Cloud Security Architect

Cloud Security Architect

W.W. Grainger, Inc., is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America, Japan and the United Kingdom. At Grainger, We Keep the World Working® by serving more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with products and solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customer relationships. Known for its commitment to service and award-winning culture, the Company had 2024 revenue of $17.2 billion across its two business models.

The Information Security team protects all of Grainger, from our systems to our data across the global company. Our infrastructure is powered by cloud, on-premises, and SaaS platforms that keep Grainger, and our customers, working. We use modern tools and practices to stay ahead of evolving security challenges. The mission of the Security Architecture team is to be the strategic security design partner for Grainger's technology.

As the security architect responsible for Grainger's cloud platforms, you will be responsible for architecting, advising on, and governing a secure cloud infrastructure supporting business needs. You will support the progressive needs of the business and provide timely, secure and cost-efficient solutions that elevate the company's cloud security posture. An advanced role, the cloud architect will deliver resilient architectures at scale to support business initiatives. The role requires deep technical knowledge of cloud computing architecture, security principles, and cybersecurity best practices.

You will plan, research, and develop security architecture for cloud solutions (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS), which may include custom in-house solutions and third-party solutions. Define strategies and roadmaps to support security and company technology goals. Communicate the state of cloud security posture to cybersecurity leaders, IT leaders, and other stakeholders through a thoughtful metrics and KPI-driven message. Develop, maintain, and enforce cloud security policies and procedures. Work with teams to define requirements, evaluate architecture, analyze trade-offs, and recommend solutions. Create conceptual and logical architecture designs, including cloud security reference architectures and secure landing zone designs. Assess risks through threat modeling and white-boarding exercises with teams. Evaluate products and tools through Proof of Value exercises. Advise product teams on the security implications of their roadmaps. Partner with engineering teams, cloud platform teams, and other peer architecture teams to ensure security is embedded in technical decisions from design through implementation. Define and maintain cloud account/subscription governance, including organizational unit structure, service control policies, and permission boundaries. Design and advise on security architectures for CI/CD pipelines, including secrets management, IaC scanning, container image scanning, and artifact integrity. Architect cloud-native security monitoring and logging strategies, including integration with Grainger's SIEM/SOAR platform. Evaluate and mature cloud-native security tooling to support detection, prevention, and compliance objectives. Mentor peers and junior architects through design reviews, knowledge sharing, and technical leadership across the security architecture team.

You have 5+ years of architecture experience, with at least 3 years focused on cloud environments. 8+ years of information security experience. Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent work experience. Deep expertise in designing cloud security architectures that support the business needs of large enterprises, with primary depth in AWS and functional proficiency in Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Proven experience with zero trust architecture principles, encryption and key management, web application firewalls, data protection, vulnerability management, API security, and Infrastructure as Code security (Terraform, CloudFormation, or equivalent). Strong understanding of cloud IAM architecture, including AWS IAM policies, service control policies (SCPs), Azure Entra ID conditional access, and federated identity patterns. Experience with cloud-native security tooling, including CNAPP, CSPM, CWPP, and CIEM solutions. Working knowledge of container and Kubernetes security concepts, including image scanning, runtime protection, admission control, network policies, and RBAC. Familiarity with CI/CD pipeline security practices, including shift-left security integration, secrets management, SAST/DAST, and software supply chain security concepts (SBOM, artifact signing). Familiarity with security frameworks and industry standards such as CIS Benchmarks, CSA CCM, NIST CSF, and cloud provider Well-Architected Frameworks. Working knowledge of AI/ML workload security, including securing data pipelines, model hosting infrastructure, and awareness of frameworks such as OWASP Top 10 for LLMs and MITRE ATLAS. Working technical knowledge within the network security space. Areas of familiarity should include SSE/SASE, SD-WAN, next-generation firewalls, enterprise routing and switching, microsegmentation, web application firewalls, and cloud-adjacent and edge compute. Design and communicate cloud security monitoring and logging architectures, including native cloud provider tools and SIEM/SOAR integration. Relevant certifications preferred: CISSP, CCSP, AWS Solutions Architect, or vendor-specific cloud security certifications (e.g., AWS Security Specialty/Network Specialty).