Associate Cybersecurity Architect

CFA Institute•Charlottesville, VA

16h•$115,000 - $190,000

About The Position

Do you have a strong security foundation and want to apply it at the enterprise level? As an Associate Cybersecurity Architect, you’ll help design and implement secure solutions, contribute to architecture decisions, and work closely with engineers and architects to embed security across systems and platforms. You’ll perform security assessments, influence standards, and grow your architecture expertise through hands-on experience and mentorship—while making a real impact on how security is delivered. The Associate Cybersecurity Architect supports the design, implementation, integration, and maintenance of secure enterprise technology environments. In this role, the incumbent applies well-developed subject matter expertise to routine and moderately complex security architecture activities, ensuring cybersecurity controls are implemented consistently and effectively across systems and platforms for both existing and new capabilities. Working under the guidance of a senior architect, the Associate Cybersecurity Architect performs security assessments, contributes to architecture artifacts, and provides frontline insights that inform improvements to cybersecurity standards, processes, and solutions. The position requires a strong technical/security foundation, sound judgment in escalating complex issues, and the ability to collaborate with engineering, operations, and business teams to support secure solution delivery. The position may be based in approved jurisdictions in the Unites States and reports to the Cybersecurity Architect.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Engineering, or related field; equivalent professional experience and/or degrees accepted.
3 plus years of experience in information security or security engineering, with exposure to architecture concepts and practices.
Working knowledge of enterprise architecture principles and security frameworks (NIST CSF, PCI DSS, CIS Controls).
Hands-on experience with some core security domains such as identity and access management, network security, cloud security, application security, and secure configuration management.
Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerized environments preferred.
Relevant certifications (Security+, CySA+, GSEC, CCSP, CISSP associate-level, or cloud provider credentials) strongly preferred.
Ability to solve moderately complex technical problems and apply judgment to non-routine cases.
Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to translate technical findings into clear, actionable insights.
Demonstrated ability to work independently on routine tasks and seek guidance appropriately on unfamiliar or complex issues.
Shape decisions and policies across functions through credibility and expertise; serve as trusted advisor to senior leadership.
Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerized environments preferred.
Relevant certifications (Security+, CySA+, GSEC, CCSP, CISSP associate-level, or cloud provider credentials) strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Apply organizational cybersecurity procedures, standards, and design patterns to technology projects and operational activities.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of reference security architectures, security controls, and security configuration baselines.
Support senior security architects during the evaluation and integration of security tools, platforms, and services.
Conduct routine and moderately complex security assessments of applications, systems, and cloud services; identify vulnerabilities and recommend remediation options.
Analyze non-routine security issues and escalate complex or ambiguous cases to senior architects as appropriate.
Assist in the development of threat models and risk assessments to ensure secure solution design.
Provide support to larger architecture initiatives or security engineering workstreams.
Partner with engineering and operations teams to embed security requirements into solution designs and deployments.
Provide implementation support for selected security technologies under the direction of senior architects.
Monitor emerging technologies and attack trends and share observations with the architecture team to support ongoing refinement of security controls.
Contribute to documentation of procedures, diagrams, and knowledge materials to support repeatable and scalable security practices.
Ensure assigned tasks adhere to established security procedures and organizational standards.