Cloud Security Architect

Cloud Security Architect

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. A cloud security architect is highly technical and proficient in cybersecurity and systems administration across a wide variety of infrastructure types (SaaS, IaaS, PaaS), with a strong understanding of cloud-native patterns including containerization, serverless, and infrastructure as code. A deep level of demonstrated experience with AWS is a requirement, with functional knowledge of Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud required. In this individual contributor role, you will report to the Director of Cybersecurity Architecture and may be based remotely or at our offices in the Chicago area.

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. Leverage best practices, standards, and baselines such as Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM), CIS Benchmarks, cloud provider Well-Architected Framework security pillars, and NIST SP 800-series. 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.