Enterprise Security Architect Lead

About the job

INSPIRE | EXHILARATE | DELIGHT

For over seven decades, Chalhoub Group has been a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. In its pursuit to excel as a hybrid luxury retailer, the Group has curated a portfolio of over 10 owned brands and strengthened its distribution and marketing expertise for over 400 international names across luxury fashion, beauty, jewellery, watches, eyewear, and art de vivre categories.

Every step at Chalhoub Group is taken to build a future where luxury dreams become reality — bridging cultures and crafting memorable experiences for our consumers. Be it by constantly reinventing itself, committing to innovation, or embracing new technologies, the Group is shaping the future of luxury retail. It delivers seamless omnichannel experiences across more than 950 stores, online platforms, and mobile apps. Driving this innovation journey is The Greenhouse — the Group’s innovation hub, incubator, and accelerator for startups and emerging businesses, regionally and globally.

What you'll be doing

The Lead Enterprise Security Architecture is responsible for defining and leading the Group's Enterprise Security Architecture capability, ensuring security is embedded by design across business transformation, technology delivery, digital innovation and operational change.

The role owns the enterprise security architecture strategy, standards, governance and target-state roadmap, providing architectural leadership across the Group's technology landscape. Working in close partnership with Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, Infrastructure, Digital, Data, Product, SAP and business leadership teams, the role ensures that technology investments are secure, resilient, scalable and aligned with the Group Information Security Strategy.

As the Group's senior security architecture authority, this role enables business growth through pragmatic risk management, modern security engineering practices and strategic technology governance.

• Define, own and continuously evolve the Group Enterprise Security Architecture strategy, standards, principles and target-state roadmap.
• Establish security architecture patterns and reference architectures that support business transformation and technology modernisation.
• Drive continuous improvement of the Group's enterprise security architecture capability and maturity.
• Own the Security Design Authority and provide governance for enterprise architecture decisions, security design standards, architecture exceptions and technology risk across the Group.
• Ensure security is embedded throughout the technology lifecycle and incorporated into solution design from inception.
• Govern architecture decisions, design exceptions and technology risk to ensure alignment with enterprise standards and business objectives.
• Provide enterprise security architecture leadership across strategic programmes, digital initiatives and enterprise technology platforms.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture to shape enterprise technology roadmaps, ensuring security requirements are embedded into strategic technology decisions and future-state architectures.
• Evaluate new technologies and major investments to ensure they meet security, resilience and architectural standards.
• Develop and maintain enterprise security architecture standards aligned with recognised industry frameworks and regulatory requirements.
• Provide independent security architecture assurance and technical due diligence for strategic programmes, enterprise platforms, cloud services, third-party solutions and technology investments.
• Represent Information Security at architecture, technology governance and investment forums.
• Assess emerging technologies and evolving cyber threats to inform the Group's security architecture strategy.
• Embed Security by Design across the full technology lifecycle, ensuring security requirements are considered from concept through implementation and operational transition.
• Drive the adoption of modern security architecture practices, automation and engineering capabilities. Continuously develop and mature the Group's Enterprise Security Architecture capability, standards, methodologies and operating model.
• Promote standardisation, simplification and continuous improvement across the technology landscape.
• Act as the trusted security architecture advisor to senior technology and business leaders ensuring technology enables business growth while effectively managing cyber risk.
• Build strong partnerships across Technology & Data, Digital, Product, Engineering and business functions. Provide architectural leadership across identity, cloud, infrastructure, applications, data, enterprise platforms and emerging technologies.
• Lead and develop the Enterprise Security Architecture capability, fostering technical excellence, collaboration and innovation.

What you’ll need to succeed

• Minimum 10–12 years' experience in Enterprise Security Architecture.
• Proven experience defining and governing enterprise security architecture within a complex, global organisation.
• Demonstrated experience leading security architecture across large-scale business transformation, cloud adoption and enterprise technology modernisation programmes.
• Experience providing architectural governance for enterprise platforms, digital products and third-party technology solutions.
• Experience supporting major ERP or enterprise platform transformations (e.g. SAP or equivalent) is highly desirable.
• Strong experience influencing senior technology leaders, enterprise architects and executive stakeholders.
• Experience developing enterprise architecture standards, reference architectures and security design governance. Strong knowledge and practical experience across:
• Enterprise Security Architecture
• Security by Design and Secure Engineering principles
• Enterprise Architecture and Architecture Governance
• Cloud & Hybrid Security Architecture
• Identity & Access Management
• Infrastructure, Network & Platform Security
• Application, API & Data Security
• DevSecOps and Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC)
• Zero Trust Architecture
• Cyber Risk Management and Security Governance
• Emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence and Automation

• Strategic thinker with strong commercial and business acumen.
• Executive presence with exceptional communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance business enablement with effective cyber risk management.
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving capability within complex enterprise environments.
• Collaborative leader who builds trusted partnerships across business and technology functions.
• Passion for developing people, fostering innovation and driving continuous improvement.

What we can offer you

With us, you will turn your aspirations into reality. We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.

We recognise the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employee discounts.

Using GenAI in Your Application Process

To support a fair and consistent experience for all candidates, we ask that assessments and interviews are completed independently and without assistance from generative AI tools. This ensures we understand your strengths, your thinking, and how you approach real situations.

We Invite All Applicants to Apply

It Takes Diversity Of Thought, Culture, Background, Differing Abilities and Perspectives to truly Inspire, Exhilarate and Delight our customers. At Chalhoub Group, we are committed to inclusion and diversity.