Associate Security Architect

This is a Fixed Term Appointment opportunity for 47 months with the possibility of permanency dependent on business requirements.
Social Security Scotland currently has an exciting opportunity for an Associate Security Architect to join the Security Architecture Team within the Digital Risk & Security (DRS) Branch, playing a key role in safeguarding critical services, systems and citizen data across the organisation.
As an Associate Security Architect, you will help design and maintain secure architectures across the organisation, with a strong focus on AWS cloud environments. Working closely with delivery teams and stakeholders, you will apply security-by-design principles, ensure compliance with public sector security standards, and integrate security best practices throughout the development lifecycle. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the security and resilience of a national public service that supports people across Scotland.
A Security Architect designs and builds secure solutions.
In this role you will design and support secure systems and services by applying security architecture principles, advise delivery teams, and ensure controls are proportionate, standards aligned, and supportive of business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Design and review system architectures using recognised security patterns and Secure by Design principles and AWS well-architected security best practices.
• Recommend appropriate security controls aligned with organisational and government standards.
• Provide specialist security guidance to multidisciplinary delivery teams across design, build, and implementation phases, including cloud-native solutions hosted on AWS.
• Assess security risks, communicate implications, and advise risk owners on tolerances and mitigation.
• Maintain and evolve security documentation, patterns, and architectural artefacts.
• Promote security culture and ensure Secure by Design is understood and applied across programmes.
• Define, implement, and review AWS security controls and guardrails, including identity and access management, encryption, logging, monitoring, and network security capabilities.

Success Profiles We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about the framework here.
For this post, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:
Experience

• Demonstrable experience designing and implementing secure architectures across AWS cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments, applying recognised architectural patterns and producing clear security documentation. This should include experience applying AWS security principles and controls.
• Knowledge of government-relevant security standards and frameworks, with the ability to apply these requirements within AWS environments support delivery teams in making secure design and implementation decisions.
• Strong understanding of emerging threats, vulnerabilities and attacker techniques across AWS cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environment, with the ability to assess and communicate technical risks and security concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Behaviours

• Leadership - Level 3

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here.
Technical / Professional Skills This role is aligned to Security Architect within the Government Digital and Data Profession.
These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will not be assessed at application stage. Please review the following to understand the skill expectations:
Security architect - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework
Full details of the interview and assessment…