Cybersecurity Architect

McDonald's Corporation • Chicago, IL

2d • $138,207 - $172,758

About The Position

The Cybersecurity Architect helps define, communicate, and apply cybersecurity requirements and security architecture throughout the lifecycle of technology products and platforms. The role uses broad technical knowledge, practical risk judgment, and collaborative problem solving to help teams design solutions that protect confidentiality, integrity, availability, privacy, and compliance. It supports architecture reviews, threat modeling, and development of reusable security patterns and guardrails. The architect documents security requirements, design decisions, risks, exceptions, and mitigations, and works with delivery teams to translate security expectations into practical technical outcomes.

The position partners across Global Technology, including product management, engineering, architecture, privacy, risk, and business teams. Success requires technical credibility, clear communication, effective facilitation, and the ability to influence decisions through evidence and trusted relationships. The role is part of Global Cybersecurity and the Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering team, and reports to the Senior Manager of Cybersecurity Solution Architecture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 4–6 years of technical leadership experience within the security vertical, including guiding technical decisions, coordinating security work across teams, or leading security-focused design and delivery activities.
• Hands-on experience in information security, security engineering, solution architecture, application architecture, cloud architecture, or a closely related technical role.
• Working knowledge across several security domains, such as identity and access management, data protection, encryption, cloud security (AWS, Azure, or GCP), DevSecOps, application security, platform security, endpoint security, IoT, OT, network security, or zero-trust architecture.
• Experience participating in or facilitating security architecture reviews, threat modeling, control reviews, or design assurance activities.
• Knowledge of security frameworks and standards such as NIST CSF and ISO 27001, and ability to apply them to practical technology decisions.
• Ability to evaluate solution designs, identify material security risks, explain tradeoffs, and recommend pragmatic controls or mitigations.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills, including active listening, curiosity, and ability to establish trust with technical and non-technical partners.
• Effective influencing and consulting skills, with ability to guide decisions and encourage adoption without direct authority.
• Clear verbal, written, and presentation skills, including ability to simplify complex security topics for different audiences.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, sound judgment, and ability to organize ambiguous information into clear findings and next steps.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to organizational change, and maintain progress in a global, matrixed environment.
• Collaborative mindset that encourages shared ownership of security and contributes to an inclusive, high-performing culture.

Nice To Haves

• Security or architecture certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, CISM, TOGAF, AWS Certified Solution Architect, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solution Architect, or Google Professional Cloud Security Architect; equivalent demonstrated experience will be considered.

Responsibilities

• Apply cybersecurity architecture principles to technology products, platforms, applications, and services in alignment with business priorities, company standards, and industry practices.
• Partner with technology and business teams to embed security into planning, design, delivery, and operational readiness.
• Facilitate architecture reviews and technical working sessions to identify security gaps, clarify design tradeoffs, and recommend proportionate, risk-based mitigations.
• Perform or support threat modeling, security architecture assessments, control mapping, and design reviews across cloud, application, identity, network, endpoint, IoT, and other technology domains.
• Translate security policies, standards, and regulatory obligations into clear technical requirements, guardrails, and actionable recommendations.
• Contribute to reusable security architecture artifacts, reference architectures, security models, standards, and design patterns.
• Document architecture decisions, security requirements, identified risks, exceptions, compensating controls, owners, and agreed remediation actions.
• Communicate technical and risk topics in concise, audience-appropriate language for engineers, architects, product teams, business partners, and leadership.
• Influence delivery teams without direct authority using credible technical analysis, active listening, practical options, and understanding of business context.
• Assess solution alignment with McDonald’s policies and applicable frameworks, including NIST CSF and ISO 27001, and help teams convert requirements into implementable design outcomes.
• Mature threat modeling capabilities within the architecture team and technology team, leveraging tools such as Threat Modeler and Irius Risk.
• Stay current on emerging security threats, architecture practices, cloud services, engineering patterns, and relevant technology trends, and share practical guidance with colleagues and delivery teams.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health insurance, including medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Life insurance.
• Eligibility for a bonus based on individual and company performance.
• Eligibility for stock or other equity grants pursuant to McDonald’s long-term incentive plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level