Principal Cybersecurity Architect – Network Security Posture Management

Entangled Future; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 249,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plans

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO and holidays

Parental/adoption leave

Home technology stipend

Job summary

IonQ in Santa Clara, CA, seeks a Principal Cybersecurity Architect to own the NSPM security posture strategy. You will define how network configurations, device behaviors, and access controls are evaluated against frameworks like NIST CSF and ISO 27001, building scalable rule systems for onboarding new standards.

You will lead the design of risk scoring, collaborate with platform engineering for scalable deployment, and mentor engineers on posture design and compliance mapping.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in cybersecurity, network security, or security architecture, with at least 5 years in a senior or principal capacity focused on network security posture, compliance, or policy enforcement at scale.
• Deep NSPM expertise and strong understanding of network security principles.

Responsibilities

• Design and own the security posture assessment rule framework, defining how device configurations, network behaviors, and access controls are evaluated against security standards.
• Build and maintain a scalable rule authoring and lifecycle management system to onboard new standards and policies.
• Continuously monitor threat and compliance landscape and translate changes into updated posture rules.
• Define the risk scoring and prioritization model for posture findings at device, segment, and enterprise levels.
• Collaborate with platform engineering to ensure rules execute efficiently at scale with APIs for ingestion and results delivery.
• Engage with customers and stakeholders to translate requirements into platform capabilities and serve as security SME for the product.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to shape the NSPM roadmap and ensure value delivery.

Skills

Cybersecurity leadership

Network security

Security architecture

Compliance mapping

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

NSPM platforms

Policy enforcement

Rule lifecycle management

Job description

Principal Cybersecurity Architect – Network Security Posture Management at IonQ, Santa Clara, California, United States. A lead-level full time position in the Quantum Platform - Network & Security team, listed under software engineering.

The Role

We are looking for a Principal Cybersecurity Architect to own the security posture strategy for our Network Security Posture Management (NSPM) platform. You’ll work at the intersection of network security, compliance, and platform engineering — defining how the platform assesses, measures, and enforces security posture across large, heterogeneous network environments.

In this role, your primary focus is designing and codifying security posture assessment rules that map network device configurations and behaviors against established security standards — and building the framework that makes it easy to onboard new standards as they emerge. You bring deep NSPM expertise, a strong understanding of network security principles, and the ability to translate complex compliance requirements into actionable, automatable rules that operate at scale across thousands of devices.

The approximate base salary range for this position is $248,557 - $325,425 . The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity, and a range of benefit options found on our career site. Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Our benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401(k), unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment.

At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect.

Responsibilities

• Design and own the security posture assessment rule framework, defining how device configurations, network behaviors, and access controls are evaluated against security standards including NIST CSF, CIS Benchmarks, ISO 27001, FISMA, and FedRAMP.
• Build and maintain a scalable rule authoring and lifecycle management system that allows new security standards and custom organizational policies to be onboarded, versioned, and deployed without platform re-architecture.
• Continuously monitor the evolving threat and compliance landscape — translating emerging standards, regulatory changes, and new CVEs into updated posture assessment rules that keep the platform current and defensible.
• Define the risk scoring and prioritization model that aggregates individual posture findings into a coherent, actionable security posture score at the device, segment, and enterprise level.
• Collaborate with platform engineering teams to ensure posture assessment rules execute efficiently at scale across large network device fleets, with well-defined APIs for rule ingestion, evaluation, and results delivery.
• Engage with enterprise customers and internal stakeholders to understand their compliance requirements, translating them into platform capabilities and serving as the authoritative security subject matter expert for the product.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to shape the NSPM roadmap, ensuring security posture capabilities remain ahead of the regulatory curve and deliver measurable value to network security and compliance teams.
• Mentor engineers and security analysts on posture rule design, threat modeling, and compliance mapping, establishing rigorous review processes that ensure accuracy and defensibility of every assessment rule shipped.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in cybersecurity, network security, or security architecture, with at least 5 years in a senior or principal capacity focused on network security posture, compliance, or policy enforcement at scale.
• Deep, hands-on experience with Network Security Posture Management (NSPM) platforms and tools, with a demonstrable track record of designing and operationalizing posture assessment rules across large enterprise networks.
• Comprehensive knowledge of major security standards and frameworks including NIST CSF, CIS Benchmarks, ISO 27001, FISMA, and FedRAMP, with the ability to interpret control requirements and translate them into precise, automatable assessment rules.
• Strong understanding of network device security — including firewall policy analysis, routing protocol security, access control, and configuration hardening across multi- vendor environments (Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet).
• Proven ability to operate across both strategic and technical dimensions — engaging executive stakeholders on compliance risk while working closely with engineering teams on rule design, data modeling, and platform integration.

Nice to Have

• Industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCNP Security, or equivalent credentials that demonstrate deep, validated expertise in network security and information security management.
• Prior experience at a network security vendor, MSSP, or large enterprise security team, with direct exposure to how security posture policies are enforced across complex, multi- vendor network infrastructures.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust architecture principles and their practical application to network segmentation, device trust, and least-privilege access enforcement in enterprise environments.
• Experience contributing to or authoring security standards, CIS Benchmark profiles, or DISA STIGs, or participation in industry working groups focused on network security policy and compliance.
• Understanding of CVE lifecycle management, SBOM analysis, and vulnerability correlation as they apply to network device firmware and software supply chain risk assessment.