About this role
The Role: Principal Security Architect - Defence
You will have experience of working across system lifecycles and be capable of supporting clients through business-focused requirement specification and definition. You will have a broad experience of technical security, producing technical risk assessments and solution architecture documents.
The ideal candidate will be both experienced and invested in ensuring that our clients' solutions are Secure by Design. To enable this, strong inter-personal skills are essential, e.g. ability to lead workshops, engage with business leaders, and interact with diverse project teams and stakeholders.
With your experience you will be comfortable operating in a ‘customer friend’ type role, supporting the client to develop and deliver secure systems, understanding risks and managing complex system security whilst communicating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Due to the environment we are looking for candidates with current high level security clearance
Your experience will include
· Leading the development of security architecture and design for complex IT requirements, ensuring smooth transition from design to live service. Managing trade-offs based on stakeholder needs and constraints while championing and driving transformation through a clear vision and architecture to lead the delivery journey.
· Enabling delivery through the definition of methodologies, approach, team structure, and supporting technologies that enable successful transformation across an engineering lifecycle.
· Shaping policies, principles and standards, aligning IT transformation to these in an organisational/enterprise context, in order to deliver efficiently.
· Ensuring full lifecycle traceability of stakeholder requirements, supporting project planning with accurate assumptions, and simplifying complexity for senior stakeholders.
· Familiarity with TOGAF and Archimate or similar
What We’re Looking for
Essential
· Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), or another industry recognised cyber security certification.
Desirable
· Full Membership of the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) - highly desirable.
· Chartered or Principal status via the UK Cyber Security Council for Secure Systems Architecture.
· NCSC Certified Cyber Professional in Security Architecture.
· IEng or CEng registered with UK Engineering body.
· Chartership through the British Computer Society.
· SABSA Chartered Security Architect
Other Information
Market leading salary and package on offer
About cyber security & digital forensics roles for ex-police
Cyber security, digital forensics and incident-response roles. DMIs, cybercrime investigators and digital forensics officers bring evidential discipline and investigative judgement that DFIR and security teams struggle to hire.
See all cyber security & digital forensics jobs in Bristol →Why this fits a police background
- Police experience explicitly valued
- Risk & threat assessment
What cyber security & digital forensics roles pay ex-police
Advertised UK ranges, editorial estimates reviewed July 2026
| Digital forensics analyst | £32,000–£45,000 |
| DFIR consultant | £45,000–£65,000 |
| Senior forensics / IR specialist | £60,000–£80,000 |
| Threat-intelligence specialist | £55,000–£80,000 |