As a central part of its national security strategy, the government is investing in protecting the critical infrastructure of its allies globally. In support of this strategy and building on our 25 years as a leader in global threat reduction, CRDF Global is implementing cybersecurity and digital resilience programs across Europe and Eurasia, including Ukraine and the Western Balkans. 

The Cybersecurity Architect will serve as a hands-on and technical lead responsible for leading cybersecurity solutioning in support of existing and future opportunities. The Cybersecurity Architect needs to be able to provide solutions to drive practical cyber resilience measures across partner governments and critical infrastructure entities. 

This role is part of a regional deployment team designed to conduct rapid diagnostics, technical gap analysis, SOC maturity evaluations, and remediation planning aligned to NIST CSF EU NIS2, and other international cybersecurity standards. 

The ideal candidate is a technically strong cybersecurity practitioner with experience in cybersecurity executive briefing, solutioning, assessments, vulnerability management, and SOC operations who can operate independently in field environments and translate technical findings into actionable roadmaps for senior stakeholders. 

Major Responsibilities 

Program Design and Implementation 

Provide technical leadership in the design, planning, and implementation of cybersecurity projects  Develop frameworks and tools for the design, implementation, and evaluation of specific technical components  Ensure solution design and program implementation adheres to appropriate technical standards, regulatory requirements and best practice security guidance 

Mission Area and External Engagement 

Contribute technical input into proposal development and new business opportunities  Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with CRDF customer organizations, in country partners including CERTs and universities, relevant and foreign government agencies, and other organizations  Travel internationally for short-term engagements throughout Central Asia as needed  Represent CRDF Global in technical discussions, conferences, and seminars 

Technical Execution 

Lead and execute cybersecurity assessments aligned to NIST CSF ISO 27001, and EU NIS2 frameworks  Conduct hands on vulnerability scanning and analysis using tools such as Nessus, Qualys, and relevant open-source utilities  Assess SOC maturity including log collection, SIEM configuration, alerting workflows, case management, and incident response procedures  Evaluate implementation of technical controls including network segmentation, firewall configuration, endpoint detection and response, identity and access management, and MFA  Produce structured technical assessment reports including risk ratings, remediation roadmaps, and prioritized action plans  Support technical hardening and remediation planning with partner organizations  Participate in or advise on incident response engagements when required 

Technical Coordination and Community of Practice 

Coordinate across the CRDF Digital Resilience mission area and with the Office of the CTO to ensure technical consistency, architecture alignment, and integration of emerging cybersecurity tools and methodologies across regional programs  Participate in the CRDF Global Cyber Community of Practice to share lessons learned, contribute to methodology development, and strengthen cross regional technical collaboration 

Requirements 

Strong understanding of cybersecurity fundamentals including identity, endpoint, network and based security controls and governance  Experience in leading executive level cybersecurity engagements and effectively translating technical findings into prioritized and actionable technical cyber risk remediation and project plans  Industry security certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CCSP, CEH, GIAC, certifications from Microsoft, Amazon Web Services or Cisco  5+ years of hands-on experience in cybersecurity solutioning, hands-on delivery, security operations, and risk assessment and mitigation projects  Demonstrated experience conducting cybersecurity assessments using NIST CSF or comparable frameworks  Experience in designing and operating effective security monitoring, operations and response capabilities including identity, endpoint, network and SIEM security solutions  Ability to operate effectively in resource constrained or complex operational environments Willingness and ability to travel internationally  Fluency in spoken and written English, Kazakh, Russian, or another relevant regional language. 

Preferred

Experience in leading cyber incident response and recovery efforts originating from nations state level actors  Experience working in foreign assistance or government funded programs, especially in Europe and Eurasia  College degree in cybersecurity or related field 

CRDF Global offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

CRDF Global is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). CRDF Global provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran, age, or disability status.