Security Architecture Lead
About The Position
Northrop Grumman is seeking a Staff Computer Systems Architect to serve as Security Architecture Lead within Strategy and Architecture, part of the Governance & Strategy organization in the Chief Information & Digital Office. The role defines and guides enterprise security architecture across foundational platforms, infrastructure-aligned patterns, integration-enabling technology, environment strategy, technical standards, and modernization guardrails. It ensures security is incorporated into modernization, platform, integration, and information architecture decisions from the outset, working closely with CISO & Global Cybersecurity and delivery organizations to align architecture with security, risk, and trusted modernization expectations. The position is available as a virtual telecommuter, but the employee must be within 90 miles of a major Northrop Grumman location for occasional onsite meetings. Travel is 10% of the time. The role requires the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance as a condition of continued employment; clearance is not required to start. Relocation assistance is not available.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline and 12+ years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree with 10+ years; or a Ph.D. with 8+ years.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance as a condition of continued employment.
- Demonstrated experience in security architecture, cyber architecture, enterprise security engineering, or risk-informed architecture leadership.
- Experience defining security standards, trusted patterns, architecture guardrails, or reference architectures across complex technical environments.
- Strong understanding of secure system design, enterprise risk, architectural trade-offs, and the effects of security requirements on applications, platforms, integrations, and data flows.
- Experience influencing security-related architecture decisions across multiple teams, organizations, or technical domains.
- Ability to connect enterprise security objectives with practical architecture and delivery decisions.
- Strong knowledge of Zero Trust Architecture.
- Strong knowledge of the Defense Compliance Landscape.
- Knowledge of the Security Architecture Method or an equivalent.
- Experience with Threat Modeling and Risk Translation.
Nice To Haves
- Experience leading enterprise security architecture, cyber architecture, or security design governance efforts in a large organization.
- Experience in defense, aerospace, federal, or other regulated environments.
- Experience with enterprise identity, boundary protection, integration security, data protection, zero trust-aligned design, or related security architecture domains.
- Experience supporting architecture review boards, standards governance, or modernization planning in security-sensitive environments.
- Ability to balance strong security discipline with practical delivery, interoperability, and operational constraints.
- Ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior leaders.
- Knowledge of TOGAF or other architecture frameworks.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the Security Architecture Lead for the enterprise architecture function.
- Define and maintain enterprise security architecture principles, trusted patterns, and reference architectures aligned with enterprise priorities and risk expectations.
- Guide architecture decisions involving identity and access, trust boundaries, segmentation, secure integration, data protection, and security-enabling technical controls.
- Ensure target-state architecture, modernization plans, and major design decisions reflect security requirements and risk-informed guardrails early in the process.
- Partner with business, application, data, technology, cyber, infrastructure, and delivery stakeholders to evaluate trade-offs and improve security alignment across domains.
- Identify security-related architectural debt, duplication, policy conflicts, control gaps, and modernization risks across the enterprise architecture landscape.
- Participate in architecture reviews, standards governance, and decision forums for significant platform, integration, application, and information architecture initiatives.
- Develop recommendations to improve enterprise security posture while enabling practical delivery, modernization, and operational effectiveness.
- Mentor architects and technical leaders on embedding security into enterprise, capability, solution, and system architecture decisions.
- Support executive-facing architecture communication and leadership visibility into security architecture risks, standards decisions, and modernization implications.
- Help peer domain leads embed security into enterprise roadmaps, target-state direction, and major design decisions.
Benefits
- Flexible work arrangements
- Learning opportunities
- Friendly team environment
- Health insurance coverage
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Savings plan
- Company-paid holidays
- Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
- 9/80 work schedule option
- 401(k) matching program
- Potential eligibility for overtime, shift differential, and discretionary bonus, depending on the position
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
