(Contractor) Solutions Architect / Security Lead

At Sparq, we help companies solve the right problems—not just build more technology. We’re a modern product engineering partner blending strategy, craftsmanship, and speed to help organizations modernize confidently in the age of AI. From data ecosystems to digital products and AI acceleration, we turn complexity into clarity and ideas into impact. If you’re driven to build what’s next, lead with empathy, and deliver excellence without ego, you’ll feel right at home at Sparq. C2C is not available Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship This role requires availability to work during Eastern Time Zone business hours. A Day in the Life: Define and govern the overall technical architecture for a complex, multi-workflow enterprise financial platform, serving as the central authority on cross-team technical contracts, shared data schemas, and integration point specifications Lead security architecture and compliance hardening across the platform, applying security-by-design principles, least-privilege access models, and audit trail design in a regulated financial services environment Coordinate penetration testing, planning, and execution in partnership with the Senior Pen Tester, ensuring readiness against BaFin and GDPR regulatory standards Establish and enforce shared data schemas, API contracts, and integration specifications across parallel delivery pods, maintaining architecture governance continuity as teams converge Design and oversee Azure-native cloud infrastructure, including Key Vault, Entra 2FA, App Service, AKS, networking, and IAM configurations Actively leverage AI tools to streamline tasks, improve the quality of your work, and share best practices with teammates while continuously seeking new ways to integrate AI into your everyday workflows Drive SAP integration architecture and ERP data exchange patterns at enterprise scale, ensuring seamless connectivity across platform components Engage directly with enterprise architecture, compliance, and security stakeholders to align technical decisions with organizational standards and regulatory obligations Participate in key design and review milestones across all delivery pods, providing architectural guidance and removing cross-team blockers in real time What it takes: Deep expertise in solutions or enterprise architecture on Azure-native cloud platforms, including Key Vault, Entra 2FA, App Service, AKS, networking, and IAM Proven experience leading security architecture and compliance hardening in regulated financial services environments Strong understanding of security-by-design principles, least-privilege access models, and audit trail design Ability to establish and enforce cross-team architecture governance, including shared data schemas, API contracts, and integration specifications Experience coordinating penetration testing and audit readiness in BaFin and GDPR-regulated contexts Consultative approach to engaging directly with enterprise architecture, compliance, and security stakeholders at large, complex organizations Hands-on experience using AI tools to enhance daily work, or a strong desire to do so, including a willingness to experiment, learn, and champion AI adoption within your role Familiarity with SAP integration architecture and ERP data exchange patterns at enterprise scale Ability to maintain architecture continuity and technical authority across parallel delivery teams through convergence Strong problem-solving skills to navigate complex cross-pod technical dependencies and integration challenges Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels Regardless of your specific role, we seek individuals who are excited to explore, adopt, and evangelize AI tools and methodologies. If you have experience in AI or a proven track record of rapidly learning and mentoring others on emerging tech, you’ll fit right in. Equal Employment Opportunity Policy: Sparq is proud to offer equal employment opportunity without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities and believe in an inclusive workplace. If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, please let us know by contacting [email protected] #LI-REMOTE