Principal AI Security Architect

ntrs; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Trust is establishing an AI security organization and seeks a Principal AI Security Architect to define and operationalize security architecture, governance patterns, and guardrails for enterprise AI platforms, agentic systems, digital coworkers, and emerging technologies.

This hands‑on role will create architecture artifacts, reference architectures, security requirements, and reusable guidance while partnering with engineering, IAM, data, application security, and risk teams to enable

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in security architecture, enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, or related disciplines.
• Experience designing and reviewing complex enterprise technology solutions.
• Strong understanding of: Identity and access management, authentication and authorization, cloud security, application security, network security, API security, data protection, logging and monitoring, secrets management.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure or comparable cloud platforms.
• Ability to produce architecture diagrams and technical design documentation.
• Experience facilitating architecture reviews and working across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead security architect for AI, agentic AI, cloud, SaaS, and emerging technology initiatives.
• Review and challenge solution designs to identify security requirements and risks.
• Develop security architecture deliverables including diagrams, reference architectures, and design standards.
• Conduct threat modeling and security design reviews for AI systems and related platforms.
• Translate security policies into practical engineering requirements.

Skills

Security architecture

Enterprise architecture

Cloud security

Identity & access management

Application security

Threat modeling

Communication

Tools

Microsoft Azure

Job description

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world's most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world's most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role Overview

Northern Trust is establishing an AI Security organization responsible for enabling the safe adoption of AI across the enterprise. We are seeking a Principal AI Security Architect to help define and operationalize the security architecture, governance patterns, and technology guardrails that support enterprise AI platforms, agentic systems, digital coworkers, and emerging technologies.

This is a highly hands‑on architecture role. The successful candidate will actively create architecture artifacts, design patterns, diagrams, reference architectures, security requirements, and reusable guidance while partnering closely with engineering, enterprise architecture, identity, data, application security, infrastructure, and risk teams.

This is not a governance‑only position and is not a management role. The architect will be expected to work directly with technical teams, evaluate complex designs, solve challenging architecture problems, and help establish the security foundations that enable AI adoption at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Security Architecture & Design

• Serve as lead security architect for AI, agentic AI, cloud, SaaS, and emerging technology initiatives.
• Review and challenge solution designs to identify security requirements, architectural risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop security architecture deliverables including: Solution diagrams Data-flow diagrams Trust boundary diagrams Reference architectures Security patterns Design standards Control requirements
• Conduct threat modeling and security design reviews for AI systems and supporting technology platforms.
• Translate security policies and control objectives into practical engineering requirements.

AI Security Enablement

• Help define security patterns for: AI agents and digital coworkers AI platforms and orchestration frameworks RAG architectures MCP integrations AI identities and delegated authorization models Model access control and governance AI observability and monitoring
• Work with delivery teams to accelerate security reviews through reusable patterns and pre-approved architectures.
• Create practical implementation guidance for engineering teams building AI capabilities.

Reference Architecture & Standards Development

• Build and maintain a library of reusable AI security reference architectures, architectural decision records, and security patterns.
• Develop architecture standards and guardrails for enterprise AI adoption.
• Identify recurring design decisions and convert them into reusable reference material.
• Contribute to enterprise-wide AI security strategy and architecture direction.

Enterprise Collaboration

• Partner closely with: Enterprise Architecture Security Engineering Identity & Access Management Application Security Security Operations Data Protection Cloud Engineering Emerging Technology teams
• Facilitate architecture workshops, design sessions, and technical working groups.
• Influence security and technology decisions across multiple organizations.

Emerging Technology Assessment

• Research emerging AI technologies and security capabilities.
• Evaluate new platforms, architectures, frameworks, and third‑party solutions.
• Provide technical recommendations that balance innovation, security, operational complexity, and business value.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in security architecture, enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, engineering, or related disciplines.
• Experience designing and reviewing complex enterprise technology solutions.
• Strong understanding of: Identity and access management Authentication and authorization Cloud security Application security Network security API security Data protection Logging and monitoring Secrets management
• Experience with Microsoft Azure or comparable cloud platforms.
• Ability to produce architecture diagrams and technical design documentation.
• Experience facilitating architecture reviews and working across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with generative AI, LLM applications, AI agents, or agentic AI architectures.
• Familiarity with: RAG architectures MCP AI gateways AI observability Model governance Agent identity and delegated