Sr. Associate, Cyber Security Architect

Country: United States of America

It Starts Here: Santander is a global leader and innovator in the financial services industry and is evolving from a high-impact brand into a technology-driven organization. Our people are at the heart of this journey and together, we are driving a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible. This is more than a strategic shift. It’s a chance for driven professionals to grow, learn, and make a real difference.

If you are interested in exploring the possibilities We Want to Talk to You!

The Difference You Make: The Sr. Associate, Cybersecurity Architect is responsible for designing, governing, and continuously improving secure architecture across enterprise platforms, applications, and infrastructure within a regulated financial environment. Ensures alignment with policies and standards and regulatory mandates, aligning with our risk appetite and business objectives. This role operates at the intersection of security engineering, enterprise architecture, and regulatory compliance within a high-control financial environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct threat modeling, security design reviews, and lead cybersecurity architecture risk assessments (ISARs).

• Define and maintain enterprise security architecture aligned to business strategy, policies and reference architecture for cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments

• Embed security controls early in the project lifecycle under a “shift-left” model: Partner with engineering, product, and business teams to translate risk into actionable design requirements.

• Architect and oversee encryption strategies for data at rest, in transit, and in use including PKI, HSM and Certificate lifecycle processes (issuance, rotation, revocation, automation, PKI governance).

• Establish cryptographic key management standards and oversee key custody models.

• Ensure architectural compliance with regulatory and supervisory expectations.

• Support regulatory examinations, audits, and control validation activities.

What You Bring: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience: Computer Science, Engineering or Information Technology Management, or equivalent field. - Required.

Required Experience

• 5+ years of experience in architecture within financial services or similarly regulated industries.

• Cyber Security experience preferred

• Demonstrated experience operating in a shift-left security model embedded with development and business teams.

• Deep expertise in encryption technologies, including:

  • PKI architecture and governance
  • HSM deployment and management
  • Certificate lifecycle automation
  • Key management systems (KMS)
  • TLS, mTLS, IPSec, and database encryption

• Experience designing secure architectures in cloud environments (AWS mainly).

• Proven experience conducting threat modeling and architecture risk assessments.

Regulatory & Framework Knowledge Demonstrated working knowledge of:

• FFIEC IT Examination Handbook

• GLBA Safeguards Rule

• NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500

• PCI-DSS

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

• NIST SP 800-53 and 800-57 (Cryptographic Key Management)

• ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002

Core Competencies

• Strong risk-based decision-making capability.

• Ability to articulate technical risk in business terms.

• Architectural governance and documentation discipline.

• Cryptographic rigor and operational resilience mindset.

• Cross-functional collaboration across engineering, infrastructure, legal, and risk teams.

It Would Be Nice For You To Have:

• Established work history or equivalent demonstrated through a combination of work experience, training, military service, or education.

• Experience in Microsoft Office products.

Work Authorization & Sponsorship: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without requiring employer sponsorship to commence employment.

What Else You Need To Know: The base pay range for this position is posted below and represents the annualized salary range. For hourly positions (non-exempt), the annual range is based on a 40-hour work week. The exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, training, licensure and certifications and location.

Base Pay Range: Minimum: $108,750.00 USD Maximum: $180,000.00 USD

We Value Your Impact: Your contribution matters and it’s recognized. You can expect a fair and competitive rewards package that reflects the impact you create and the value you deliver. We know rewards go beyond numbers. Offering more than just a paycheck our benefits are designed to support you, your family and your well-being, now and into the future. Santander Benefits - 2026 Santander OnGoing/NH eGuide (foleon.com)

Risk Culture: We embrace a strong risk culture and all of our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

EEO Statement: At Santander, we value and respect differences in our workforce. We actively encourage everyone to apply. Santander is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Working Conditions: Frequent minimal physical effort such as sitting, standing and walking is required for this role. Depending on location, occasional moving and lifting light equipment and/or furniture may be required.

Employer Rights: This job description does not list all of the job duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisors or managers to perform other duties. You may be evaluated in part based upon your performance of the tasks listed in this job description. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and either you or the employer may terminate your employment at any time for any reason.

What To Do Next: If this sounds like a role you are interested in, then please apply.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application process for all candidates. If you require any assistance or accommodation due to a disability or any other reason, please contact us at TAOps@santander.us to discuss your needs.