Senior Cybersecurity Architect - SOC Modernization

Direct applicants only — no third-party agencies, please.Considering applying for this job Do not delay, scroll down and make your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out.Please note: LinkedIn does not offer a contract-to-hire employment type. This role is being posted as full-time, but the initial engagement will be contract-to-hire with planned FTE conversion in Feb/Mar 2027. Due to year-end hiring cycle and budget timing, the contract-to-hire structure is the fastest path to bring someone onto the team immediately, with the intent to convert once the new-year hiring cycle opens.Our client is an award-winning business and technology consulting firm with a strong national footprint and a reputation for advising enterprise clients in complex, regulated industries. This is a high-impact consulting role focused on SOC modernization, AI-enabled security operations, SIEM/SOAR modernization, detection engineering, and Google SecOps or similar modern SOC platformsQuick OverviewLocation: Ideally Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Seattle, or Dallas. Strong remote candidates may be considered.Background Preference: Consulting experience strongly preferred, ideally with enterprise, regulated industry, Energy & Utilities, critical infrastructure, financial services, or healthcare clients.Work Model: Hybrid if near a major office; remote may be considered for highly aligned candidates.Engagement Preference: Contract-to-hire preferred, though direct full-time hire may be possible for the right candidate.Pay Rate: Competitive and open to market rate.Full-Time Compensation Range: Approximately $193K–$262K, depending on location, experience, and fit.Travel: 10–20%, likely on the lower end.The roleWe're seeking a Senior Cybersecurity Architect to help clients modernize security operations and move beyond traditional, manually intensive SOC environments. This role is focused on SOC modernization, SIEM/SOAR, detection engineering, security telemetry, automation, AI-enabled workflows, and SecOps tooling strategyThis is not primarily an IT/OT security role. OT, Energy & Utilities, and critical infrastructure experience are helpful, but the main focus is SOC modernization and AI-enabled security operations.What you'll doAssess current-state SOC capabilities across people, process, tooling, data, automation, and governanceDesign future-state SOC operating models, analyst workflows, escalation paths, and SecOps processesModernize SIEM/SOAR, detection engineering, case management, and detection/response capabilitiesRationalize security tooling across SIEM, SOAR, XDR, EDR, IAM/PAM, cloud security, vulnerability management, threat intelligence, and ServiceNow SecOpsDefine telemetry and log ingestion strategies across cloud, endpoint, identity, network, SaaS, application, OT/ICS, and third-party data sourcesIdentify practical AI-enabled SOC use cases, including alert summarization, investigation support, detection authoring, playbook execution, and analyst decision supportBuild SOC modernization roadmaps aligned to business risk, cyber maturity, regulatory needs, staffing models, and technology investmentsLead executive workshops, architecture sessions, platform assessments, and client presentationsWhat you bring7–10+ years in security architecture, SOC modernization, SecOps, SIEM/SOAR, detection engineering, incident response, security automation, or cybersecurity consultingStrong understanding of modern SOC operating models, detection/response workflows, alert triage, threat hunting, case management, and SecOps governanceExperience designing or modernizing SOC capabilities in enterprise, regulated, or critical infrastructure environmentsArchitecture-level exposure to SIEM, SOAR, XDR, EDR, telemetry, log ingestion, correlation, enrichment, xhyhwjd and detection contentExperience rationalizing cybersecurity tools and building practical modernization roadmapsFamiliarity with AI-enabled or automation-enabled security operationsAbility to advise CIOs, CISOs, SOC leaders, security engineers, and technology stakeholdersStrong communication skills and ability to translate technical recommendations into executive-level narrativesPreferredPrior consulting experience in a client-facing advisory or delivery roleExperience with Google Security Operations / Google SecOps, Chronicle SIEM, Chronicle SOAR, BigQuery, or Google Cloud securityExperience with platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex, ServiceNow SecOps, CrowdStrike, Okta, SailPoint, CyberArk, Wiz, Prisma Cloud, or similar toolsExperience with MITRE ATT&CK, detection-as-code, YARA-L, Sigma, SOAR playbooks, and detection lifecycle managementExperience supporting Energy & Utilities, OT/ICS, critical infrastructure, or other highly regulated environmentsFamiliarity with frameworks such as NIST, ISO 27001, NERC CIP, IEC 62443, HIPAA, GLBA, or PCI DSSRelevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCSP, GSEC, GCIA, GCIH, GCFA, or Google Cloud security certifications Go2Group