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 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:
 

Grade: Technical 412

Pay Range: $180,300.00 - $279,500.00

Job Description

Join a mission-driven organization where your expertise will directly strengthen the security posture of an enterprise environment supporting education at scale. As a Principal IT Security Architect, you will serve as a trusted technical leader, driving secure design, influencing enterprise strategy, and partnering across teams to embed security into every layer of the technology ecosystem.

 

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design and implementation of enterprise security architecture across cloud, network, and application environments

• Partner with engineering teams to embed security standards throughout the systems development lifecycle

• Identify, exploit, and remediate security vulnerabilities through testing, tooling, and infrastructure build code review

• Provide leadership across areas the security team

• Drive cloud security initiatives, including hardening AWS infrastructure and reducing misconfigurations

• Develop and implement policy-as-code to automate compliance and security enforcement

• Analyze cyber threats and create detection rules based on indicators of compromise and attack frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of experience in information security across multiple domains

• Deep technical expertise in cloud security, particularly AWS services such as EC2, VPC, IAM, and S3

• Experience integrating security into CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices

• Hands-on experience with SIEM tools, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint protection solutions

• Strong scripting and automation skills using languages such as Python or Bash

• Proven ability to lead complex security initiatives and influence enterprise risk management strategies

• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills

Bonus Points

• 15+ years of information security experience

• Experience implementing AWS native security tools like GuardDuty, Security Hub, Macie, and Inspector

• Experience with container security and orchestration platforms

Experience in Lieu of Education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education requirements.

What to Expect

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collaboration.
We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.

• Introductory call

• Technical interview with team

• Hiring manager interview

Work Location

This is a full-time, in-office position at WGU’s office in Raleigh, NC.

Visa Sponsorship

While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.

#LI-AW2

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) 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.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.