Security Architect

Linklaters

Linklaters is a global law firm, providing legal services in 20 countries and through 30 offices.

Linklaters is a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional.

We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial, and responsible mind-set we aim to bring to every interaction.

Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere.

We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common goal.

The Security Architect is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining the security architecture of the organisation. The Security Architect ensures that the Firm’s technology platforms, systems, and information assets are aligned with business objectives, security principles, risk management requirements, and regulatory obligations.

The Security Architect works closely with information security, infrastructure, engineering, data, product, and business stakeholders to understand security and technology needs and design solutions that strengthen the Firm’s security posture while enabling effective and secure business operations.

Key responsibilities and challenges:

• Working with the Senior Security Architect, define and implement the security architecture vision, strategy, and roadmap for the organisation.
• Promote the benefits and progress the use of secure-by-design principles to support the Firm’s business strategy and protect its information assets.
• Advise the business and technology teams on security architecture opportunities, risks, and control requirements across applications, infrastructure, cloud services, data platforms, and third-party solutions.
• Analyse and interpret business, technical, and security requirements and define security architecture solutions.
• Design and develop security architecture patterns, standards, principles, and policies across a range of platforms, systems, and technology domains.
• Assess and optimise the security, resilience, scalability, reliability, and maintainability of technology architecture across the organisation.
• Ensure compliance with information security policies, risk management requirements, legal and regulatory obligations, and relevant security frameworks and standards.
• Lead and coordinate security architecture input across projects, platform changes, integrations, and system implementations.
• Communicate and collaborate with stakeholders across information security, infrastructure, engineering, data, business teams, Legal & Risk, Human Resources, and senior management, providing technical guidance and resolving architectural challenges.
• Research and evaluate new security technologies and trends, and collaborate with wider Technology & Data teams to ensure security best practices are integrated into system designs, configurations, and operational processes.

• Extensive experience designing and delivering security architecture patterns, principles, and best practices within complex business environments.
• Proven ability to manage the complete security architecture lifecycle, from technical design and platform assessment through to implementation and optimisation.
• Strong track record collaborating effectively with diverse stakeholders to understand security and business requirements and deliver solutions that meet organisational needs.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and maintaining scalable security architecture standards, reference models, and control frameworks.
• Well-honed skills in identifying architectural risks, control gaps, and security weaknesses, providing clear guidance on remediation and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of information security frameworks, risk management, and technical security best practices across enterprise environments.
• Familiarity with legal, regulatory, and compliance requirements relevant to information security in global organisations.
• Commitment to strengthening architecture performance with a focus on security, resilience, scalability, and operational effectiveness.
• Solid leadership, communication, and influencing skills, with the ability to guide teams, influence stakeholders, and explain technical security requirements clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Degree-level qualifications in computer science, information security, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience, with relevant professional certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional, CompTIA Security+, or equivalent, being desirable.

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive.  It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.