Head of Security Architecture

Who we are looking for

The Head of Security Architecture, Managing Director is a senior cybersecurity leader responsible for establishing and scaling a secure-by-design operating model that embeds cybersecurity requirements directly into technology design, engineering, and delivery processes across the enterprise.

The position is accountable for establishing the standards, baselines, reference architectures, security patterns, and threat-informed design practices that enable consistent, scalable, and resilient security outcomes across cloud, SaaS, infrastructure, data, application, and emerging AI-enabled environments.

The role serves as the central authority for secure design and architecture across Global Cybersecurity, ensuring that security requirements are embedded upstream into technology lifecycles while reducing complexity, accelerating delivery, and improving enterprise cyber resilience.

This role reports to the Deputy CISO, SVP.

What you will be responsible for

• Drive the vision, strategy, and mission accomplishment of the entire Security Architecture organization.
• Establish and scale an enterprise security architecture model that embeds secure-by-design principles into technology development, engineering, and operational processes.
• Define and maintain enterprise security baselines, architecture standards, and design guardrails that enable consistent implementation of security controls across cloud, SaaS, infrastructure, application, API, data, and AI environments.
• Develop and operationalize reference architectures and reusable security patterns that accelerate technology delivery while reducing cyber risk and architectural complexity.
• Establish and lead a Security Architecture Center of Excellence responsible for security design guidance, threat-informed architecture practices, technology standards, and cybersecurity innovation.
• Drive adoption of threat modeling as a foundational design discipline, ensuring security risks are identified and addressed before deployment and operationalization.
• Lead security architecture and design reviews for strategic technology initiatives, enabling informed risk decisions and alignment with enterprise cybersecurity requirements.
• Partner with technology product owners, engineering organizations, and enterprise architects to ensure security is designed into platforms, applications, services, and infrastructure rather than applied through downstream controls.
• Establish target-state architecture and drive integration across cyber defense, threat intelligence, vulnerability management, analytics, engineering, and operational response capabilities.
• Drive the design and evolution of integrated security architectures that improve visibility, detection, investigation, and response across the enterprise.
• Lead architecture strategy for frontier technologies including cloud-native platforms, AI-enabled solutions, automation technologies, APIs, advanced analytics, and autonomous systems.
• Ensure security architectures address dynamic risks associated with emerging technologies, third-party integrations, cloud adoption, and evolving threat actor capabilities.
• Collaborate closely with Fusion & Security Operations, Platform Security, enterprise architecture, and technology infrastructure teams to ensure cohesive, end-to-end protection across the technology ecosystem.
• Define clear accountability models, governance structures, and performance metrics that enable technology teams to effectively manage cyber risk while aligning to enterprise standards and regulatory expectations.

Desired Outcomes

• Secure-by-design principles are consistently embedded across technology development and engineering practices, reducing reliance on downstream security intervention.
• Security baselines, architecture standards, reference architectures, and approved security patterns are broadly adopted across technology environments, resulting in more consistent and resilient security outcomes.
• Threat modeling becomes a standard component of the technology lifecycle, improving identification and mitigation of design-stage risks before deployment.
• A Security Architecture Center of Excellence serves as the authoritative source for architecture standards, engineering guidance, threat-informed design practices, and secure technology enablement.
• Enterprise security technologies, cybersecurity data platforms, analytics capabilities, and detection systems operate within an integrated architecture that accelerates threat detection and response.
• Security requirements are incorporated earlier in the technology lifecycle, reducing remediation effort, operational friction, and overall cyber risk exposure.
• Cybersecurity data, telemetry, and intelligence sources are effectively connected to improve situational awareness and risk-informed decision making.
• Architecture standards and secure design patterns reduce technology complexity while improving resilience, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Emerging technologies, including AI-enabled capabilities and automation platforms, are adopted through repeatable security architectures that balance innovation, risk management, and regulatory obligations.
• Strong alignment exists between cybersecurity strategy, enterprise architecture, technology transformation initiatives, and business objectives, resulting in more resilient and scalable cyber defense outcomes.

What we value

These skills and traits will help you succeed in this role:

• 15 years or more leading large-scale cybersecurity architecture, engineering, security operations, or technology transformation functions in complex, global environments, with at least 5 years of cybersecurity leadership experience preferred.
• Proven ability to successfully drive and develop teams that work remotely and across multiple geographic time zones.
• Deep expertise in security architecture, secure design, threat modeling, cyber defense, security operations, cloud technologies, and modern engineering practices.
• Demonstrated leadership in building and scaling secure-by-design programs, architecture governance functions, and enterprise cybersecurity standards.
• Strong working knowledge of cloud-native architectures, SaaS platforms, APIs, infrastructure technologies, data ecosystems, and emerging AI/LLM technologies and their associated cyber risk implications.
• Experience establishing enterprise security baselines, reference architectures, architecture governance processes, and reusable security patterns at scale.
• Strong knowledge of cyber threat actors, tactics, techniques, procedures, tradecraft, and noteworthy attacks.
• Exceptional communication skills (oral and written) with a history of successfully engaging Boards of Directors, executive management teams, regulators, and senior business leaders.
• Understanding of technology systems including networks, applications, infrastructure services, cloud platforms, identity systems, security tooling, and data architectures.
• Experience working closely with Fusion Centers, Security Operations Centers, cyber threat intelligence teams, vulnerability management organizations, incident response teams, and security engineering functions.
• Must be a self-starter, self-motivated, and able to work independently with little oversight while managing a large, globally distributed team.
• Able to develop and operate within a set financial budget.

Education & Preferred Qualifications

• Degrees and/or certifications in cybersecurity, information security, computer science, enterprise architecture, engineering, or related disciplines preferred.
• Strong understanding of modern technology architectures and the ability to translate complex cyber risks into scalable security standards, reference architectures, and design patterns.
• Ability to balance cybersecurity, business enablement, operational efficiency, and regulatory requirements while prioritizing actions based on risk exposure.
• Experience driving operating model transformation that shifts security further upstream into technology planning, architecture, engineering, and delivery processes.
• Ability to establish enterprise-wide security baselines, threat modeling practices, architecture standards, and reusable patterns that enable secure technology adoption at scale.
• Proven experience building Centers of Excellence that accelerate adoption of secure-by-design principles, architecture standards, and engineering best practices across large global organizations.
• Experience navigating emerging technology risks and proactively shaping security approaches for rapidly evolving domains such as AI, automation, and autonomous systems.
• Security Architecture & Engineering Leadership
• Strategic Thinking and Planning
• Technology Transformation and Innovation
• Collaborating & Influencing
• Change Management
• Senior Executive Communication

Salary Range:

$175,000 - $287,500 Annual

The range quoted above applies to the role in the primary location specified. If the candidate would ultimately work outside of the primary location above, the applicable range could differ.

Employees are eligible to participate in State Street’s comprehensive benefits program, which includes: our retirement savings plan (401K) with company match; insurance coverage including basic life, medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and other optional additional coverages; paid-time off including vacation, sick leave, short term disability, and family care responsibilities; access to our Employee Assistance Program; incentive compensation including eligibility for annual performance-based awards (excluding certain sales roles subject to sales incentive plans); and, eligibility for certain tax advantaged savings plans.

For a full overview, visit https://hrportal.ehr.com/statestreet/Home.

About State Street

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We are committed to fostering an environment where every employee feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. As an essential partner in our shared success, you’ll benefit from inclusive development opportunities, flexible work-life support, paid volunteer days, and vibrant employee networks that keep you connected to what matters most. Join us in shaping the future.

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