Principal Cloud Security Architect on W2

Location: Onsite 4 days a week

Greenwood Village, CO

Charlotte, NC - 7910 Crescent Executive Dr. Charlotte 28217

St. Louis, MO - 524 Manchester Ave Saint Louis 63139

Principal Cloud Security Architect - Google Cloud Focus

We are looking for a Principal Cloud Security Architect with deep expertise in Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform), cloud-native technologies, and secure operations. In this role, you will define the security vision, drive architectural strategy, and influence cross-functional engineering teams to ensure a secure-by-design cloud environment. You must demonstrate both deep technical skill and broad leadership across organizational boundaries, with the ability to communicate clearly at all levels.



Key Accountability:

• Drive definition of cloud security vision and multi-year strategic plans
  
• Design and evaluate secure software and infrastructure architectures in Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform)
  
• Influence cloud adoption efforts to ensure scalable, resilient, and compliant security patterns
  
• Conduct research on cloud industry trends, threat landscapes, and technology advancements
  
• Lead development of security best practices and secure deployment standards for Google Cloud Platform workloads
  
• Partner with engineering and platform teams to co-develop secure solutions
  
• Act as the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for high-impact cloud security initiatives
  
• Create proof of concepts and prototypes to validate security models in Google Cloud Platform
  
• Present technical and strategic recommendations to both technical and executive audiences
  
• Mentor junior engineers and build security knowledge across teams
  
• Foster a collaborative, high-trust culture of excellence in secure cloud engineering
  

Technical Qualifications:

• Proven technical depth in Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform) security
  
• Deep understanding of Google Cloud Platform s security model, including IAM, VPC Service Controls, CMEK, and beyond
  
• Hands-on experience deploying and securing workloads in Google Cloud Platform at enterprise scale
  
• Familiarity with open-source cloud-native technologies such as Kubernetes (GKE)
  
• Practical experience in DevOps/SecOps pipelines and infrastructure as code (Terraform, Cloud Deployment Manager)
  
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., Python, Go, Java)
  
• Breadth of knowledge across security domains (network security, identity, data protection, compliance, secure software development)
  
• Prior experience leading cross-functional cloud security initiatives ideally without direct authority
  
• Ability to communicate clearly and influence technical and non-technical stakeholders
  
• Strong writing skills with the ability to tailor messaging to engineers or executives
  

Operational:

• Define and drive adoption of secure-by-default architecture and processes in Google Cloud Platform
  
• Lead enterprise-wide Google Cloud Platform security posture reviews and gap assessments
  
• Partner with developers, DevOps, and platform teams to integrate security seamlessly
  
• Collaborate with audit, compliance, and risk functions to align with regulatory frameworks
  
• Support incident response and root cause analysis for Google Cloud Platform-related security events
  

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor s degree in computer science or related field
  
• 7-10+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure and application security
  
• 7+ years of hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform security services
  
• Proficiency with Google Cloud Platform-native security tooling and architecture (e.g., Cloud Armor, Cloud Audit Logs, Cloud IAM, Cloud DLP)
  
• Familiarity with enterprise authentication systems (e.g., SSO, Identity Federation, OAuth, OIDC)
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud Security Engineer (or willingness to obtain)
  
• Experience building security controls in multi-cloud environments (Google Cloud Platform, AWS, Azure)
  
• Experience with zero-trust architectures and secure service mesh (e.g., Istio)
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives across organizational boundaries
  
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, cross-disciplinary environments