Security Architect – Zero Trust / Application Access

About the Role

Our client is building a secure-access strategy for internal business applications that have never been exposed outside the corporate network, since there is no traditional VPN. They need a hands-on Security Architect or Application Security Lead to review those applications, decide how each one should be accessed, and set the security standards and patterns that govern access from here forward. Zscaler will be the core access platform.

What You’ll Do

• Review the internal-only application portfolio and assess each app’s risk, data sensitivity, and access requirements
• Recommend for each application whether it can be exposed publicly or should stay limited to managed, company-issued devices
• Design and implement Zero Trust access patterns using Zscaler (ZPA/ZIA), replacing the need for a traditional VPN
• Create, document, and roll out security standards and reference patterns for application access, authentication, and authorization
• Update existing application security standards so they reflect the new access model
• Partner with application owners, infrastructure, networking, and IAM teams to get approval for the access model and put it in place
• Present findings, risks, and recommendations to IT and security leadership

What You Bring

• 8+ years in information security, with significant time in security architecture or application security leadership
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing Zero Trust architecture (this is critical)
• Hands-on Zscaler experience (ZPA and/or ZIA) strongly preferred
• Strong application security background, including threat modeling, secure design reviews, and authentication/SSO (SAML, OAuth, OIDC)
• Experience deciding how applications should be exposed (public, private, or device-restricted) and securing each scenario
• Familiarity with device posture checks, conditional access, and IAM platforms (Okta, Azure AD/Entra ID, or similar)
• Proven ability to write clear security standards and patterns that engineering teams actually adopt
• Strong communication skills, with comfort presenting to leadership and working across teams

Nice to Have

• CISSP, CCSP, Zscaler certifications (ZCCA/ZCCP), or similar
• Experience with WAF, reverse proxy, or API gateway security
• Background in enterprise or automotive/financial services environments