Lead Security Architect

Toyota North America•Plano, TX

About The Position

Toyota Financial Services (TFS) Technology is seeking a highly experienced and outcome-driven Lead Security Architect to define, govern, and advance a threat-informed, data-centric security architecture across enterprise platforms and business services. This role is accountable for embedding Data-Centric Threat Modeling (NIST SP 800-154) into the architecture lifecycle ensuring that security decisions are driven by how data is created, processed, stored, and exposed, rather than relying solely on perimeter or technology-centric controls. The ideal candidate will operate as a senior technical authority, influencing design decisions, enforcing architectural standards, and driving measurable improvements in control effectiveness across TFS environments.

Requirements

Deep expertise in enterprise security architecture across cloud, application, identity (Identity and Access Management), and network domains.
Proven experience applying threat modeling methodologies, especially data-centric approaches (NIST SP 800-154).
Hands-on experience with threat modeling tools (e.g., IriusRisk/Threat Modeler, Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool, or equivalents) — strongly preferred.
Strong understanding of data protection, data flow analysis, and sensitive data handling within financial services environments.
Experience influencing complex, cross-functional architecture decisions at scale.
Ability to translate technical threats into business risk and executive-level understanding.
Must have the right to work in the United States and not require Toyota support or sponsorship for immigration-related employment now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Certified Information Systems & Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), or equivalents.

Responsibilities

Lead Data-Centric Threat Modeling: Own and operationalize Data-Centric Threat Modeling (NIST SP 800-154) across application, cloud, and enterprise architectures.
Identify threats, attack paths, and control gaps based on data flows, sensitivity, and business impact.
Integrate threat modeling into solution design, architecture reviews, and delivery pipelines.
Drive consistency through standardized methodologies and tooling (e.g., Threat Modeler, IriusRisk).
Define & Enforce Security Architecture: Establish and govern security architecture standards, patterns, and reference models aligned to TFS policy and risk tolerance.
Lead architecture design reviews and provide binding security decisions for critical initiatives.
Ensure solutions align to Zero Trust principles, least privilege access, and data protection requirements.
Drive Risk-Based Decision Making: Translate threat models and architectural assessments into actionable risk insights for executives and stakeholders.
Support risk acceptance, exception handling, and architectural trade-offs with clear business impact articulation.
Identify control gaps and redundancies across security tooling; recommend optimization and rationalization strategies.
Partner Across the Organization: Collaborate with engineering, infrastructure, data, and application teams to embed security early in the development lifecycle.
Influence third-party and vendor design reviews using threat-informed architecture criteria, not just checklist-based assessments.
Align with risk and compliance teams to ensure regulatory expectations (e.g., financial services controls) are integrated into design.
Evaluate Control Effectiveness: Move beyond artifact review (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001) to assess real-world control effectiveness against identified threats.
Correlate assurance evidence with actual attack scenarios and data exposure risks.
Drive continuous improvement in architecture based on evolving threats and control performance.

Benefits

A work environment built on teamwork, flexibility and respect
Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career, as well as tuition reimbursement
Team Member Vehicle Purchase Discount
Toyota Team Member Lease Vehicle Program (if applicable)
Comprehensive health care and wellness plans for your entire family
Toyota 401(k) Savings Plan featuring a company match, as well as an annual retirement contribution from Toyota regardless of whether you contribute
Paid holidays and paid time off
Referral services related to prenatal services, adoption, childcare, schools and more
Tax Advantaged Accounts (Health Savings Account, Health Care FSA, Dependent Care FSA)
Relocation assistance (if applicable)