
Director, Forward Deployed Security Architecture
AstraZeneca
Summary
Make secure engineering practices consumable, measurable, and scalable. Drive adoption of Secure by Design cybersecurity products; provide forward-deployed security architecture support; improve cybersecurity-related developer experience; operate cybersecurity-specific decision and exception services; enable secure AI and agentic engineering; and use product intelligence and consumer feedback to continuously improve the secure path.
Job description
The Mission
Make secure engineering practices consumable, measurable, and scalable. Drive adoption of Secure by Design cybersecurity products; provide forward-deployed security architecture support; improve cybersecurity-related developer experience; operate cybersecurity-specific decision and exception services; enable secure AI and agentic engineering; and use product intelligence and consumer feedback to continuously improve the secure path.
About the Role
The Director, Forward-Deployed Security Architecture & DevEx is a technical leader responsible for establishing and leading a team within the cybersecurity architecture function focused on engineering enablement, developer experience, AI adoption, and security architecture advisory. The role works directly with software, platform, cloud, data, AI, and operational technology teams to help them adopt secure engineering practices at scale. This is not a traditional governance or review-board role. It requires a leader who combines cybersecurity architecture expertise, software-development credibility, AI experience, product thinking, and a strong focus on improving the developer and engineer experience. The role will initially operate hands-on and will build a multidisciplinary team as the capability matures.
What you'll do
Lead Secure by Design Cybersecurity Adoption
- Lead adoption of secure engineering practices, reusable security solutions, and cybersecurity architecture products.
- Partner directly with engineering teams to reduce security-related friction and improve usability.
- Increase self-service consumption of cybersecurity capabilities.
- Help teams navigate complex application, cloud, platform, AI, data, and OT security challenges.
- Advise teams building AI-enabled applications and agentic systems as part of Secure by Design adoption.
- Support secure adoption of AI-assisted software development and emerging engineering practices.
- Use adoption measures and engineering feedback to identify friction and improve cybersecurity architecture products.
Lead Forward-Deployed Cybersecurity Architecture
- Act as a trusted cybersecurity architecture advisor to engineering teams.
- Provide security architecture guidance for complex and high-impact initiatives.
- Help teams apply cybersecurity requirements to real-world delivery challenges.
- Turn recurring security architecture questions into reusable solutions and guidance.
Own Cybersecurity Developer Experience (DevEx)
- Define and improve the developer experience associated with cybersecurity requirements and controls.
- Reduce friction in secure development workflows.
- Partner with engineering-platform teams to improve delivery of cybersecurity capabilities.
- Ensure cybersecurity feedback is actionable, contextual, and developer-friendly.
Operate Cybersecurity Architecture Decision & Exception Services
- Lead cybersecurity architecture decision and exception processes.
- Coordinate reviews of complex or non-standard cybersecurity scenarios.
- Oversee cybersecurity decision workflows, documentation, tracking, and reporting.
- Identify recurring cybersecurity exceptions and drive long-term solutions that reduce future demand.
- Use exception trends and service measures to improve the off-road process and expand reusable paved-road solutions.
- Operate the service without assuming enterprise architecture approval authority or business risk acceptance.
Build Cybersecurity Communities and Champion Networks
- Establish security champion programs and communities of practice.
- Promote secure engineering culture across software, cloud, AI, platform, data, and OT teams.
- Develop enablement content, learning paths, and engagement programs.
- Create sustainable mechanisms for scaling cybersecurity expertise.
Build and Lead the Forward-Deployed Security Architecture Organization
- Establish the vision, operating model, and roadmap for the function.
- Recruit and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary team.
- Build a scalable capability spanning cybersecurity architecture, secure engineering enablement, AI security, adoption insight, and developer experience.
- Create strong partnerships across cybersecurity, architecture, engineering, platform, AI, data, OT, and risk organizations.
Technical Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, information technology, cybersecurity, or a comparable discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
- Significant experience in cybersecurity architecture, secure software development, platform engineering, developer experience, or related technical disciplines.
- Strong understanding of modern software delivery, version control, CI/CD, APIs, cloud-native architectures, containers, infrastructure as code, and policy as code.
- Experience with threat modeling, application security, cloud security, identity, Zero Trust, supply-chain security, and runtime controls.
- Practical experience with generative AI, AI-assisted development, or agentic systems and their security implications.
- Ability to engage credibly with engineering teams on code, architecture, automation, and developer workflows.
- Familiarity with OT/ICS security and regulated or safety-sensitive environments is desirable.
Leadership & Business Experience
- Demonstrated experience leading complex technical programs, services, or architecture functions.
- Experience establishing or scaling a new technical capability and building high-performing teams.
- Proven ability to influence senior engineering, architecture, product, cybersecurity, and risk stakeholders in a matrixed global organization.
- Experience applying product thinking to internal technology or cybersecurity capabilities, including roadmaps, adoption measures, consumer feedback, and product intelligence.
- Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, and organizational-change skills.
- Ability to balance cybersecurity outcomes with engineering velocity, operational resilience, safety, and consumer experience.
- Experience in pharmaceuticals, life sciences, healthcare, critical infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, or another regulated industry is preferred.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, information technology, cybersecurity, or a comparable discipline, or equivalent professional experience
- Significant experience in cybersecurity architecture, secure software development, platform engineering, developer experience, or related technical disciplines
- Strong understanding of modern software delivery, version control, CI/CD, APIs, cloud-native architectures, containers, infrastructure as code, and policy as code
- Experience with threat modeling, application security, cloud security, identity, Zero Trust, supply-chain security, and runtime controls
- Practical experience with generative AI, AI-assisted development, or agentic systems and their security implications
- Ability to engage credibly with engineering teams on code, architecture, automation, and developer workflows
- Demonstrated experience leading complex technical programs, services, or architecture functions
- Experience establishing or scaling a new technical capability and building high-performing teams
- Proven ability to influence senior engineering, architecture, product, cybersecurity, and risk stakeholders in a matrixed global organization
- Experience applying product thinking to internal technology or cybersecurity capabilities, including roadmaps, adoption measures, consumer feedback, and product intelligence
- Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, and organizational-change skills
- Ability to balance cybersecurity outcomes with engineering velocity, operational resilience, safety, and consumer experience
- Familiarity with OT/ICS security and regulated or safety-sensitive environments is desirable
- Experience in pharmaceuticals, life sciences, healthcare, critical infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, or another regulated industry is preferred
- Candidates must reside within commuting distance of Gaithersburg or be willing to relocate
Benefits
- 401(k) Matching
- Paid Vacation & Holidays
- Paid Leaves
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Prescription Drug Coverage
- Short-Term Incentive Bonus
- Equity Long-Term Incentive
Company overview
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused pharmaceutical company dedicated to accelerating the delivery of life-changing medicines that create enduring value for patients, society, and shareholders. With a workforce of over 94,300 employees worldwide, the company operates across three core therapy areas: Oncology, BioPharmaceuticals (including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, Respiratory & Immunology), and Rare Disease. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca maintains strategic R&D centers in Cambridge, Gaithersburg (US), Boston (US), Gothenburg (Sweden), Shanghai, and Beijing. The company generated $54.1 billion in total revenue in 2024 and invested $13.6 billion in scientific research and development. AstraZeneca's bold aspiration is to be pioneers in science, lead in disease areas, and transform patient outcomes, with a goal to launch 20 new medicines and achieve $80 billion in total revenue by 2030. The company is recognized for its commitment to sustainability, health equity, and creating an inclusive work environment where diverse perspectives drive innovation.