPM platforms
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with technical and executive stakeholders
• Ability to assess risk trade‑offs between security, usability, and operational efficiency
• Strong interest in AI safety, responsible data stewardship, and securing sensitive workloads

Certifications (Preferred)

SANS/GIAC, CISSP, or Azure Security certification.