Head: Information Security Architecture

Function

Information technology

Facility

Life Head Office

Position

Head: Information Security Architecture

Introduction

Life Healthcare currently has a vacancy for a Head: Information Security Architecture to be based at Head Office within the Group Information Security Department.

The Head of Security Architecture for the healthcare industry is responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining robust security architectures that protect sensitive patient data in compliance with healthcare regulations such as POPIA, GDPR. This role is critical in safeguarding confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic health records (EHR), patient and employee information, medical devices, and cloud-based healthcare services. The role will focus on designing and developing security architecture that aligns business and corporate security strategy. The role will collaboratively direct Security Architects, IT and Engineers to design and build security controls and solutions compliant with approved enterprise architecture frameworks and standards across business and digital.

Critical Outputs

• Design and develop complex and comprehensive security architectures for our systems, applications, and infrastructure, considering both current and future needs.
• Collaborates with stakeholders, including developers, engineers, and project managers, to integrate security requirements into the system design and development lifecycle.
• Provides guidance and expertise in secure coding practices, network security, identity and access management, data protection, and other security domains.
• Model threats and risks designing the controls necessary to mitigate them, on both an organizational and technical level – thinking like an attacker, understanding and anticipating the moves and tactics that a hacker might use to attack systems.
• Follow the architecture analysis process, which consists of research, validation and evaluation of all new initiatives, with phase gates reviews presented to all stakeholders during key forums including current trends such as AI and LLMS.
• Evaluates and selects security technologies, tools, and frameworks to support LHCs security.
• Define portfolio vision and reusable security patterns aligned with the EA strategy.
• Lead architecture reviews for high-risk projects, driving recommendations to resolution.
• Advise on security controls for hybrid and cloud platforms, balancing usability, cost, and compliance.
• Defines and applies security policies, standards, and procedures to ensure compliance with industry regulations and best practices.
• Leads incident response activities, including identification, containment, eradication, and recovery, in coordination with the incident response team.
• Experience with Cloud Security platform vendors and technologies such as Azure, and AWS.
• Manage security architects and mentor engineers, developers and vendors.

What will you bring?

• Risk‑based decision‑making - expert in ISO 27001 / NIST / CIS controls, able to quantify and articulate risk, then select proportionate, cost‑effective controls.
• Pen‑testing & threat‑modelling - scoping, overseeing and translating results into enforceable patterns and backlog items.
• Influential communication - proven ability to engage C‑suite and delivery stakeholders alike, adapting style to gain agreement and drive secure‑by‑design culture.
• Teamwork and Energy – work across different functional and business teams with effective collaboration.
• Technical depth - hands‑on knowledge of cloud security, IAM, container & API security, network segmentation, encryption and DevSecOps toolchains; capable of explaining exploitability of complex vulnerabilities. Zero trust design thinking.
• Mentoring & governance - experience line‑managing or coaching security architects/engineers and running architecture assurance or design‑review boards.
• Secure‑system design leadership - demonstrable track record creating or validating architectures for large‑scale, high‑risk services using recognised frameworks (SABSA, TOGAF,).

Requirements

• Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (preferred)
• Minimum of 5-10 years of experience in Security Architecture.
• CISSP, CISA, CISM, or other relevant security related designation(s) preferred.
• Certifications in CISSP-ISSAP, TOGAF, or SABSA, cloud architecture (Microsoft, AWS, GCP)
• Experience in identifying gaps in existing architectures.
• Understanding of security infrastructure in Public and Private Cloud, e.g. virtual network infrastructure, hybrid IaaS/PaaS/SaaS solutions.
• Experience in designing security architectures to mitigate threats and sound knowledge of security strategies and technologies.
• Direct the Project and Security teams with the guidance to build policies, standards, risks and controls frameworks supporting operational requirements for the business.
• Good experience in security architecture design in Cloud and on-prem.
• Design and implementation of IOT, End point protection, secure IAM.
• Understanding of authentication and authorisation technologies (SAML, LDAP, PKI, etc.) and other IAM technologies
• Understanding of the implementation, operation and maintenance of SIEM, boundary protection technologies (firewalls, mail gateways), Antivirus and AD security products
• Knowledge of web application architectures and threat modelling.
• Knowledge of secure application development methodologies.

Email

careers@lifehealthcare.co.za

Closing date

Friday, June 20, 2025