Position Summary
Leading consumer lending company is seeking a Senior Cybersecurity Architect with deep expertise in NIST frameworks, enterprise security solution design, solution review, and governance. This strategic role is critical to shaping and guiding secure technology implementations across the organization. The ideal candidate is both a technical expert and a governance leader-someone who can design robust cybersecurity architectures and ensure alignment with regulatory and organizational standards.
Key Responsibilities
Architecture & Solution Design
- Develop enterprise-wide security architectures aligned to NIST standards (e.g., NIST CSF, SP 800-53, SP 800-171, SP 800-207)
- Design scalable, secure solutions that address identified risks and business objectives across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments
- Translate business and technical requirements into secure solution blueprints
- Contribute to the development of reference architectures and security patterns
Solution Review & Risk Mitigation
- Lead architecture and security reviews for new technologies, applications, and systems
- Identify gaps and weaknesses in proposed solutions and advise on appropriate risk mitigation strategies
- Collaborate with engineering and infrastructure teams to ensure secure deployment of systems and services
- Provide technical guidance to project and product teams throughout the system development lifecycle
Governance & Standards
- Develop and maintain security architecture standards, policies, and control frameworks in alignment with NIST and industry best practices
- Participate in or lead internal security governance boards and architecture review boards
- Ensure solutions meet internal risk, compliance, and regulatory requirements (e.g., CMMC, ISO 27001, PCI DSS)
- Contribute to maturity assessments and continuous improvement efforts for cybersecurity architecture
Collaboration & Leadership
- Act as a subject matter expert on cybersecurity architecture for stakeholders across IT, engineering, compliance, and risk teams
- Mentor junior architects and security engineers
- Communicate complex technical and risk concepts clearly to business leaders and non-technical audiences
- Stay up to date on emerging threats, technologies, and changes to the NIST ecosystem
Qualifications
Required
- 7-10 years of experience in cybersecurity, with 3+ years in a security architecture or similar role
- Deep working knowledge of NIST frameworks (CSF, SP 800-53, 800-171, 800-207 Zero Trust)
- Demonstrated experience designing and reviewing secure architectures for enterprise systems and cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure)
- Strong understanding of cybersecurity domains including identity and access management (IAM), network security, data protection, and application security
- Strong understanding of LLMs, AI, and GenAI solutions including agentic AI and MCP hardening.
- Experience working in a regulated environment and aligning technical controls to compliance frameworks
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and documentation skills
Preferred
- Industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, SABSA, or AWS Certified Security
- Experience with Zero Trust Architecture and modern security models
- Familiarity with DevSecOps and infrastructure-as-code security
- Experience working in large, complex, or federal/compliance-driven organizations
Title Cybersecurity Architect
Location: Baltimore, MD
Client Industry Finance
Compensation $110-130/hr
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com
