Security Solution Architect (Contract to Hire)

Security Solution Architect

Location: Columbus, OH

Work Model: Hybrid — Tuesday through Thursday onsite, Monday and Friday remote

Rate: $77–$88/hour

Contract Term: August 17, 2026 – August 13, 2027

Contract-to-Hire: Yes

Employment Type: W-2 Only

Work Authorization: U.S. Citizens Only | Green Card holders also eligible; no visa sponsorship available

Travel: Must be open to extensive travel on short notice as needed

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Security Solution Architect to provide enterprise architecture leadership across cybersecurity, infrastructure, applications, data, and compliance capabilities within a large utility environment. This role will be responsible for defining and advancing the organization’s security architecture vision, strategy, standards, governance structure, and capability roadmap.

The Security Solution Architect will work closely with Enterprise Architecture, Security, Infrastructure, Application Development, Operations, OT/control systems teams, corporate security, service providers, and business stakeholders to ensure security solutions are aligned with business needs, regulatory expectations, technology strategy, and enterprise architecture standards.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience across security architecture, identity and access management, threat and vulnerability management, governance/risk/compliance, application security, infrastructure security, data protection, incident response, and utility-related security standards such as NIST, NERC CIP, FERC, and other energy industry frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

Security Architecture Strategy & Roadmap

• Define and execute the security architecture vision, strategy, standards, frameworks, and capability roadmaps.
• Develop future-state security architectures and practical roadmaps to achieve target-state capabilities.
• Evaluate current-state security capabilities and identify gaps, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Drive the future state of cybersecurity and compliance technologies across the enterprise.
• Ensure security architecture aligns with business strategy, IT strategy, enterprise architecture standards, and regulatory expectations.

Security Capability Architecture

• Provide architectural leadership across key security domains, including:
  • Identity management
  • Authentication and authorization
  • Directory services and single sign-on
  • Threat and vulnerability management
  • System audit
  • Security architecture assurance
  • Availability
  • Information and asset protection
  • Fraud prevention, detection, and response
  • Integrated governance, risk, and compliance
• Develop reusable security architecture patterns, standards, procedures, and reference models.
• Ensure security best practices are incorporated into the software development lifecycle and enterprise delivery processes.

Governance, Standards & Enterprise Alignment

• Create, mature, and refine the enterprise security architecture function and governance model.
• Identify and analyze business drivers to develop security architecture requirements.
• Publish and promote security architecture standards, frameworks, patterns, and procedures.
• Develop and execute communication and education plans related to security architecture standards.
• Support architecture review, security assurance, and governance processes for enterprise technology initiatives.

Stakeholder Partnership & Advisory Support

• Serve as a trusted advisor and sounding board for IT and business leaders developing solutions for security needs.
• Build and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders to socialize and advance enterprise security architecture.
• Partner with application, infrastructure, security, architecture, and operations teams to ensure secure solution design.
• Communicate security outcomes, standards, risks, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Influence and negotiate across teams to drive alignment on secure, practical, and cost-effective solutions.

Operations, Incident Response & Resilience

• Partner with operations teams on long-term solutions related to incident management, problem management, availability, and performance.
• Provide technical architecture leadership during performance issues, operational challenges, and enterprise security events.
• Work collaboratively with IT operations, service providers, and local, state, and federal agencies during incident response activities.
• Support the development of effective security management processes and tools that protect the enterprise IT environment.

Utility, OT & Control Systems Security

• Partner with operations technology teams on strategies for securing control systems, SCADA networks, and related operational environments.
• Support security architecture considerations for utility operations, critical infrastructure, and regulated technology environments.
• Collaborate with physical/corporate security teams and serve as a liaison between physical security, cybersecurity, IT, and operations groups.
• Ensure security architecture considers regulatory, operational, safety, and reliability requirements.

Enterprise Assignments & Strategic Initiatives

• Lead or support special enterprise-wide assignments as needed.
• Provide architecture leadership for security-related transformation, modernization, compliance, and risk reduction initiatives.
• Help ensure the organization maintains a secure IT environment at an appropriate cost.
• Contribute to multi-year strategic IT planning, reuse programs, service provider management, and technology modernization efforts.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Review current and future-state security architecture needs across enterprise projects and platforms.
• Partner with architecture, security, infrastructure, application development, and operations teams on secure solution design.
• Develop security architecture roadmaps, standards, patterns, and governance materials.
• Evaluate security impacts of technology decisions, market trends, regulatory requirements, and business priorities.
• Support architecture reviews, risk discussions, incident response activities, and long-term remediation planning.
• Advise stakeholders on identity, access, data protection, vulnerability management, GRC, and security assurance needs.
• Collaborate with OT, SCADA, operations, and physical security teams where security solutions intersect with utility operations.
• Prepare executive-ready communications, recommendations, and architecture documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in Information Technology and/or security capabilities.
• Strong competency in security practices across business, application, information, and technical architecture.
• Experience developing future-state architectures and practical roadmaps to achieve target-state capabilities.
• Experience providing leadership across information/data management, master data management, data warehousing, and business intelligence environments.
• Working knowledge of NIST, NERC CIP, FERC, and other energy industry security standards and best practices.
• Experience creating or evolving security architecture standards, frameworks, governance structures, patterns, and procedures.
• Strong understanding of identity management, authentication, authorization, directory services, single sign-on, threat and vulnerability management, system audit, data protection, and GRC capabilities.
• Strong communication, influence, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to self-prioritize work effectively and manage multiple enterprise priorities.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively on short notice as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Security certifications strongly preferred.
• Experience developing multi-year strategic IT plans.
• Working knowledge of business process re-engineering.
• Experience with legacy and modern computing architectures.
• Experience applying ITIL practices.
• Experience managing or supporting effective reuse programs across the enterprise.
• Experience managing or partnering with service providers.
• Experience in utility, energy, critical infrastructure, or highly regulated environments.
• Experience securing OT, control systems, SCADA networks, or operational technology environments.
• Experience working with local, state, or federal agencies during security, incident response, or compliance-related activities.

Preferred Certifications

• CISSP
• CISM
• CISA
• CRISC
• GIAC security certifications
• Security+
• Cloud security certifications
• Architecture certifications
• ITIL certification

Core Competencies

• Security Architecture
• Enterprise Architecture
• Identity & Access Management
• Authentication & Authorization
• Directory Services / Single Sign-On
• Threat & Vulnerability Management
• Governance, Risk & Compliance
• Security Architecture Assurance
• Information Protection
• Incident & Problem Management
• OT / SCADA Security
• NIST / NERC CIP / FERC
• Roadmap Development
• Architecture Governance
• Stakeholder Influence
• Strategic IT Planning

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a senior security architecture professional who can define enterprise security direction while remaining practical and implementation-focused. They should be comfortable working across business, application, information, technical, infrastructure, security, and operations domains. This person should bring strong architecture discipline, deep cybersecurity knowledge, executive communication skills, and the ability to guide secure, cost-effective technology decisions in a regulated utility environment.