GRC Risk & IAM Architect

About the Role

Hays is seeking an experienced GRC Risk & IAM Architect to join a large-scale cybersecurity architecture and governance program. This contract role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, within a highly regulated financial services environment. The position focuses on cybersecurity governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Privileged Access Management (PAM), application security, and security architecture assurance.

Role Purpose

The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring that security controls are aligned with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices. This involves leading cybersecurity risk and compliance activities and supporting the review and approval of architecture designs from a security and compliance perspective.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cybersecurity risk and compliance activities across enterprise architecture initiatives.
• Conduct security architecture risk assessments and control gap analyses.
• Map and assess security controls against regulatory and industry standards, including SAMA Cybersecurity Framework, NCA Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC), PCI DSS, and ISO 27001.
• Define and maintain governance processes related to security architecture, risk management, and compliance.
• Support the review and approval of architecture designs from a security and compliance perspective.
• Manage security exceptions, risk acceptance processes, and remediation plans.
• Prepare audit evidence and support internal and external audit activities.
• Define and enforce IAM and PAM architecture standards and best practices.
• Support authentication, authorization, single sign-on (SSO), identity federation, and access governance initiatives.
• Review application and API security architectures to ensure secure design principles are implemented.
• Support secure SDLC initiatives and security-by-design practices.
• Define requirements for data protection, encryption, cryptographic controls, and key management.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, infrastructure, application development, risk, and compliance teams.
• Contribute to cybersecurity architecture governance, continuous improvement, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Qualifications and Experience

• 5-10 years of experience in a relevant field.
• Experience within banking, financial services, fintech, or other highly regulated environments.
• Hands-on experience with IAM and PAM technologies.
• Experience supporting compliance initiatives and regulatory assessments.
• Strong knowledge of application security, API security, encryption, and key management frameworks.
• Experience working within enterprise cybersecurity architecture and governance functions.

Work Environment

This is a contract position located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, operating within a large-scale cybersecurity architecture and governance program in the financial services sector.