Principal Security Architect

Advance Auto Parts, Inc.

$135K — $160K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8–12+ years in cybersecurity with strong architecture and engineering background.
  • Depth in IAM, EDR/endpoint security, vulnerability management, and security architecture.
  • Ability to solve complex technical issues in large environments and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
  • Solid experience with security frameworks like Zero Trust, NIST CSF/800-53, and MITRE ATT&CK.
  • Familiarity with technologies like Okta/Entra ID and EDR solutions.
  • Experience in hybrid/multi-cloud and on-prem environments architecture design.
  • Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and maintain cybersecurity architecture strategy and roadmaps reflecting business drivers and threat landscape.
  • Lead formal security architecture reviews for new solutions and significant changes, assessing risks and recommending mitigations.
  • Architect solutions across IAM, EDR, and Vulnerability Management; ensuring security controls across diverse environments.
  • Provide hands-on engineering input by evaluating security tools and supporting proofs-of-concept.
  • Conduct threat modeling and create actionable architecture recommendations based on risk assessments.
  • Serve as a liaison to communicate technical risks and influence decision-making across departments.
  • Stay updated on emerging threats and recommend security posture enhancements.

Benefits

  • Work hybrid from corporate headquarters in Raleigh, NC (4 days in office, 1 day remote).
  • Opportunity to lead significant security initiatives and influence organization-wide strategy.
  • Access to engage with cross-functional teams, enhancing professional network.
  • Contribute to a culture valuing continuous improvement and security best practices.
  • Exposure to advanced security challenges in a dynamic environment.
Full Job Description
Job Description

We are seeking a Principal Security Architect to lead the design, review, and evolution of secure technology solutions across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments. This individual will serve as a trusted cybersecurity leader, driving architecture strategy, advancing IAM, EDR, Vulnerability Management, and Zero Trust initiatives, and partnering with cross-functional teams to strengthen the organization's security posture and reduce risk.

This role is based out of our corporate headquarters in Raleigh, NC (4 days in office, 1 day remote)

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop and maintain cybersecurity architecture strategy, roadmaps, reference architectures, standards, patterns, and artifacts aligned with business drivers, technology strategy, and the evolving threat landscape (including multi-cloud and on-premises).
  • Lead architecture design and formal security architecture reviews for new solutions, major changes, cloud migrations, applications, infrastructure, and third-party integrations—identifying risks and recommending practical mitigations.
  • Architect and guide solutions across core verticals:
    • Identity & Access Management (IAM) — Zero Trust principles, SSO/MFA, RBAC/least privilege, identity lifecycle, privileged access, and federation.
    • Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR/XDR) and related endpoint protection controls.
    • Vulnerability Management (VM) — scanning architecture, prioritization, remediation workflows, and integration with broader risk processes.
    • Broader security controls including network segmentation, encryption, logging/detection, cloud security posture, and secure configurations.
  • Provide hands-on engineering input: evaluate tools/platforms, support proofs-of-concept, guide implementation and integration, validate controls, and contribute to automation/scripting where appropriate.
  • Conduct threat modeling, risk assessments, and gap analyses; translate findings into actionable architecture recommendations and control improvements.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor and liaison—clearly communicating technical risks, trade-offs, and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences; influence decision-making and continuous improvement.
  • Stay current with emerging threats, technologies, and frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001, MITRE ATT&CK, Zero Trust, etc.); evaluate and recommend enhancements to security posture and processes.

Required Qualifications & Experience

  • 8–12+ years in cybersecurity with substantial architecture and engineering experience (strong hands-on background preferred over pure strategy roles).
  • Demonstrated depth across multiple domains: IAM, EDR/endpoint security, vulnerability management, and security architecture design + formal review processes.
  • Proven ability to solve complex, ambiguous technical and organizational problems in large or complex environments and to interface effectively across security, IT/engineering, cloud, and business teams.
  • Solid experience with security architecture principles, frameworks, and practices (Zero Trust, NIST CSF/800-53, ISO 27001, MITRE ATT&CK, threat modeling methodologies such as STRIDE).
  • Hands-on familiarity with relevant technologies and platforms (examples: identity platforms such as Okta/Entra ID, EDR solutions.
  • Experience designing and reviewing architectures for hybrid/multi-cloud and on-premises environments.
  • Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and collaboration skills—ability to translate complex topics and drive alignment.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in retail, large distributed enterprises, or highly regulated environments.
  • Leadership or principal-level individual contributor experience guiding technical direction without direct people management (or light leadership of architecture efforts).

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