Lead Security Architect

Salary: £43,500 - 74,500 per year

Requirements:

• Active MOD SC clearance and sole UK nationality are required for consideration.
• 5 years of experience in Cyber Security.
• Proven experience in multi-cloud and edge architecture.
• Defence experience and familiarity with UK guidance.
• CISSP certification or equivalent.
• TOGAF certification.
• Adaptability and a pragmatic, positive attitude towards security as a business enabler.

Responsibilities:

• Own the security architecture and integration roadmap for AI/ML across multi-cloud and edge environments.
• Align security architecture to client IT/cloud strategy and UK Defence priorities.
• Enable secure multinational collaboration and high-side code promotions with repeatable assurance.
• Manage the Secure by Design elements of the project and own the assurance process end to end.
• Lead the security elements of the program across different AI/ML development and trial use cases.
• Chair security working groups and tri-nation collaboration forums.
• Manage security visibility and outcomes, including senior stakeholder engagement.
• Handle threat and risk management and translate ambiguous requirements into testable controls.
• Define classification-aware architectures, trust boundaries, and cross-domain data movement guardrails.
• Provide security guidance and controls for a complex program.
• Lead the security roadmap, including DevSecOps, policy-as-code controls, and risk-based CI/CD gates.
• Govern supply-chain security, including artefact signing, SBOMs, provenance, and SLSA-style controls.
• Mentor junior team members.

Technologies:

• AI
• Architect
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• DevSecOps
• Security
• TOGAF

More:

We are working on a Lead Security Architect role focused on Defence DevSecOps and AI/ML in Portsmouth, with a remote-first setup split 50% remote and 50% onsite. This is a contract opportunity starting around 24/08/2026 through 23/11/2026, offered at £640 to £700 inside IR35 through an FCSA approved umbrella. The role supports UK Defence priorities, secure multinational collaboration, and end-to-end assurance across multi-cloud and edge environments. We value adaptability and a pragmatic, positive approach to security, and we see technical skills and aptitude as something that can be developed with the team.

last updated 30 week of 2026