First Advantage
Principal, Security Architect
36
eNPS Score
- Job Info
- Why First Advantage
At First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA), people are at the heart of everything we do. From our customers and partners to our greatest advantage — our team members. Operating with empathy and compassion, First Advantage fosters a global inclusive workforce devoted to the diverse voices that make up our talent and products. Our team members empower each other to be their authentic selves and treat all with respect, integrity, and fairness.
Say hello to a rewarding career, and come join a leading provider of mission-critical background screening solutions to some of the most recognized Fortune 100 and Global 500 brands.
Why First Advantage is Your Next Big Career Move
First Advantage is going through a technology transformation! We are looking for experts who are excited to work with advanced technologies and provide best-in-class user experiences, drive the development and deployment of scalable solutions, and smoothly guide our agile teams and clients through meaningful changes as we continue to expand our impact.
What Are You Waiting For? Apply Today!
You have learned a little about us today – we want to learn about you! If you think this position and our company are a great fit for your areas of interest and expertise, tell us about you by applying now!
The salary range for this position is approximately $190,000-225,000 base annually. This range reflects our good faith estimate to pay fairly as to what our ideal candidates are likely to expect, and we tailor our offers within the range based on the selected candidate’s experience, industry knowledge, technical and communication skills, and other factors that may prove relevant during the interview process.
Say hello to a rewarding career, and come join a leading provider of mission-critical background screening solutions to some of the most recognized Fortune 100 and Global 500 brands.
Position Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced and visionary Principal Security Architect to lead the design, implementation, and governance of secure infrastructure across on-premises, AWS, and Azure environments. This role requires deep expertise in cloud-native security, secure software development strategies, information security and security engineering, with an eye towards automation and infrastructure-as-code. You will be responsible for reviewing software and infrastructure architectures, engineering robust security controls, and owning the automation of go-live security reviews to ensure scalable and secure cloud deployments.
Key Responsibilities
- Cloud Security Architecture: Design and maintain secure cloud architectures for AWS and Azure platforms, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and compliance requirements.
- Software Architecture Review: Collaborate with engineering teams to review application and infrastructure designs, identifying and mitigating security risks early in the development lifecycle.
- Security Engineering: Develop and implement advanced security controls, including IAM policies, network segmentation, encryption, and monitoring solutions.
- Automation Ownership: Lead the development of automated pipelines and tooling for go-live security reviews, integrating with CI/CD workflows to enforce security gates.
- Governance & Compliance: Ensure cloud environments meet regulatory and organizational compliance standards (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, SOX, CJIS).
- Mentorship & Leadership: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior security engineers and cross-functional teams.
- Incident Response Support: Collaborate with incident response teams to advise on cloud-related security incidents.
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in software development, with at least 5 years focused on cloud security architecture.
- Strong background in software development (e.g., Python, Go, Java, or similar).
- Deep expertise in AWS and Azure cloud platforms, including native security services.
- Proven experience conducting software and infrastructure architecture reviews.
- Demonstrated ability to design and implement automated security review pipelines.
- Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, Bicep).
- Experience with container security (e.g., Kubernetes, EKS, AKS) and serverless architecture.
- Strong understanding of DevSecOps principles and CI/CD integration.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Relevant certifications such as AWS Certified Security – Specialty, Azure Security Engineer Associate, CISSP, or CCSP.
- Experience with multi-cloud security strategies and hybrid environments.
- Knowledge of security frameworks such as NIST, CSA CCM, and MITRE ATT&CK.
Why First Advantage is Your Next Big Career Move
First Advantage is going through a technology transformation! We are looking for experts who are excited to work with advanced technologies and provide best-in-class user experiences, drive the development and deployment of scalable solutions, and smoothly guide our agile teams and clients through meaningful changes as we continue to expand our impact.
What Are You Waiting For? Apply Today!
You have learned a little about us today – we want to learn about you! If you think this position and our company are a great fit for your areas of interest and expertise, tell us about you by applying now!
The salary range for this position is approximately $190,000-225,000 base annually. This range reflects our good faith estimate to pay fairly as to what our ideal candidates are likely to expect, and we tailor our offers within the range based on the selected candidate’s experience, industry knowledge, technical and communication skills, and other factors that may prove relevant during the interview process.
Working at First Advantage
Overall Culture Score
4.6/5
CEO Score
Top
5%
Scott Staples
Top 5% of Similar Sized Companies on Comparably
Awards
Reviews from current employees
Our leadership team is focused on making First Advantage the best place to work at.
The transparency and openness was refreshing
The open communication, positive intent and drive to continue to grow together.
Videos
Diversity at First Advantage
Top
25%
Gender Score
As rated by current employees on Comparably
Diversity Score
As rated by current employees on Comparably
Perks and Benefits
- Health & Wellness
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Health Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Paid Time Off
- PTO / Vacation Policy
- Paid Holidays
- Financial Benefits
- 401K / Retirement Plan
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Office Perks
- Work From Home Policy
eNPS
| 53% | Promoters |
|---|---|
| 30% | Passive |
| 17% | Detractors |
First Advantage's Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is 36, as rated by 884 employees. This means 53% of First Advantage employees would encourage their friends to become coworkers today.
3 Cool Reasons to Work at First Advantage
- First Advantage is undergoing a technology transformation and is in a time of significant growth.
- The company is backed by Silver Lake Partners, the global leader in technology investing.
- It's a truly global organization with customers and teams members around the world.