Cloud Security Architect

Candidate Requirement:Candidates must be local to the Triangle region of North Carolina.

Position Overview

We are seeking an Expert-Level Cloud Security Architect to support the NCDOT DMV Modernization initiative. The selected candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and assessing security for the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure.

This role will focus on Azure security architecture, compliance design and configuration, security assessments, governance, risk management, and security reporting. The architect will work closely with technical and business teams to ensure the Azure environment meets organizational, regulatory, and security requirements.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of experience designing and maintaining secure Microsoft Azure architectures across identity, networking, data protection, logging/monitoring, and governance.
• 5+ years of experience developing and enforcing Azure security standards, policies, and reference architectures aligned with organizational and regulatory requirements.
• 5+ years of experience leading threat modeling, risk assessments, security reviews, and security architecture assessments within Azure environments.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Azure-native security tools, including Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, Azure Policy, Key Vault, Azure Monitor, and Log Analytics.
• 5+ years of deep expertise with Microsoft Azure security services and cloud security architecture.
• 5+ years of experience with cloud networking security concepts, including Zero Trust, routing, network segmentation, firewalls, DNS, PKI, IAM, and secure landing zone architectures.
• 5+ years of experience working with security and compliance frameworks, including NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, PCI DSS, FIPS, and state security standards, including security control mapping.
• 5+ years of experience designing and evaluating secure multi-tenant Azure architectures and enterprise governance models.
• 5+ years of experience integrating third-party security solutions such as Cloudflare, Palo Alto, and similar technologies with Azure security and monitoring platforms.
• 5+ years of experience with automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC), including ARM/Bicep, Terraform, GitHub/Azure DevOps pipelines, and Policy as Code.
• Ability to translate security requirements into actionable architecture, technical guidance, security configurations, and implementation standards.
• Strong documentation skills, with experience developing security standards, security baselines, system security plans, architecture documentation, and compliance artifacts.
• Experience identifying appropriate approaches and methodologies for Azure security assessments, documenting findings, and producing detailed technical reports and executive-level summaries.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and maintain secure Azure cloud architectures for the NCDOT DMV Modernization environment.
• Establish and maintain Azure security standards, policies, governance models, and reference architectures.
• Lead security architecture reviews, threat modeling, risk assessments, and compliance assessments.
• Configure and evaluate Azure-native security controls and monitoring capabilities.
• Assess the Azure environment against applicable security and compliance requirements.
• Develop security assessment reports, remediation recommendations, and executive-level summaries.
• Partner with infrastructure, application, DevOps, and compliance teams to implement secure cloud solutions.
• Ensure security requirements are incorporated throughout the cloud architecture and modernization lifecycle.
• Support the development and maintenance of security documentation, baselines, standards, and system security plans.