Senior Staff Security Architect

First Advantage Global operating Centre; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

First Advantage Global operating Centre seeks a Senior Staff Security Architect to design, implement, and govern secure infrastructure across on-prem, AWS, and Azure. You will own automation of go-live security reviews and drive security across CI/CD pipelines.

You will review architectures, implement robust security controls, mentor engineers, and ensure compliance with SOC 2, ISO 27001, SOX, and CJIS while collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience with at least 4 years in cloud security.
• Proficiency in Python/Go/Java.
• Deep expertise in AWS and Azure cloud platforms, including native security services.
• Experience conducting software and infrastructure architecture reviews.
• Ability to design and implement automated security review pipelines.
• Familiarity with IaC/configuration-as-code tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, Bicep, Ansible, Puppet.
• Experience with container security (Kubernetes, EKS, AKS) and serverless architectures.
• Strong DevSecOps principles and CI/CD integration.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain secure cloud architectures for AWS and Azure platforms.
• Collaborate with engineering to review applications and infrastructure designs for security risks.
• Develop and implement advanced security controls including IAM, network segmentation, encryption, and monitoring.
• Lead development of automated pipelines and tooling for go-live security reviews within CI/CD workflows.
• Ensure cloud environments meet SOC 2, ISO 27001, SOX, CJIS compliance.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior security engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Advise on cloud-related security incidents with incident response teams.

Skills

Python

Go

Java

Cloud security architecture

DevSecOps

CI/CD

Tools

Terraform

CloudFormation

Bicep

Ansible

Kubernetes

EKS

AKS

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Senior Staff Security Architect to assist the design, implementation, and governance of secure infrastructure across on-premises, AWS, and Azure environments. This role requires deep expertise in cloud-native security, secure software development strategies, information security and security engineering, with an eye towards automation and infrastructure-as-code. You will be responsible for reviewing software and infrastructure architectures, engineering robust security controls, and owning the automation of go-live security reviews to ensure scalable and secure cloud deployments.

Key Responsibilities

• Cloud Security Architecture: Design and maintain secure cloud architectures for AWS and Azure platforms, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and compliance requirements.
• Software Architecture Review: Collaborate with engineering teams to review application and infrastructure designs, identifying and mitigating security risks early in the development lifecycle.
• Security Engineering: Develop and implement advanced security controls, including IAM policies, network segmentation, encryption, and monitoring solutions.
• Automation Ownership: Lead the development of automated pipelines and tooling for go-live security reviews, integrating with CI/CD workflows to enforce security gates.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure cloud environments meet regulatory and organizational compliance standards (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, SOX, CJIS).
• Mentorship & Leadership: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior security engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Incident Response Support: Collaborate with incident response teams to advise on cloud-related security incidents.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in software development, with at least 4 years focused on cloud security architecture.
• Strong background in software development (e.g., Python, Go, Java, or similar).
• Deep expertise in AWS and Azure cloud platforms, including native security services.
• Proven experience conducting software and infrastructure architecture reviews.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement automated security review pipelines.
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code/configuration-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, Bicep, Ansible, Puppet, etc).
• Experience with container security (e.g., Kubernetes, EKS, AKS) and serverless architecture.
• Strong understanding of DevSecOps principles and CI/CD integration.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant certifications such as AWS Certified Security – Specialty, Azure Security Engineer Associate, CISSP, or CCSP.
• Experience with multi-cloud security strategies and hybrid environments.
• Knowledge of security frameworks such as NIST, CSA CCM, and MITRE ATT&CK

We have great people here and are looking for more. Come join us!

Equal Employment Opportunities at First Advantage

First Advantage is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a workplace and recruitment process that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Employment decisions at First Advantage are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We do not discriminate in any aspect of employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, religion, creed, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.