About us:
SSP is a leading operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, with c.42,000 colleagues in over 600 locations across 37 countries. We operate sit-down and quick service restaurants, cafes, lounges and food-led convenience stores, principally in airports and train stations, with a portfolio of around 550 international, national and local brands.
These include our own brands Upper Crust, Millies Cookies etc. as well as franchise brands such as M&S, Starbucks and Burger King.
Our purpose is to be the best part of the journey, and this is underpinned by our aim to bring leading brands and innovative concepts to our clients and customers around the world, with an emphasis on great value, taste, quality and service.
About the role:
Cyber Security is a top priority for us at SSP, and our vision is to create a resilient, adaptive cyber security environment that prioritises risk reduction and continues to safeguard our operations against critical threats, by embedding a culture of proactive risk management globally.
To help us successfully achieve these goals, we are seeking an experienced Cyber Security Architect to join our core Cyber Security Programme team on a 12-month FTC.
This role will provide architectural and technical oversight, including embedding secure by design principle across all workstreams within the program. The Cyber Security Architect will play a pivotal role in guiding and shaping key initiatives within the Cyber Programme, including asset management, IAM and PAM.
What you’ll be doing:
- Architectural Oversight: Lead the development of cybersecurity architectures and frameworks across all projects within the Cyber Security Programme, ensuring consistency, integration, and alignment with the organisation's strategic objectives.
- Solution Design: Provide overall leadership for the high level and detailed technical design stages, producing design documentation in line with SSP standards. Represent the programme at, and secure signoff from SSP’s Technical Design Forum.
- Program Leadership: Act as a key member of the core program team, providing architectural guidance and support to multiple project teams, driving a cohesive approach to cybersecurity across the organization.
- Strategic Planning: Develop and maintain a forward-looking architecture roadmap that addresses evolving threats, industry trends, and emerging technologies to keep our security posture robust and future-proof.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with stakeholders, including business leaders, IT, operations, and other project teams, to ensure that cybersecurity solutions are seamlessly integrated into all aspects of the organisation.
- Technical Expertise: Serve as the program’s technical authority on cybersecurity matters, offering deep expertise across IAM, PAM, asset management, threat detection, incident response, and zero-trust principles.
- Innovation: Identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies and best practices to enhance the organisation’s cybersecurity capabilities and adaptability to new threats.
- Mentorship and Knowledge Sharing: Lead, mentor, and develop the skills of cybersecurity professionals within the program, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
Skills and Knowledge required:
- Experience: You will have previous experience in a senior or lead cyber architecture role, with proven success in managing large-scale, multi-project cybersecurity transformation programmes, ideally in a global organisation.
- Technical Skills: In-depth knowledge of cybersecurity principles, including IAM, PAM, asset management, managed detection and response, zero-trust architectures, and cloud security.
- Strategic Mindset: Strong strategic and analytical thinking, with the ability to align cybersecurity initiatives with organisational objectives and evolving threat landscapes.
- Communication: Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable strategies for stakeholders at all levels.
- Leadership: Demonstrated leadership experience, particularly in guiding cross-functional teams and influencing decision-making at senior levels.
- Certifications: Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, TOGAF, or SABSA are preferred.
Belong at SSP:
Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at SSP. We are an equal opportunities employer committed to engaging all of our people, so they feel valued and motivated; we champion diversity, promote inclusion, and ensure equality.
We respect and protect human rights and prevent discrimination; and we positively impact our communities. We encourage and welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates regardless of background, gender, race, religious beliefs, disability, sexual identity and orientation or age.
