IT Security Architect - Hybrid - Leeds

I am recruiting for a Lead Security Architect for our very well established client within the Financial Services industry. This position offers a flexible hybrid role, where you will only need to attend site approx. 50% of the time, with flexibility on working hours. Lead Security Architect Permanent Location: Leeds - Hybrid working model Salary: to £80,000 + Good Benefits Key skills:

• Champion a modern security posture - threat informed and focused on measurable reduction of attack surface.
• Security architecture strategy & guardrails – define and evolve the security patterns, principles, standards, and roadmaps that guide projects and platforms.
• Secure-by-design delivery – partner with solution architects, SMEs and delivery teams to embed controls and use threat-led thinking throughout discovery, design, build, and delivery; ensure designs meet policy and technical standards.
• Act as senior architectural voice for high impact initiatives, aligning security capabilities to business outcomes and risk profiles, and shaping option analysis with clear trade-offs.
• Architecture governance – drive effective design reviews and signoffs; document how solutions interact with the wider enterprise and ensure compliance with our delivery and assurance frameworks.
• Cross-Technology influence – collaborate across Technology and business domains to translate strategy into target designs, balancing resilience with productivity and simplification.
• Partner with our Assurance team to land the right controls at the right stages, ensuring risk is actively surfaced and owned.
• Communicate complex security choices simply - at meetings/workshops, in option papers, and roadmaps that influence senior stakeholders and unblock decisions.
• Breadth and depth in IT/security architecture, with a track record delivering secure designs and steering multiteam programmes.
• Stakeholder leadership—comfortable influencing senior leaders and guiding engineers/SMEs; strong documentation and communication skills. Desirable Skills:
• Knowledge of well-known Frameworks (e.g., NIST, MITRE ATT&CK, ISO 27001) and the ability to apply them pragmatically within delivery.
• Team leadership experience either as a virtual team or direct line management experience.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM).