Security Architect - Payments

SteerBridge; Vienna (VA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan with matching

Paid Time Off

Paid Federal Holidays

Job summary

SteerBridge, a modern technology company, seeks an experienced Security Architect to lead security architecture for a mission‑critical payments platform supporting commercial and federal customers in AWS GovCloud. The role defines design standards across cloud, hybrid infra, data, identity, and integrations, translating federal frameworks into secure, scalable architectures.

The architect partners with solution architects, DevSecOps, developers, and compliance, guiding implementation and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain security clearance.
• 8+ years in cybersecurity/cloud security with 3+ years designing security architectures.
• Experience with federal requirements (FISMA/NIST SP 800-53/RMF) and SSPs/ATO packages.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain target security architecture and roadmap in AWS GovCloud.
• Lead threat modeling and security design reviews for new capabilities.
• Define baselines for identity, least privilege, encryption, and zero-trust.
• Review cloud configs, CI/CD security, and supply chain requirements.
• Define logging, retention, and detection with security operations; support audits.
• Develop and own SSPs/ATO packages and risk documentation.

Skills

Security architecture

Threat modeling

Cloud security

Logging & monitoring

Security compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in IT / Cybersecurity / CS

Tools

AWS GovCloud

Terraform

Terragrunt

GitLab CI/CD

SIEM

Job description

SteerBridge is a modern technology company delivering innovative, mission‑focused solutions to the U.S. Government and private sector. Leveraging deep expertise in federal acquisition, digital transformation, and emerging technologies, we deliver agile, commercial‑grade capabilities that accelerate operational effectiveness and drive measurable mission success.

At the core of SteerBridge is our people—especially the veterans whose leadership, problem‑solving mindset, and commitment to excellence elevate every project we support. We don’t simply hire exceptional talent; we cultivate it, creating meaningful career pathways for veterans, military spouses, and professionals who share our passion for advancing technology and strengthening the missions we serve.

Position Overview

SteerBridge is seeking an experienced Security Architect to lead security architecture for a mission-critical payments platform that supports commercial and federal customers in AWS GovCloud. This role defines the security design, standards, and roadmap across cloud and hybrid infrastructure, applications, data, identity, and external integrations, translating mission needs, federal cybersecurity frameworks, and applicable commercial security requirements into secure, compliant, and scalable architectures.

The architect partners with cloud and solutions architects, DevSecOps engineers, application developers, the security operations team, compliance stakeholders, and program leadership. The architect establishes security requirements and design patterns, reviews implementation evidence, and guides remediation; engineering teams implement and operate the controls, while security operations monitors the environment and leads incident response.

This is a technical leadership role with hands‑on design validation. The ideal candidate leads threat modeling and architecture reviews, produces clear security diagrams and architecture decision records, evaluates implementation tradeoffs, and validates critical controls through prototypes and technical reviews. They communicate residual risk and recommendations to the stakeholders authorized to make risk acceptance decisions.

This is a hybrid position based in Vienna, VA.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the target security architecture and roadmap for a multi-account AWS GovCloud environment, including trust boundaries, data flows, shared services, hybrid connections, and external integrations, and advise program leadership on security, mission, cost, and delivery tradeoffs.
• Lead threat modeling and security design reviews for new capabilities and material changes, prioritizing risks and defining mitigation and validation requirements.
• Define secure cloud and hybrid baselines and reference architectures for hardening, identity federation, least‑privilege access, network segmentation, zero‑trust access, encryption, and key and secrets management.
• Design protection for sensitive data throughout its lifecycle, including API access, storage, retention, backup, recovery, and auditability, in accordance with organizational security and privacy policies.
• Review Terraform and Terragrunt designs, cloud configurations, and GitLab CI/CD workflows, set software supply chain requirements for dependencies, containers, artifact integrity, and SBOMs, and mentor engineering teams on secure delivery.
• Define logging, retention, and detection coverage requirements with security operations, review Microsoft Sentinel and AWS logging designs, and support audits, penetration testing, and incident response planning.
• Conduct risk assessments, gap analyses, and vulnerability assessments, prioritize findings by mission impact, validate remediation with engineering teams, and elevate exceptions and residual risk to designated authorities.
• Develop, maintain, and own SSPs and ATO packages, including boundary diagrams, control narratives, assessment evidence, and POA&Ms, applying NIST SP 800-53 and RMF through assessment, continuous monitoring, and reauthorization.

Required Qualifications

• Eligibility Requirements: U.S. citizenship is required for this position under applicable federal contract requirements. Candidates must also be able to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role.
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or Software Engineering.
• 8+ years of experience in cybersecurity, cloud security, or security engineering, including 3+ years designing security architectures for complex cloud or enterprise systems, with expertise in multi‑account AWS security (identity and access management, network segmentation, encryption and key management, and centralized logging).
• Expertise with federal security requirements (FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST SP 800-53, and RMF), including creating and maintaining SSPs and ATO packages, and with commercial requirements such as GLBA, CCPA, FinCEN reporting, PCI‑DSS, GDPR, SOC 2, and ISO, with the ability to translate requirements into architecture and control evidence.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of cybersecurity experience in federal or large enterprise environments, including leadership of security architecture, threat modeling, and authorization activities in AWS GovCloud, VA programs, or other regulated federal cloud environments.
• Master’s degree or PhD in a related field, and/or certifications such as CISSP, ISSAP, CCSP, CISM, CAP, CASP, GSLC, AWS Certified Security – Specialty, or AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional.
• Experience with AWS Organizations, service control policies, landing zones, container security (ECS, Fargate, or Kubernetes), and infrastructure‑as‑code and CI/CD supply chain security.
• Experience designing Microsoft Sentinel integrations, centralized security telemetry, and zero‑trust access using Zscaler ZPA/ZIA, Palo Alto VM‑Series, or comparable technologies.
• Experience conducting vendor and third‑party security due diligence, including reviewing SOC reports and CUECs, interpreting contractual security flow‑down requirements, and translating vendor assurance into ATO control inheritance and risk documentation.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with matching
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Federal Holidays

$160,000 - $190,000 a year

The posted compensation range reflects the scope and requirements of this position. A final offer will be determined based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, and work location, along with the responsibilities of the position. Where applicable, contract requirements, wage determinations, and federal contract labor categories may also inform the offer.

SteerBridge also offers benefits that may include health and life insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, disability coverage, retirement savings, and professional development opportunities. Benefits vary by position and eligibility.

SteerBridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity—regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws. If you require assistance during the application process, we encourage you to reach out so we can support your needs.