General Description
As a member of the Enterprise Architecture Division, the Senior Cloud Security Architect helps set the security architecture direction and develops the reference architectures, patterns, standards, and implementation requirements that secure technology adoption across the organization’s hybrid environment — public cloud (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), on-premise systems, and the connections between them. Because applications are distributed and span all three, the role reasons about security across the whole estate rather than any single platform. These artifacts are what solution architects design to and what engineering teams build and operate.
The focus is hybrid rather than cloud-only. The role is capability-based and spans the enterprise cybersecurity domain — including identity and access management, cloud security, application and API security, data protection, and network security — with individual capabilities assigned as priorities require. It is an enabling role, not a gatekeeping one: the architect defines the security requirements, controls, and standards that teams design and build to, and helps move work through the organization’s architecture and approval processes rather than standing in its way.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Contribute to strategic planning and help set the architecture direction for the organization’s cybersecurity capabilities across cloud (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), on-premise, and hybrid environments.
- Develop and validate security policies, standards, and best practices, and author reusable reference architectures, patterns, and implementation requirements that engineering builds and operates as shared platforms.
- Translate regulatory and compliance obligations — including PCI DSS and SOX — into security controls and standards.
- Partner with solution architects and security engineering as an enabler, co-designing practical patterns that teams can implement and helping guide work through approval gates where they apply.
- Work as part of a collaborative team — alongside domain architects, solution architects, and engineers/developers — to deliver secure applications across the hybrid environment, ensuring security requirements are reflected across solutions and proposals.
- Research and help shape the organization’s approach to emerging security capabilities — such as AI/ML and agentic-AI security and post-quantum cryptography — assessing their relevance and presenting recommendations to leadership and peers.
- Build security into enterprise business requirements and initiatives.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship, and lead peer review of the team’s architecture work.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience. A formal degree is not required for candidates with a strong architecture track record.
Experience
- Six (6) years within Information Technology.
- Five (5) years in Cybersecurity or Security Architecture in a complex enterprise environment.
- Three (3) years with public cloud platforms (AWS and/or Microsoft Azure).
- Demonstrated experience authoring enterprise reference architectures and patterns.
- Experience across hybrid and distributed environments, including legacy-to-cloud/SaaS integration.
- Regulated-industry experience (financial services preferred).
- Experience mentoring or providing technical leadership to peers or junior architects.
Certifications and Licenses
Certifications are highly desirable but not required. Preferred certifications include:
- Security: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), and/or Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) or CSA credentials.
- Cloud platform: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS Certified Security – Specialty, and/or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305).
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
Technical acumen: Deep knowledge of cybersecurity and information security across cloud, on-premise, and hybrid architectures — identity and access, network security, data protection, and application/API security. Familiar with engineering artifacts, especially cloud infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform), enough to validate that implementations correctly reflect the architectural specification. Strong knowledge of applicable laws and regulations; authors clear technical standards and documentation.
Business acumen: Understands business and stakeholder needs and translates them into architecture direction, weighing cost, risk, and delivery.
Communication: Superior written and verbal communication; translates complex concepts for technical and executive audiences and presents effectively at all levels, including senior leadership.
Analysis and problem solving: Focuses on core issues; synthesizes complex information and develops defensible solutions with clear trade-offs.
Leadership: Provides technical leadership and mentorship and leads by influence across implementation teams; sound judgment and reasoning.
Delivery and process: Prioritizes and manages multiple initiatives with minimal supervision within an Agile delivery environment; knowledge of organizational policies and regulatory and review processes.
Tools: Proficient in Microsoft 365 and experienced with cloud-native security services across AWS and/or Azure.
Important: The candidate must provide evidence of academic preparation or courses related to the job posting, if necessary.
Our hybrid work model benefit applies to certain positions and is subject to changes based on the organizational needs.
ABOUT US
Popular is Puerto Rico’s leading financial institution and have been evolving since it was founded over a century ago. From a small bank it has developed into a large corporation that offer a wide variety of services and financial solutions to our customers, with presence in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.
As employees, we are dedicated to making our customers dreams come true by offering financial solutions in each stage of their life. Our extensive trajectory demonstrates the resiliency and determination of our employees to innovate, reach for the right solutions and strongly support the communities we serve; therefore, we value their diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds.
We reaffirm our commitment to always offer essential financial services and solutions for our customers and communities, including during emergency situations and/or natural disasters. Popular’s employees are considered essential workers, whose role is critical in the continuity of these important services even under such circumstances. By applying to this position, you acknowledge that Popular may require your services during and immediately after any such events.
If you have a disability or need more information about requesting an accommodation, please contact us at [email protected]. This email inbox is monitored for such types of requests only. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed exemptions or reasonable accommodations. Any other correspondence will not receive a response.
Are you ready for a rewarding career?
Popular is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Vets
Learn more about us at www.popular.com and keep updated with our latest job postings at www.jobs.popular.com.
