About Northern Trust
As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.
Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.
With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.
Role Overview
Northern Trust is building an AI Security organization responsible for enabling the safe adoption of AI across the enterprise. We are seeking a Senior Principal AI Security Architect to serve as a senior technical leader responsible for defining the security architecture strategy, reference architectures, and governance patterns that support enterprise AI platforms, agentic systems, digital coworkers, and emerging technologies.
This is a highly hands-on architecture role for an experienced technical leader who enjoys building as much as influencing. The successful candidate will create architecture artifacts, define enterprise standards, develop reusable patterns, and guide complex technology decisions while partnering closely with senior leaders across Cyber Security, Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, and Emerging Technology.
This role combines strategic influence with deep technical execution. The Senior Principal Architect will help define how AI is securely adopted across the enterprise while remaining actively engaged in architecture design, technical reviews, and solution development.
Key ResponsibilitiesEnterprise AI Security Strategy- Define and evolve the enterprise AI security architecture strategy.
- Establish architectural principles, guardrails, and standards for AI and emerging technologies.
- Partner with Cyber and Technology leadership to align AI adoption with security, regulatory, operational, and business objectives.
- Identify strategic architectural risks, capability gaps, and future-state requirements.
- Drive long-term architecture roadmaps supporting enterprise AI adoption.
- Serve as the senior security architecture lead for the firm's most complex and high-impact AI initiatives.
- Lead architecture reviews involving AI platforms, AI agents, cloud-native services, data integrations, and emerging technologies.
- Guide technical decision-making across multiple initiatives and programs simultaneously.
- Provide thought leadership on security architecture, architecture governance, and secure design practices.
- Mentor and develop architects across Cyber Security and Technology organizations.
- Define enterprise security patterns for: AI agents and digital coworkers Agent identity and authorization models AI orchestration platforms RAG architectures MCP integrations AI gateways Enterprise AI observability Model governance and control frameworks
- Create reusable reference architectures that reduce design complexity and accelerate secure delivery.
- Develop architecture blueprints that teams can implement consistently across the firm.
- Translate emerging industry practices into practical and actionable enterprise guidance.
- Build strong partnerships across: Enterprise Architecture Security Engineering Identity & Access Management Application Security Security Operations Data Protection Cloud Engineering Technology Delivery organizations Emerging Technology teams
- Influence architecture and investment decisions across multiple leadership forums.
- Lead technical working groups and architecture communities of practice.
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and executive stakeholders.
- Evaluate new AI platforms, frameworks, and technologies.
- Identify security implications associated with emerging AI capabilities and agentic architectures.
- Guide technology selection decisions through an architecture and risk lens.
- Shape the organization's perspective on future AI security capabilities and operating models.
- 12+ years of experience in security architecture, enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, software engineering, or related disciplines.
- Extensive experience defining enterprise technology strategies and architecture standards.
- Demonstrated success influencing technical direction across large and complex organizations.
- Deep expertise in: Identity and access management Enterprise security architecture Cloud security Application security API security Data protection DevSecOps Security monitoring and observability
- Experience leading architecture design for large-scale enterprise platforms or transformation programs.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Experience designing security architectures for generative AI, agentic AI, or advanced automation platforms.
- Familiarity with: AI orchestration frameworks Agent identity models Enterprise RAG architectures AI governance frameworks AI runtime security controls AI gateways and policy enforcement platforms Model lifecycle governance
- Experience establishing enterprise standards, reference architectures, and architecture governance processes.
- Experience operating within financial services or other highly regulated industries.
- Cloud, security, or architecture-related certifications.
Within the first year, a successful Senior Principal AI Security Architect will:
- Establish themselves as a recognized technical authority for AI security across the enterprise.
- Define key AI security architecture standards and reference patterns adopted by technology teams.
- Shape strategic decisions for enterprise AI platforms and agentic technology initiatives.
- Influence how security, architecture, and engineering teams collaborate to enable AI adoption.
- Create reusable architecture guidance that reduces review effort, increases consistency, and accelerates delivery.
- Help position AI Security as a trusted partner for innovation rather than a gatekeeper.
Salary Range:
$156,370 - 273,600 USDSalary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.
Work Authorization
Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa).
Working with Us
As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve.
Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities.
Reasonable Accommodation
Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected], or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.
Skills Required
- 12+ years of experience in security architecture, enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, software engineering, or related disciplines
- Experience defining enterprise technology strategies and architecture standards
- Success influencing technical direction across large and complex organizations
- Expertise in identity and access management
- Expertise in enterprise security architecture
- Expertise in cloud security
- Expertise in application security
- Expertise in API security
- Expertise in data protection
- Expertise in DevSecOps
- Expertise in security monitoring and observability
- Experience leading architecture design for large-scale enterprise platforms or transformation programs
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills
- Experience designing security architectures for generative AI, agentic AI, or advanced automation platforms
- Familiarity with AI orchestration frameworks, agent identity models, enterprise RAG architectures, AI governance frameworks, AI runtime security controls, AI gateways, policy enforcement platforms, and model lifecycle governance
- Experience establishing enterprise standards, reference architectures, and architecture governance processes
- Experience in financial services or another highly regulated industry
- Cloud, security, or architecture-related certifications
Northern Trust Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northern Trust and has not been reviewed or approved by Northern Trust.
-
Retirement Support — A 401(k) with company match alongside an employer‑funded defined‑benefit pension is highlighted in employer‑verified materials and filings, setting the retirement package apart from many private employers.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO is portrayed as solid overall, and two paid volunteer days per year are clearly documented across corporate materials.
-
Parental & Family Support — Company sources and postings reference paid parental and caregiver leave and recent enhancements to parental benefits, indicating meaningful family support within the package.
Northern Trust Insights
What We Do
As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing and investment solutions, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise and integrity. A globally recognized Fortune 500 Company in continuous operation since 1889, we’ve built a legacy of empowering clients to reach their goals with confidence. Since our roots as a trust bank, we’ve grown to a global presence with more than 24,000 employees in more than 20 countries and across six core business units: Wealth Management Asset Management Asset Servicing Technology Corporate Functions Enterprise Operations Join a Team That’s Achieving Greater At Northern Trust, we refer to our employees as partners – with good reason. We understand that relationships are the key to our success. Here you’ll join a diverse and inclusive team of innovators with the drive to challenge the way things have always been done. Instead of choosing between a dynamic career and work-life balance, enjoy working with a team that supports your goals in the office and at home. We’ll help you get where you want to go without sacrificing what matters most to you. Delivering value and adhering to our enduring principles What are enduring principles? Since our founding, they have guided our strategy and success. Thanks to the dedication of our partners, Northern Trust continues to thrive by adhering to three enduring principles: service, expertise and integrity . What does this mean? Service Northern Trust has a relentless drive to provide exceptional service to our clients, our partners and our communities. We set new standards and go above and beyond in our commitment to delivering greater results. Expertise Expertise is at the core of who we are. We focus sharply on what we do well. From expanding our capabilities, to hiring talented professionals to developing innovative solutions, our expertise is why we continue to be a trusted advisor for generations of families and institutions. Integrity Operating with uncompromising ethics is central to Northern Trust’s heritage. As a result, our clients, partners and communities know they can rely on us. For more than 130 years, our integrity has been our guide – and that will never change.
Why Work With Us
At Northern Trust, we go further because we go together. We embrace flexibility, encourage balance, and prioritize inclusion at all levels, working together to keep you connected. We are committed to our employees—all 24,000 of them. Whether this is a first step or a bold new leap in your career, we’re here to help you move forward.
Gallery
