Cyber Security Architect - Specialist

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities and decision ownership:

• Planning, researching, and designing robust security architecture for any IT Systems and Networks (mobile and fixed) project.
• Developing and maintaining enterprise security architecture frameworks, reference models, and standards.
• Creating technology security controls and requirements for IT Systems and Networks (mobile and fixed).
• Providing technology security consultancy for technology and business projects.
• Documenting technology security controls and requirements for IT Systems and Networks (mobile and fixed).
• Offering technical supervision and guidance to the technology security team.
• Ensuring secure design of telecom-specific technologies including 4G/5G, SDN/NFV, IMS, and IoT platforms.
• Architecting secure cloud-native environments and virtualizing network functions (VNFs).
• Supporting technology security awareness programs and educational efforts.
• Responding promptly to technology security-related incidents and providing thorough post-event analysis.
• Ensuring architecture aligns with regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, ISO 27001, NIST, GSMA, ITU, and local regulatory bodies guidelines) and internal policies.
• Maintaining enterprise security architecture frameworks, reference models, and standards.
• Providing accurate and timely reporting of architectural solutions, risk findings, and proposing remediation and mitigation options.
• Developing and implementing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies to protect the organization’s digital assets.
• Assisting in creating and enforcing cybersecurity policies and procedures to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.
• Implementing endpoint security strategies: Collaborating with cross-functional teams to define and implement effective endpoint security strategies, including antivirus software, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, encryption, and other security measures.
• Collaborating with internal security experts, third-party sources, and suppliers to understand network and endpoint security requirements, controls, policies, and threats. Identifying opportunities to eliminate risk, improve service capabilities, and reduce costs.
• Conducting security architectural reviews of Safaricom’s systems/infrastructure.
• Working with engineering, network operations, and IT teams to embed security into solution designs and deployments.
• Providing architectural insights during security incidents and contributing to post-incident reviews.

Core Competencies

Business Competencies:

• Minimum of 3 years of work experience and 2 years of relevant experience in information security/cybersecurity
• Knowledge of common information technology management/compliance frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, SOX, ITIL, COBIT, and NIST.
• Proven experience in IT Networks and/or Systems Administration.
• Proven experience in implementing and administering Cyber Security solutions.
• Experience in working across security technologies.
• In-depth understanding of the role of Information Security in network and system security.
• Proven experience based on ability to design and develop security architectures for complex multi-component systems.
• Demonstrated experience in developing conceptual, logical, and physical IT security architecture deliverables.
• Practices and methods of enterprise architecture and security architecture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering/computer science/information technology or a related technical discipline, or the equivalent combination of education, technical certifications, post-degree qualification
• Experience and proficiency with the following:
  • Network security
  • End point security
  • Cloud security and securing hybrid environments
• Experience with security frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST, and COBIT.

Desired:

Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, CCNP-Security, CCIE security, NSE4, NSE6 preferred).

Skills Required:

• Computer / Software / It / Data
• Electrician / Electronics / Electrical / Engineering