How to hire a Security Architect

How to hire a security architect, step by step

Here's a step-by-step security architect hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a security architect job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new security architect
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Security Architect do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the security architect you need to hire. Certain security architect roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect security architect also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of security architects.

   Type Of Security Architect	Description	Hourly Rate
   Security Architect	Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases.	$44-86
   Information Assurance Engineer	Information assurance engineers are responsible for protecting an organization's data. They act as a team of security specialists that use their skill in securely operating and keeping data to protect the organization's most essential asset... Show More	$32-56
   Information Systems Security Officer	An information systems security officer's role is to perform preventive measures to protect a company's data and systems from hackers or cyber-attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the existing security measures to identify any vulnerabilities or inconsistencies, recommending and implementing changes to improve security systems, and developing new strategies and programs for data protection... Show More	$32-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Cloud Security
   • Architecture
   • Cloud
   • Infrastructure
   • Java
   • NIST
   • AWS
   • Azure
   • Application Security
   • Access Management
   • Risk Assessments
   • HIPAA
   • Security Solutions
   • PCI

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage 4.1MM growth budget and 20MM operating budget in order to facilitate execution of priorities across the IAM landscape.
   • Manage annual penetration testing exercise and PCI compliance validation scanning program.
   • Lead multiple identity management projects integrating provisioning and roll management tools.
   • Manage GLBA security awareness and training program and annual information security awareness activities.
   • Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
   • Develop criteria, assess, and validate security architectures models according to NIST 800-123 , 800-53 and ISO regulations and standards.

   More Security Architect duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your security architect job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A security architect salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a security architect in Wisconsin may be lower than in Pennsylvania, and an entry-level security architect usually earns less than a senior-level security architect. Additionally, a security architect with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average security architect salary

   $128,636yearly

   $61.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level security architect salary

   $92,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2025

   Average security architect salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$150,256	$72
   2	Pennsylvania	$146,863	$71
   3	Oregon	$135,092	$65
   4	Washington	$134,727	$65
   5	Massachusetts	$132,686	$64
   6	Arizona	$131,806	$63
   7	New York	$131,627	$63
   8	Nevada	$130,941	$63
   9	Maryland	$130,879	$63
   10	Utah	$130,524	$63
   11	Connecticut	$128,732	$62
   12	New Jersey	$126,362	$61
   13	District of Columbia	$126,139	$61
   14	Virginia	$125,233	$60
   15	North Carolina	$124,901	$60
   16	Maine	$122,914	$59
   17	Illinois	$122,496	$59
   18	Texas	$122,444	$59
   19	Colorado	$122,109	$59
   20	Georgia	$121,154	$58

   Average security architect salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	The Knot	$176,508	$84.86	1
   2	Meta	$172,214	$82.80	340
   3	Revlon	$164,781	$79.22
   4	Baker McKenzie	$164,052	$78.87	1
   5	Apple	$163,936	$78.82	215
   6	PayPal	$162,478	$78.11	38
   7	Google	$160,224	$77.03	123
   8	Pure Storage	$159,712	$76.78	33
   9	Palo Alto Networks	$156,726	$75.35	49
   10	Federal Reserve Bank of New York	$155,986	$74.99	1
   11	McKinsey & Company Inc	$155,342	$74.68	7
   12	Nike	$154,974	$74.51	25
   13	Cepheid	$154,285	$74.18	2
   14	Bloomberg	$152,424	$73.28	13
   15	Summit Health Oregon	$152,205	$73.18
   16	Argo AI	$150,934	$72.56
   17	H-E-B	$150,642	$72.42	3
   18	Expedia Group	$149,618	$71.93	10
   19	Kaiser Permanente	$149,508	$71.88
   20	Amazon	$149,413	$71.83	837

4. Writing a Security Architect Job Description

   A security architect job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a security architect job description:

   Security Architect job description example

   Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino),California,United States
   
   Hardware
   
   + Typically requires 5+ years of experience
   
   + Solid background of applied cryptography
   
   + Working experience in definition of secure systems
   
   + Experience in threat modeling and weaknesses analysis
   
   + Knowledge of SoC architecture, microprocessor architecture a plus
   
   + Exposure to OS security
   
   + Excellent interpersonal skills
   
   + Ability to independently pursue new ideas and innovations
   
   + Good knowledge of Verilog/VHDL
   
   + Experience in C/C++ and interpretive language such as Perl/Python
   
   **Description**
   
   As part of the Platform Architecture organization, the Security Architecture team has a mission to provide rock-solid security foundation to Apple's products. We evaluate security threats, define security features, architect security solutions. We collaborate with the software teams to ensure seamless security systems. We work together with different silicon teams throughout the entire design flow to guarantee state-of-the-art security goes into various in-house and out-sourced silicon chips. This position will be a key role to help us fulfill our mission with the following core responsibilities: - Analysis of Hardware and Software attack vectors - Definition of Hardware and Software security related features - Architecture of security solutions in HW and SW - Development of evaluation plans for both HW and SW - Communication with multi-functional teams
   
   **Education & Experience**
   
   MSEE/CE required
   
   **Additional Requirements**
   
   **Apple Footer**
   
   Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. United States Department of Labor. Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is required to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate issued by the New York City Department of Health. We will verify the vaccination status of all New York City team members who are working at an Apple Store, office, or partner store in New York City. New York City Department of Health Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you're applying for a position in San Francisco, review the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance guidelines (opens in a new window) applicable in your area.
   
   Apple participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace. Reasonable Accommodation and Drug Free Workplace policy Learn more (Opens in a new window) .

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right security architect for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with security architects they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit security architects who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your security architect job on Zippia to find and recruit security architect candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit security architects, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a security architect applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new security architect

   Once you've found the security architect candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new security architect. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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