Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or related field.
10+ years in software engineering, application security, or related roles.
6+ years designing security architecture for IT systems.
6+ years applying secure software development principles and addressing application security risks.
Experience with Microsoft technology environments including Azure and Microsoft 365.
Responsibilities
Define and maintain application security principles and standards.
Conduct architecture and design reviews for applications and cloud solutions.
Perform threat modeling to identify security risks.
Integrate security controls into CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps processes.
Design security controls for cloud-native workloads and enterprise platforms.
Benefits
Hybrid work arrangement with initial onsite requirements.
Full-time contract assignment with potential for reduced onsite presence after probation.
Opportunities for professional growth within a government-related IT environment.
Full Job Description
Job Title: VDOT Application Security Architect
Work Type: Hybrid
Location: Richmond, VA
Salary: $81-$101/hour
Start Date: September 21, 2026
End Date: June 30, 2027
Industry Category: Information Technology / Cybersecurity
Employment Type: 1099 Contract
Requisition ID: 810287
Overview:
VDOT is seeking an experienced Application Security Architect to define, implement, and oversee application security architecture across enterprise IT environments.
The role will establish security principles, standards, patterns, reference implementations, and technical guardrails across complex applications and technology platforms.
The position will support secure software development, cloud-native applications, GIS solutions, low-code/no-code platforms, Agentic AI, APIs, data platforms, and enterprise applications.
The Application Security Architect will work closely with architecture, development, cybersecurity, and technology teams to identify and reduce security risks.
The role will also support data protection, data governance, privacy, threat modeling, secure design, and compliance with Commonwealth of Virginia and VITA security requirements.
Application:
Interested candidates should submit an updated resume for consideration.
Candidates must be local to the Richmond, Virginia area.
Candidates must physically reside within the United States for the duration of the assignment.
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.
Candidates must provide a valid email address.
Candidates must provide their permanent city and state of residence.
Candidates must confirm their ability to meet the required onsite schedule.
Candidates should indicate how soon they can start after receiving an offer.
Job Description:
Define, implement, and oversee application security architecture across VDOT's enterprise IT environment.
Embed security throughout the Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC), from requirements and architecture through development, testing, deployment, and production monitoring.
Develop secure architecture patterns for complex web applications, APIs, distributed systems, cloud-native workloads, GIS applications, low-code/no-code platforms, and Agentic AI solutions.
Lead application security architecture activities involving Azure, SQL Server, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, ArcGIS, and other enterprise technologies.
Define and implement security controls for data at rest, data in transit, and data in use.
Support data classification, encryption, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), privacy, data governance, and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).
Design granular access-control models using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Row-Level Security, Column-Level Encryption, dynamic data masking, and centralized database audit and activity monitoring.
Align application security architecture and controls with VITA security requirements, including VITA SEC 530.
Conduct threat modeling and security architecture reviews to identify vulnerabilities and security risks early in the development lifecycle.
Define security requirements for authentication, authorization, session management, encryption, secrets management, logging, privacy, APIs, and data protection.
Integrate application security practices into CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), development workflows, testing processes, and release management.
Evaluate and support security tools including Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), container scanning, API security testing, secret scanning, and runtime security monitoring.
Support vulnerability management activities and help prioritize remediation based on business and technical risk.
Assess security risks associated with third-party applications, open-source software, SaaS solutions, and external technology providers.
Establish secure identity and access-management patterns, including least privilege, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Single Sign-On (SSO), service authentication, RBAC, Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), and privileged access management.
Develop security architecture for cloud environments, Kubernetes, serverless applications, containers, cloud IAM, network segmentation, and secrets management.
Support cybersecurity incident response activities and perform root-cause analysis related to application security incidents.
Communicate complex security risks, technical tradeoffs, and recommended solutions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Work collaboratively with application development, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, infrastructure, data, and project teams.
Responsibilities:
Define and maintain application security architecture principles, standards, patterns, and reference implementations.
Conduct architecture and design reviews for applications, platforms, integrations, APIs, and cloud solutions.
Perform threat modeling and identify application, infrastructure, data, and identity-related security risks.
Define security requirements for authentication, authorization, encryption, secrets, logging, privacy, APIs, and data protection.
Support secure coding practices and security reviews across Java, .NET, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python applications.
Integrate security controls into CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps processes.
Evaluate and implement application security testing and monitoring tools.
Support vulnerability identification, prioritization, remediation, and risk acceptance.
Establish secure identity and access-management patterns using modern authentication and authorization technologies.
Design security controls for Azure, cloud-native workloads, containers, Kubernetes, serverless applications, and enterprise platforms.
Support data protection and privacy requirements across structured, unstructured, and spatial data.
Develop and maintain architecture diagrams, security standards, risk assessments, exception documentation, and remediation plans.
Support incident response and root-cause analysis for application security issues.
Evaluate third-party, open-source, and SaaS security risks.
Provide guidance to development and architecture teams on secure application design and implementation.
Ensure application security practices align with applicable VDOT, Commonwealth of Virginia, VITA, and organizational security requirements.
Requirements Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
10+ years of experience in software engineering, application security, security engineering, or related technical roles, including experience designing and implementing security architecture.
6+ years of experience designing and implementing security architecture for IT systems, including end-to-end security architectures for data at rest, data in transit, and data in use.
6+ years of experience applying secure software development principles and addressing application security risks, including OWASP Top 10, insecure authorization, injection, deserialization, and API abuse.
6+ years of experience with Microsoft technology environments, including Azure, Microsoft 365/O365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365, as well as automated data classification, Microsoft Purview, encryption, DLP, and DPIAs.
6+ years of experience with threat modeling and security architecture reviews.
6+ years of experience with APIs, web applications, distributed systems, cloud environments, CI/CD, and container workloads.
6+ years of experience with identity and authentication technologies, including OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, JWT, authorization, PKI/TLS, encryption, and secrets management.
10+ years of experience producing architecture diagrams, standards, risk assessments, remediation plans, and other technical documentation.
Experience implementing granular access controls, including RBAC, Row-Level Security, Column-Level Encryption, dynamic masking, and centralized database audit/activity monitoring aligned with VITA SEC 530.
Experience with secure coding practices in Java, .NET, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python.
Ability to explain technical security risks, business impacts, and architectural tradeoffs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
6+ years of experience working in regulated environments such as financial services, healthcare, government, or payments.
6+ years of experience with penetration testing and translating findings into architectural improvements.
4+ years of experience developing or supporting DevSecOps programs and security automation at scale.
4+ years of experience with privacy engineering, data classification, and compliance frameworks.
2+ years of experience designing or implementing Esri ArcGIS security architectures.
Experience with certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, CCSP, GIAC, cloud security, or relevant vendor certifications.
Benefits
Compensation:
Pay Rate: $81-$101/hour.
Schedule:
Full-time contract assignment.
Hybrid work arrangement.
Initial 90-day probationary period requires onsite work 4 days per week.
After successful completion of the initial 90-day probationary period, the onsite requirement may be reduced.
Some weekly onsite presence will continue after the probationary period.
Candidates must be able to meet the required onsite schedule.
