Associate Director, Cyber Architecture & Engineering

Known for being a great place to work and build a career, KPMG provides audit, tax and advisory services for organizations in today's most important industries. Our growth is driven by delivering real results for our clients. It's also enabled by our culture, which encourages individual development, embraces an inclusive environment, rewards innovative excellence and supports our communities.

About the role

KPMG is currently seeking an Associate Director, Cyber Architecture & Engineering to join our Enterprise Security Services organization. This role involves applying advanced knowledge of IT security and architecture to lead the implementation and day-to-day operational responsibilities of a comprehensive information security strategy aligned with the firm’s goals and objectives.

Responsibilities

• Apply advanced knowledge of IT security and architecture to participate in the implementation of and lead the day-to-day operational responsibilities of a comprehensive information security strategy that aligns with the firm's goals and objectives, and effectively addresses evolving threats to the firm's environment and data.
• Serve as an internal senior trusted advisor providing security consulting services across multiple technical domains to project teams and senior leaders; provide advice on security, explain security risk trade-offs, and solve complex problems through identification of compensating control alternatives while enabling the business.
• Design secure applications, platforms, and security controls across on-premises and multi-cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP), including AI-enabled and agentic AI solutions; partner with technology teams to align security standards, enable innovation, and drive consistent architecture practices.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with multiple public and private cloud vendors to advocate for product enhancements to meet the firm's needs and inform internal stakeholders of forthcoming features of interest.
• Research and develop information security controls, security configuration baselines, and security design patterns that support risk assessments and the development of secure (or cloud-based) architectures and/or application development.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends and technologies in information security, and continuously evaluate and improve the organization's security posture through evaluation of the latest information security regulatory requirements, AI-related technologies, agentic architectures, controls, practices, techniques, and threats.
• Facilitate internal skills development activities for information security personnel on new technologies, controls, practices, techniques, and threats.
• Provide security guidance on emerging technologies, including AI-enabled applications, agentic AI, and autonomous workflows, ensuring security is integrated by design.
• Lead stakeholder engagement, develop executive presentations, and mentor junior team members while supporting team planning and resource management.
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and personal responsibility to uphold KPMG's respectful and courteous work environment.

Requirements

• Minimum eight years of recent experience in security architecture, preferably within a professional services firm or similar environment.
• Deep technical expertise across multiple technical domains, including application development, cloud computing, security, identity and access management, IT infrastructure, and emerging technologies such as AI-enabled platforms, agentic AI workflows, autonomous agents, and AI-integrated development and automation solutions.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is preferred; minimum of a high school diploma or GED is required with minimum ten years of equivalent professional experience.
• Certifications: CISSP and either CCSP or CCSK, or equivalent industry experience. Other certifications of importance: AZ-500 – Microsoft Azure Security Technologies, Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer, AWS Certified Security - Specialty, MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, AWS Certified Solutions Architect.
• Experience in both designing and securing solutions in a complex and regulated enterprise environment to offer solutions in an “as-a-service” model, including SaaS, AI-enabled, and agentic delivery models.
• Demonstrated ability to define security requirements and help teams implement them through collaborative architecture and engineering, ensuring security is integrated into all aspects of solution design and implementation, including AI-assisted and agentic workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to design creative alternatives to work around gaps in vendor offerings to meet technical and security requirements.
• Deep understanding of cloud computing architecture, technical design, and implementations, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as Service (SaaS), containerized delivery models, and AI-enabled service delivery patterns across multiple cloud vendors.
• Experience implementing modern solution delivery methodologies including Agile and DevSecOps, and incorporating security into the overall system development lifecycle.
• Proven ability to define, document, and peer review technical security standards such as cloud security best practices, operating systems security best practices, application security best practices, wireless network security best practices, and more.
• Experience with security-related regulatory requirements, such as NIST, PCI, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliance.
• Excellent verbal/written communication, collaboration, analytical, and presentation skills to effectively interact with individuals at all levels of responsibility and take the lead in an environment driven by customer service and teamwork.
• Strong troubleshooting and organizational skills, with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical and dental plans, vision coverage, disability and life insurance, 401(k) plans.
• Robust suite of personal well-being benefits to support mental health.
• Personal Time Off per fiscal year, depending on job classification, standard work hours, and years of service.
• Two annual breaks where employees will not be required to use Personal Time Off: one at year-end and one around the July 4th holiday.

Pay

California Salary Range: $153,000 - $297,000. Salary is determined based on relevant factors including applicant's skills, job responsibilities, prior relevant experience, certain degrees and certifications, and market considerations.