Data Security Architect – AI Governance & Controls

Company: $50B Publicly Traded Company
Location: Chicagoland Area (Hybrid)
Type: Full-Time

Job Overview

The Data Security Architect is a strategic, business-facing security leader responsible for ensuring that AI capabilities are implemented securely, responsibly, and in alignment with enterprise data protection standards. This role bridges security architecture, data governance, and AI risk oversight helping the business understand what AI components actually do, how they interact with sensitive data, and where risks emerge as tools evolve.

You will partner closely with business executives, engineering teams, and security leadership to evaluate proposed AI use cases, clarify ambiguous requirements, and ensure AI functionality is properly scoped, controlled, and monitored. As AI capabilities within enterprise tools expand, you will lead a team responsible for validating that deployments remain within approved guardrails, identifying unauthorized feature drift, and reassessing risks across data handling, model behavior, system integrations, and third-party dependencies.

This is not a development or model-training role. It is a security architecture position requiring the ability to translate complex AI and data-security concepts into clear guidance for senior business leaders, ensuring that AI is used safely, ethically, and in compliance with internal and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

AI Governance & Risk Assessment

• Evaluate proposed AI and GenAI use cases for data sensitivity, privacy risk, and security controls
• Translate ambiguous or high-level business concepts into clear, assessable technical requirements
• Ensure all AI components operate within approved data-access, retention, and usage boundaries
• Identify shifts in AI tool functionality (“AI drift”), feature expansions, or new integrations and reassess risk accordingly
• Validate AI vendors meet enterprise security, encryption, and data-handling standards

Data Security Architecture & Controls Design

• Architect secure data-flow patterns for AI tools, ensuring encryption, access controls, segregation of duties, and logging are properly implemented
• Design guardrails and technical controls to prevent unintended data exposure or unauthorized AI behavior
• Partner with cloud, infrastructure, and enterprise architecture teams to integrate AI solutions securely
• Support implementation of data-classification standards for AI-enabled applications

Business Enablement & Communication

• Translate technical AI functionality into clear, non-technical business language
• Educate leaders on AI risks, limitations, capabilities, and compliance requirements
• Serve as the security advisor for departments adopting AI-enabled tools or workflows
• Provide decision-ready recommendations to senior executives regarding AI risk acceptance or mitigation

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Cybersecurity, or related field
• Proven experience in data security architecture, encryption, identity & access management, and secure system integrations
• Strong knowledge of AI and language-model behavior, including ability to evaluate enterprise AI applicability, data-flow implications, and risk
• Demonstrated ability to partner with business stakeholders to gather, interpret, and translate high-level requirements into secure architectural guidance
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of presenting complex concepts to executive, technical, and non-technical audiences
• Experience supporting large-scale, highly regulated environments preferred (financial services, healthcare, or public companies)

Benefits

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) with competitive company match
• Additional programs supporting well-being and work-life balance
• And much more!

Compensation

$160,000 – $200,000 base salary, plus annual performance bonus eligibility.
Final compensation is based on experience, qualifications, and skills.