Principal IT Security Architect

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The Principal IT Security Architect is a highly technical and influential role, offering leadership and expertise in the security technology domain. This position involves helping the university and its employees implement robust security practices. WGU Principal Security Architects are responsible for delivering security solutions, providing risk and control guidance, leading proof-of-concept projects, and conducting workshops. This role demands experience in identifying, verifying, and documenting security flaws in alignment with industry best practices.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with developers throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to ensure security is integrated at every stage.

• Promote and enforce secure coding standards based on industry-accepted frameworks.

• Identify, exploit, and remediate application vulnerabilities through code reviews and tools.

• Track, prioritize, and address assigned security issues effectively.

• Enforce secure development standards and compliance requirements across teams.

• Apply deep knowledge of compliance and security standards in the enterprise IT landscape to drive successful outcomes in complex environments.

• Harden networks, containers, virtual machines (VMs), and other cloud infrastructures to mitigate risks of misconfigurations.

• Develop and implement policy-as-code to automate compliance and security configuration management.

• Demonstrate expertise in cloud computing technologies, including backup/recovery, archiving, and business continuity processes.

• Assist with penetration testing, digital forensics, continuous monitoring, intrusion detection/prevention, and vulnerability management.

• Balance high-level architectural work with granular technical implementations and configurations.

• Participate in tactical projects to mitigate identified security risks across technical domains.

• Develop cloud security policies, procedures, and strategies to identify and address security gaps.

• Foster relationships across the organization to promote cloud security initiatives and best practices.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proficient with security industry standards, best practices, and implementation in corporate settings.

• High integrity and accountability when handling sensitive data.

• Experience integrating security into CI/CD pipelines.

• Deep understanding of core AWS services (e.g., EC2, Lambda, VPC, IAM) and cloud security engineering principles.

• Skilled with networking technologies (e.g., Cisco, Palo Alto) and troubleshooting.

• Familiar with scripting languages (e.g., Python, Bash) and automation tools.

• Knowledge of threat modeling, risk assessment, and intrusion detection techniques.

• Proven ability to create innovative solutions for complex technical issues.

Competencies:

• Organizational Impact: Anticipates and prevents complex issues, develops technical processes, and implements solutions with significant strategic importance.

• Problem Solving: Independently sets and accomplishes objectives, drives decisions, and mentors others in solving complex challenges.

• Communication: Effectively influences senior executives, communicates technical advancements, and provides expert guidance.

• Leadership: Provides coaching and training, manages large-scale projects, and leads cross-functional teams to deliver security solutions.

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.

• 15+ years of relevant experience.

• Recognized as an expert in the technical security discipline.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in IT Security, Compliance, or Risk Management.

• Industry certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, CCSK, or AWS-related certifications.

• Strong knowledge of AWS-native security tools (e.g., Guard Duty, Macie, Inspector).

• Experience with DevSecOps processes, federated SSO solutions, and container security.

• Familiarity with intrusion detection methodologies and application security platforms.

• Networking certifications or experience with Cisco, Palo Alto, or Arista networking technologies.

Physical Requirements:

Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds occasionally.

#LI-AW2

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
 

How to apply: apply online

Full-time Regular Positions (FT classification, standard working hours = 40)

This is a full-time, regular position that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

The University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.