Microsoft Security Architecture Lead

KPMG South Africa; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

International travel opportunities

Continuous learning and development

Exposure to multi-disciplinary client-

Big 4 client experience

Job summary

KPMG South Africa is seeking a Microsoft Security Architecture Lead at Senior Manager level to design and govern Microsoft security architectures across Africa. You will ensure reference architectures, lead pre-sales workshops with clients, and act as the technical authority on Sentinel, Defender, Entra ID, and Purview.

The role combines architecture rigour, client engagement, and delivery oversight, with opportunities for international travel and ongoing certification maintenance.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in cybersecurity with 4+ years in Microsoft Security platform architecture.
• Hands-on experience deploying Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, Entra ID and Purview.
• Experience in African market technology delivery environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design secure, Microsoft-aligned architectures for major engagements.
• Lead pre-sales technical workshops with CISO and IT leadership.
• Govern technical delivery and review proposals for alignment with reference architectures.
• Maintain library of Microsoft security templates and playbooks.
• Represent KPMG in Microsoft security communities and enablement programmes.

Skills

Security architecture

Client engagement

Delivery focus

Continuous learning

Collaboration

Market intelligence

Business development

People management

Leadership

Risk management

Capacity building

Education

Degree in Computer Science or Information Security

Tools

Microsoft Sentinel

Defender for Cloud

Entra ID / Azure AD

Purview

Job description

Introduction to KPMG

KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. Our purpose is to inspire confidence and empower change. We have a notable Africa Footprint serving clients across the continent. KPMG One Africa refers to the KPMG firms in the Southern, East, and West Africa regions. These are comprised of 13 countries from the 3 regional clusters, i.e. Southern Africa: Botswana, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; East Africa: Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda; West Africa: Ghana, and Nigeria. We are currently looking for a Microsoft Security Architecture Lead

Position Summary

The Microsoft Security Architecture Lead is a Senior Manager-level role responsible for designing and governing the technical architecture of all Microsoft Security and Cyber engagements within KPMG T&I's portfolio. This role ensures that KPMG's cybersecurity delivery is built on solid, alliance-approved Microsoft reference architectures - protecting deal quality before contracts are signed and maintaining technical integrity during delivery. The role is the primary technical authority on Microsoft Sentinel, Defender suite, Entra ID (Azure AD), Purview, and related security platform components across the African Technology & Innovation practice.

Key Roles And Responsibilities

• Security Architecture Design and Pre-Signing Governance (55%)
• Design technically sound, commercially structured, and Microsoft-aligned security architectures for all major T&I cybersecurity pursuits before contract signature.
• Lead pre-sales technical workshops with clients, articulating KPMG's cybersecurity approach and Microsoft Security solution architecture to CISO and IT leadership audiences.
• Review all cybersecurity scopes of work and technical proposals - ensuring they are deliverable, priced correctly, and aligned with Microsoft reference architectures.
• Define the high-level security architecture for SOC deployments, Sentinel implementations, Defender rollouts, Zero Trust programmes, and IAM transformations.
• Maintain KPMG T&I's library of Microsoft Security architecture templates, reference designs, and implementation playbooks.
• Delivery Architecture Oversight (30%)
• Provide technical governance on major Microsoft Security delivery engagements - attending design reviews, architecture decision forums, and client technical steering committees.
• Serve as the technical escalation authority for Microsoft Security architecture decisions during active delivery.
• Ensure that delivery teams adhere to KPMG's standard security architecture patterns and Microsoft's security best practice frameworks.
• Conduct formal architecture reviews at key delivery milestones to identify technical drift and remediate design risk.
• Collaborate with Block E to document and systematise Microsoft Security delivery patterns for reuse across the portfolio.
• Alliance and Community Engagement (15%)
• Maintain active Microsoft Security certification portfolio and stay current with Microsoft's evolving security platform roadmap.
• Participate in Microsoft's partner technical community - representing KPMG in architecture reviews, partner advisory boards, and technical enablement programmes.
• Run internal Microsoft Security knowledge-sharing sessions to uplift delivery team capability.
• Contribute to KPMG's cybersecurity thought leadership, particularly on Microsoft Security platform topics

Academic/ Professional Qualifications And Experience

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related technical discipline.
• Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst (SC-200), Identity and Access Administrator (SC-300), and/or Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100) required.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect (AZ-305) preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in cybersecurity, with at least 4 years focused on Microsoft Security platform architecture and implementation.
• Hands-on experience deploying Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, Entra ID, and Purview in enterprise environments.
• Experience in African market technology delivery environments preferred.

Technical Competencies & Personal Attributes

Demonstrate and articulate KPMG values as well as proven capability in:

• Microsoft Security depth: recognised technical expert in the Microsoft Security platform suite with demonstrated implementation experience.
• Architecture rigour: able to define clear, scalable, and implementable security architectures for complex enterprise environments.
• Client engagement: comfortable leading technical workshops with senior client stakeholders including CISO, IT Directors, and compliance teams.
• Delivery focus: combines architectural thinking with practical delivery awareness - designing architectures that can actually be built on time and on budget.
• Continuous learning: committed to maintaining Microsoft certifications and staying current with the evolving security landscape.
• Collaboration: works effectively with delivery teams, Microsoft alliance architects, and client security teams.
• Market Intelligence: Demonstrate commercial awareness with sound knowledge of matters affecting the market.
• Business development entrepreneurial mind-set and ability to identify opportunities and develop high quality proposals.
• Personal effectiveness - Excellent report-writing and presentation skills.
• People management - Leadership & management skills.
• Performance management - Be a performance manager to the team in line with performance management guidelines.
• Risk management-lead in ensuring full compliance with KPMG quality & risk management requirements
• Capacity building - Takes a lead in building capability of team to future proof workforce and full utilization of existing workforce.

We Offer

• An exciting opportunity to work with a Big 4 firm on cutting edge clients across Africa.
• Continuous learning and development.
• Exposure to multi-disciplinary client service teams.
• Unrivalled space to grow and be innovative.
• Opportunity for international travel.