For more than 40 years, Accelya has been the industry's partner for change, simplifying airline financial and commercial processes and empowering the air transport community to take better control of the future. Whether partnering with IATA on industry-wide initiatives or enabling digital transformation to simplify airline processes, Accelya drives the airline industry forward and proudly puts control back in the hands of airlines so they can move further, faster.
Role purpose
The Director of Security Architecture and Engineering is a strategic leadership role responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the enterprise security architecture and engineering capabilities. This individual will lead a team of security architects and engineers to ensure the organization's infrastructure, applications, and data are protected against current and emerging threats. The role requires deep technical expertise, strong leadership, and the ability to align security initiatives with business objectives.
Duties & Responsibilities
* Strategic Leadership:
* Develop and execute the security architecture and engineering roadmap aligned with business and risk management goals.
* Oversee the design and implementation of security solutions, including network security, endpoint security, and cloud security.
* Collaborate with IT and engineering teams to integrate security best practices into system and application development.
* Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on security architecture and technology decisions.
* Architecture & Design:
* Define and maintain enterprise security architecture frameworks, standards, and reference models.
* Lead secure design reviews for new systems, applications, and cloud services.
* Engineering & Implementation:
* Oversee the design and deployment of security technologies including firewalls, SIEM, endpoint protection, identity and access management, and cloud security tools.
* Drive automation and integration of security controls across CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure.
* Team Leadership:
* Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing team of security architects and engineers.
* Provide leadership and mentorship to the information security team.
* Collaborate with senior management to align security initiatives with business objectives.
* Represent the information security function in internal and external meetings and forums.
* Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
* Risk & Compliance:
* Ensure security architecture aligns with regulatory requirements (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, PCI-DSS).
* Collaborate with legal, privacy, risk and compliance teams to support audits and assessments.
* Collaboration & Communication:
* Partner with IT, DevOps, and business units to embed security into technology initiatives.
* Communicate complex security concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
* Support customer engagements and opportunities.
Knowledge, Experience & Skills
* Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field. A master's degree is preferred.
* Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, or similar are highly desirable.
* Minimum of 7 years of experience in information security, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
* Proven experience in designing and implementing enterprise security architectures.
* Deep understanding of cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP), network security, and application security.
* Strong knowledge of security frameworks and standards (e.g., SABSA, TOGAF, NIST).
* Strong understanding of security architecture, engineering, IT frameworks, standards, and regulations.
* Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
* Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
* Knowledge of cloud security and emerging technologies such as AI.
* Familiarity with data privacy regulations and compliance requirements.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
* Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teas and manage multiple priorities.
Equal Opportunity
Accelya is an equal opportunity action employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation.
About Accelya
Accelya is a leading global software provider to the airline industry, powering 200+ airlines with an open, modular software platform that enables innovative airlines to drive growth, delight their customers and take control of their retailing. Owned by Vista Equity Partners long-term perennial fund and with 2K+ employees based around 10 global offices, Accelya are trusted by industry leaders to deliver now and deliver for the future. The company´s passenger, cargo, and industry platforms support airline retailing from offer to settlement, both above and below the wing. Accelya are proud to deliver leading-edge technologies to our customers including through our partnership with AWS and through the pioneering NDC expertise of our Global Product teams. We are proud to enable innovation-led growth for the airline industry and put control back in the hands of airlines. For more information, please visit
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