Quantum Cryptography Architect

As a Quantum Cryptography Architect at Starling, you will lead the bank's Post-Quantum Cryptography initiative and shape our strategic approach to cryptographic security across cloud-native and on-premise environments. You join the Security Architecture team, a group driving significant impact across the organisation, guiding and empowering teams across Security and the wider technology landscape. With quantum computing capabilities evolving, Starling is ramping up its Post-Quantum Cryptography efforts, and you will own the strategic design of our cryptography roadmaps to keep the bank resilient against emerging future threats.

What you'll do

• Lead Starling's Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) initiative, taking ownership of designing the crypto-inventory, evaluating PQC algorithms, and architecting solutions built for cryptographic agility
• Act as the Cryptography subject matter expert, providing architecture and design guidance on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), key management, service mesh security, and transport layer protocols across cloud environments
• Architect secure, scalable solutions across AWS and GCP, translating complex security requirements into pragmatic design patterns for engineering teams
• Lead and assist with secure design reviews and threat modeling initiatives, delivering actionable security guidance and continuous support to engineering teams
• Design and build proof-of-concept solutions for engineers to refine or draw inspiration from
• Work closely with software engineers, cloud architects, and security operations to review RFCs and ADRs, conduct threat models, and embed security seamlessly into the development lifecycle
• Serve as a trusted advisor within the Security Architecture team, staying ahead of industry trends, threat vectors, and regulatory standards to elevate Starling's overall security posture
• Architect end-to-end security solutions for cloud-native applications, microservices, and modern banking platforms
• Perform threat modeling and technical risk assessments on new and existing platform architectures
• Define, document, and promote enterprise cryptographic management standards including key lifecycle, hardware security, and modern cipher suites
• Review architectural design documents, RFCs, and ADRs to ensure alignment with security guardrails and regulatory requirements
• Mentor engineering teams and provide guidance on cryptographic implementations, securely managing secrets, and data protection at rest and in transit
• Support the rest of the Security Architecture team with daily security architecture activities including ad hoc security architecture advisory services

What you bring

• Proven track record in an Information Security Architect or Senior Security Engineering role designing secure, distributed systems within modern cloud environments (AWS/GCP)
• Comprehensive practical and theoretical knowledge of symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, PKI management, digital signatures, key management systems (KMS), and HSMs
• Strong understanding of quantum computing threats to modern encryption, NIST PQC standards, hybrid key exchange, and strategies for achieving crypto-agility
• Demonstrated ability to perform threat modeling on complex cloud-native applications, APIs, and microservices architectures such as Kubernetes and ECS
• A pragmatic approach to security, believing that security should enable engineering speed, with the ability to design security controls that minimise developer friction
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of distilling complex technical and cryptographic risks into clear guidance for both technical teams and senior leadership

Nice to have

• Experience in fintech, banking, or highly regulated cloud environments such as PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, or NIST guidelines
• A demonstrated background in a highly technical role such as Security Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, or Penetration Testing
• Experience in infrastructure, application, and AI security including container security, secure code reviews, and secure integration of generative AI/ML
• Practical experience leveraging and applying the SABSA (Sherwood Applied Business Security Architecture) framework to design business-driven, risk-aligned enterprise security architectures
• Recognised industry security certifications such as SABSA, CISSP, AWS Security Specialty, or specialised cryptography credentials

What we offer

• 25 days holiday plus public holiday allowance taken when it works best for you
• An extra day's holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave increased with length of service, with the option to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time per year
• Salary sacrifice and company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary and group income protection
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care, plus partner benefits including discounts with Waitrose, Mr & Mrs Smith, and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership providing access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships, and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing
• Hybrid work with minimum 1 day per week in office (commutable distance to London, Cardiff, Dublin, Southampton, or Manchester)

About Starling

Starling is the UK's first and leading digital bank, a fully licensed tech-first company that has grown to employ over 3,000 people across offices in London, Cardiff, Dublin, Southampton, and Manchester. The bank now serves 3.5 million customer accounts and 350,000 business customers, delivering fast technology, fair service, and honest values centred on helping customers spend, save, and manage their money while taking better care of the planet.