Job Title: Principal Cybersecurity Architect (USC&GC)

Location: Remote (EST Hours)
Type: Contract-to-Hire (6 Months)
Client: Advance Auto Parts (Direct Client)

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Cybersecurity Architect to serve as a senior technical leader responsible for defining and driving enterprise-wide cybersecurity architecture strategy. This role will work closely with cross-functional teams to design secure, scalable, and resilient solutions across cloud, infrastructure, and application environments.

The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise along with strong stakeholder engagement skills, enabling them to translate business requirements into robust security architectures and influence cybersecurity strategy across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Security Architecture Leadership

• Define and maintain enterprise cybersecurity architecture strategy aligned with business and technology objectives
• Develop reference architectures, standards, frameworks, and reusable security patterns
• Lead long-term architecture roadmaps across on-premises and multi-cloud environments

Cloud & Infrastructure Security

• Architect and secure cloud environments across AWS and Google Cloud Platform
• Design secure network architectures, data protection mechanisms, and monitoring strategies
• Evaluate and enhance infrastructure security components (Firewalls, WAF, IPS, EDR, etc.)
• Implement advanced security controls including encryption, segmentation, and key management

Identity & Zero Trust Architecture

• Design and enforce IAM strategies including SSO, MFA, RBAC, and least privilege
• Implement Zero Trust Architecture across enterprise systems
• Manage identity lifecycle and access governance frameworks

Security Strategy, Risk & Compliance

• Conduct threat modeling using frameworks such as STRIDE, PASTA, and MITRE ATT&CK
• Align security architecture with compliance standards (NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS)
• Integrate threat intelligence into architectural decision-making

Architecture Governance & Reviews

• Perform security architecture reviews across applications, cloud, and infrastructure
• Act as a trusted advisor to architects, engineering teams, and business stakeholders
• Define and enforce security controls and governance processes

OT/IoT & Emerging Technologies

• Assess and enhance security controls for OT and IoT environments
• Collaborate with operational teams to ensure secure system integrations

Incident Response & Security Operations

• Provide architectural guidance during security incidents and investigations
• Support cloud forensics, containment, and remediation strategies

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Evaluate emerging security tools and technologies
• Drive automation, security analytics, and process improvements

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity architecture and engineering
• Strong expertise across cloud, infrastructure, and application security
• Hands-on experience with AWS and Google Cloud Platform security services
• Deep understanding of Zero Trust, encryption, and secure architecture principles
• Experience with SIEM, SOAR, EDR, vulnerability management tools
• Strong knowledge of NIST, ISO 27001, MITRE ATT&CK frameworks
• Experience with containers and serverless security (Kubernetes, Docker, Helm)
• Proven ability to translate business requirements into technical architecture
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, PMP, ITIL, Lean Six Sigma
• Experience in large-scale enterprise or regulated environments
• Expertise in security automation, scripting, and analytics

Additional Details

• Must be available to work in Eastern Standard Time (EST)
• Candidate should be open to relocation to Raleigh, NC upon conversion to full-time
• Strong mix of technical depth + leadership + communication skills required