Senior Data Platform Security Architect

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Data Platform Security Architect to lead the design, implementation, and governance of security across our data platform ecosystem. In this role, you will serve as the authoritative voice on data security architecture, collaborating cross-functionally with engineering, data, compliance, product, and cybersecurity teams to ensure our data infrastructure is secure, resilient, and compliant with applicable regulations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Architect and own end-to-end security frameworks for modern data platforms, including data warehouses, streaming pipelines, and analytics environments (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Kafka, Spark).
2. Define and enforce data security standards covering:
1. Access control
2. Encryption (at rest and in transit)
3. Data masking and tokenization
4. Secrets management
3. Lead threat modeling and risk assessments for data platform components, identifying vulnerabilities and driving remediation efforts.
4. Design and implement Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategies, including:

1. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
2. Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
3. Least privilege principles

1. Establish and mature data classification policies and ensure appropriate security controls across classification tiers.
2. Partner with data engineering and platform teams to embed security throughout the data lifecycle from ingestion and transformation to storage, consumption, and archival.
3. Drive security requirements for cloud-native data services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform) and ensure consistent security posture across multi-cloud or hybrid environments.
4. Own the design of audit logging, lineage tracking, and monitoring solutions to support incident detection, forensics, and compliance reporting.
5. Collaborate with legal, compliance, and privacy teams to ensure adherence to regulations and frameworks.
6. Evaluate and recommend security tools and vendors (e.g., DSPM, DLP solutions).
7. Communicate security architecture decisions, risk posture, and strategic roadmaps to both technical and executive stakeholders.
8. Mentor and guide junior and mid-level engineers on secure data platform design patterns.

Required Qualifications

1. 8+ years of experience in information security, with at least 4 years focused on data platform or cloud data security architecture.
2. Deep expertise in securing modern data platforms, including:
1. Cloud data warehouses
2. Data lakes / lakehouse architectures
3. Real-time streaming systems
3. Strong working knowledge of IAM frameworks, zero-trust principles, and access control models across cloud providers (AWS IAM, Azure AD/Entra ID, Google Cloud Platform IAM).
4. Hands-on experience with:

1. Encryption technologies
2. Key Management Systems (KMS/HSM)
3. Data masking and tokenization techniques

1. Familiarity with security standards and regulatory frameworks such as:

1. GDPR, CCPA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, SOX, NIST CSF, USGCB, FCC Decree

1. Proficiency in at least one scripting/programming language (Python, SQL, Bash, or similar) for automation and tooling.
2. Experience with security tooling such as:

1. SIEM platforms
2. DSPM tools
3. DLP solutions
4. Vulnerability scanners

1. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical risks into business-friendly language.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Relevant certifications such as:
1. CISSP
2. CCSP
3. AWS Security Specialty
4. Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer
2. Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, Pulumi) and DevSecOps practices.
3. Background in data governance tools (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Apache Atlas) and integration with security controls.
4. Experience working in regulated industries such as financial services or telecommunications.