Senior Technical Lead
South Africa
Job Description
Senior Technical Lead
Johannesburg, Gauteng

Job Summary

Security Engineer – Cloud, Identity & Cryptography

Professional Profile

Security Engineer with strong experience in cloud security, secure software development, identity and access management, cryptography, security architecture, threat modelling, and automated security controls. Experienced in partnering with engineering teams to embed security throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), develop secure-by-default solutions, and automate security assessment and remediation at scale. Strong focus on leveraging cloud-native technologies, automation, AI/ML, and DevSecOps practices to continuously identify, prevent, and remediate security risks.

Core Competencies

  • Cloud & Infrastructure Security
  • Security Architecture & Secure-by-Design
  • Identity & Access Management (IAM)
  • Authentication & Authorisation
  • Cryptography & Key Management
  • Threat Modelling & Risk Assessment
  • Secure Coding & Code Review
  • Application & API Security
  • DevSecOps & CI/CD Security
  • Security Automation & Security Guardrails
  • Vulnerability Management & Remediation
  • Preventive & Detective Security Controls
  • Continuous Security Assessment
  • Security Testing
  • AI/ML-Assisted Security
  • Security Monitoring & Threat Detection
  • Incident Response
  • Security Governance & Risk Management
  • Self-Service Security Platforms & Tooling

Professional Experience – Relevant Responsibilities

  • Designed, implemented, and maintained automated security guardrails and secure-by-default controls across cloud environments and enterprise platforms.
  • Partnered with software engineering and development teams during the ideation, architecture, and design phases to identify security risks early and embed security into applications and services.
  • Provided security architecture guidance, threat modelling, and recommendations for secure application, infrastructure, identity, and data designs.
  • Conducted secure code reviews and security assessments, identifying vulnerabilities and providing practical remediation guidance to development teams.
  • Developed automated security assessment capabilities to replace manual, point-in-time security reviews with continuous security validation and assurance.
  • Built and implemented preventive and detective security controls to continuously monitor, identify, and mitigate security risks.
  • Collaborated directly with developers to implement security fixes, reusable security patterns, and paved-road solutions, making secure development the easiest development path.
  • Developed scalable, self-service security tooling that enabled engineering teams to identify, assess, and remediate vulnerabilities without creating dependencies on central security teams.
  • Integrated security controls into the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), including security design reviews, threat modelling, secure coding, vulnerability assessment, and security testing.
  • Automated security processes using scripting and programming, improving the scalability, consistency, and efficiency of security operations.
  • Applied knowledge of industry-standard vulnerabilities, attack techniques, and remediation strategies to strengthen application and cloud security.
  • Worked collaboratively with security, engineering, architecture, and platform teams to define and execute long-term security strategies.
  • Supported security incidents and contributed to incident response activities, ensuring effective investigation, containment, remediation, and preventative improvements.
  • Leveraged AI/ML tools and techniques to accelerate security assessments, automate threat detection, improve vulnerability triage, and enhance security analysis and code review workflows.
  • Explored and implemented AI-native security practices to improve the scalability and effectiveness of security engineering processes.
  • Promoted security automation and engineering practices that enabled teams to operate securely at large scale without compromising development velocity.

Key Responsibilities

Key Technical Areas

Cloud Security: AWS, Cloud Security Architecture, IAM, KMS, Security Controls, Cloud Infrastructure Security

Application Security: Secure Coding, Code Review, OWASP, API Security, Threat Modelling, Vulnerability Management

DevSecOps: CI/CD Security, Automated Security Testing, Security Gates, Continuous Assessment, Infrastructure as Code

Identity & Cryptography: Authentication, Authorisation, IAM, Identity Governance, Encryption, Key Management, Cryptographic Controls

Security Engineering: Security Automation, Guardrails, Paved Roads, Security Tooling, Preventive & Detective Controls

AI Security: AI/ML Security Automation, Automated Threat Detection, Vulnerability Triage, AI-Assisted Code Review, AI-Native Development

Incident Response: Security Monitoring, Threat Detection, Incident Investigation, Remediation, Continuous Improvement

Achievement-Oriented CV Bullets

  • Automated security assessments and controls across cloud environments, reducing reliance on manual security reviews and improving continuous security assurance.
  • Designed and implemented secure-by-default cloud security guardrails, enabling development teams to deploy securely while maintaining engineering velocity.
  • Partnered with engineering teams to integrate threat modelling, secure coding, security architecture reviews, and automated security testing throughout the SDLC.
  • Developed self-service security tooling that enabled engineering teams to independently identify and remediate security vulnerabilities, reducing security-team bottlenecks.
  • Implemented preventive and detective security controls to continuously identify security risks and provide ongoing assurance across critical cloud services.
  • Applied AI/ML capabilities to automate security analysis, vulnerability triage, threat detection, and secure code review processes.
  • Provided security architecture guidance for highly scalable cloud platforms, balancing security requirements with performance, availability, and developer experience.
  • Collaborated across security and engineering teams to establish long-term security strategies, reusable security patterns, and scalable security engineering practices.

Skill Requirements

Other Requirements

Information at a Glance

Why HCLTech?

At HCLTech, you'll supercharge your potential. You'll find your career. And you'll find your spark. All at a place that knows that helping its customers stay on top starts by putting its people first.

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 223,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around digital, engineering, cloud and AI, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending June 2026 totaled $14.8 billion.