Senior Architect

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

The Principal Architect will provide technical leadership, architectural direction, and engineering expertise across the enterprise network access control and segmentation services portfolio. This role is responsible for the design, implementation, integration, automation, governance, and lifecycle management of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Cisco Catalyst Center, and Cisco TrustSec technologies. The successful candidate will drive strategic initiatives focused on identity-based access control, policy-driven segmentation, infrastructure automation, and operational standardization while ensuring alignment with enterprise security and network architecture standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Architecture & Engineering

• Lead the architecture, design, deployment, and ongoing enhancement of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solutions across enterprise environments.
• Provide engineering and operational support for Cisco ISE platforms, including troubleshooting complex authentication, authorization, and policy enforcement issues.
• Design, configure, test, and support integrations between Cisco ISE and Cisco Catalyst Center to enable centralized policy orchestration and automated network access control.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and operations teams to ensure secure and scalable deployment of identity-based networking solutions.
• Develop high-level and low-level designs that align with enterprise architecture standards, security objectives, and operational requirements.
• Support platform lifecycle management activities, including software upgrades, patching strategies, feature evaluations, and technology roadmap planning.

TrustSec & Network Segmentation

• Lead the design and implementation of Cisco TrustSec-based segmentation architectures.
• Define and develop Security Group Tags (SGTs), Security Group Access Control Lists (SGACLs), and policy-based segmentation frameworks across campus, data center, and hybrid environments.
• Evaluate and validate TrustSec policy models to ensure compliance with security, regulatory, and business requirements.
• Support deployment activities including testing, migration planning, implementation, and post-deployment optimization.
• Partner with security architecture and governance teams to establish standards and best practices for identity-based segmentation and Zero Trust initiatives.
• Conduct impact assessments and architectural reviews for new segmentation use cases and enterprise network changes.

Automation & Infrastructure as Code

• Collaborate with automation and engineering teams to develop and implement ISE-as-Code and policy-as-code capabilities.
• Design and support API-based integrations between Cisco ISE, Catalyst Center, and enterprise management platforms.
• Develop automated workflows for policy deployment, configuration management, compliance validation, and operational reporting.
• Drive adoption of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) methodologies to improve consistency, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Support automation initiatives utilizing technologies such as Python, REST APIs, Ansible, Git repositories, CI/CD processes, and related automation frameworks.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual operational activities through orchestration and automation.

Architecture Governance & Strategy

• Define architectural standards, reference architectures, and design principles for network access control and segmentation services.
• Develop strategic technology roadmaps supporting enterprise security transformation and network modernization initiatives.
• Lead technical design reviews and provide governance oversight for projects impacting identity, access control, and segmentation services.
• Ensure solutions adhere to security policies, compliance requirements, operational standards, and architectural best practices.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to engineering, operations, and project teams.

Documentation & Process Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement of architectural documentation, operational procedures, and engineering standards.
• Create and maintain High-Level Designs (HLDs), Low-Level Designs (LLDs), standards documentation, implementation guides, and support procedures.
• Establish and promote process standardization across architecture, engineering, deployment, and operational functions.
• Support governance activities including design approvals, risk assessments, technical reviews, and architectural decision records.
• Develop and maintain reusable templates, frameworks, and best practices to improve consistency across technology initiatives.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Extensive experience designing, implementing, and supporting Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solutions within large-scale enterprise environments.
• Strong experience integrating Cisco ISE with Cisco Catalyst Center and associated network infrastructure platforms.
• Deep knowledge of Cisco TrustSec architecture, Security Group Tags (SGTs), Security Group Access Control Lists (SGACLs), and policy-based segmentation strategies.
• Strong understanding of network security, identity-based access control, Zero Trust principles, and enterprise authentication frameworks.
• Experience with REST APIs, automation frameworks, and Infrastructure as Code methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with Python, Ansible, Git, and enterprise automation platforms.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills across complex network and security environments.
• Experience developing technical roadmaps, reference architectures, and governance frameworks.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and documentation skills.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE), Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE), or equivalent advanced networking certification.
• Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco Catalyst Center implementation experience within large enterprise or regulated environments.
• Experience supporting Zero Trust transformation programs and software-defined segmentation initiatives.
• Familiarity with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, configuration management, and cloud-based automation practices.
• Experience working within architecture review boards, governance committees, or enterprise architecture functions.

The EOS pay range for this job is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, market data, or other laws.