Job DescriptionDescription:
The Senior Technology Architect brings extensive expertise in cyber security and privacy controls to strengthen the cyber resilience of Ontario K–12 school boards. This role focuses on identifying vulnerabilities, cyber posture maturity gaps, guiding remediation, and enhancing protection for school boards’ digital environments. The architect leads assessments, develops tailored action plans, and provides hands-on implementation guidance and support to improve the risk posture of school boards.
This resource is responsible for, but not limited to:
- Leading and conducting comprehensive cyber security and privacy assessments across Ontario K–12 school boards, including Threat Risk Assessments (TRA) and Cyber Security Risk Assessments
- Preparing detailed assessment reports and present findings, risk insights, and remediation plans to school board leadership and stakeholders.
- Developing board-specific actionable remediation plans to address identified gaps, mitigate risks and improve overall cyber resilience of K-12 school boards individually and sector-wide
- Providing hands-on practical subject matter expertise and implementation guidance and support to enhance school board cyber protection capabilities, including:
- Strengthening existing cyber security controls
- Identifying, selecting, and implementing new cyber security controls
- Enhancing privacy safeguards with a focus on minors as a priority
- Complying with any applicable legislation, current and upcoming
- Aligning with sector-specific standards and best practices
- Right-sizing recommendations and solutions to the K-12 education sector
- Supporting school boards in completing cyber security assessments by providing guidance, clarifications, and tailored assistance.
- Reviewing and validating submitted assessment responses; track progress, identify issues, and conduct follow-ups to support remediation.
- Contributing to the development, validation, and enhancement of sector tools and frameworks (Cybersecurity and Privacy Assessment Tool (CPAT) and other self-assessment tools, user guides, and reporting outputs).
- Maintaining risk logs, remediation plans, and technical documentation to support transparency and continuous improvement.
- Collaborating with ministry, school board and sector third-party cyber security personnel to share knowledge, assist with upskilling IT teams and guide implementation of recommended controls.
- Advising on findings, root cause analysis and mitigation strategies following security or privacy incidents, ensuring lessons learned are translated into improved practices.
- Supporting the development and operationalization of cyber security controls, policies, and playbooks tailored to the K–12 education environment.
- Engaging with internal and external stakeholders, including school board leadership, IT teams, and government partners, to ensure alignment with broader cyber security initiatives and legislative requirements (e.g., EDSTA).
- Delivering presentations, briefings, and consultation sessions to communicate findings, recommendations, and progress updates.
- Monitoring and reporting on project deliverables, providing regular status updates and ensuring timely completion of assigned tasks.
- Staying up to date with evolving cyber threats, privacy regulations, and sector-specific risks, and incorporate this knowledge into engagements and recommendations.
- Managing and delivering multiple concurrent cyber security engagements across diverse school board environments, prioritizing, and maintaining high-quality deliverables under tight timelines.
- Delivering on other duties as assigned.
This work involves working in close partnership with various government departments, the K-12 education sector, telecommunications providers, and network and cyber security technology vendors to develop tailored approaches and implementation plans. To support various stakeholders, the resource must be available to perform hands-on configuration, troubleshooting and training at the client site. Therefore, the resource must be available to travel same day or overnight in Ontario, as needed.
The unit manager may assign other related board work for other unit or branch initiatives, as required.
Requirements
Experience and Skill Set Requirements:
Must Haves:
- 10+ years of experience in cyber security programs, frameworks, standards, and regulatory compliance, preferably within the public or broader public sector.
- 10+ years of experience conducting cyber security assessments, including:
- 10+ years of experience evaluating technical and administrative controls; developing findings, risk logs, and reports; and preparing actionable, risk-based remediation plans.
- Experience applying maturity models (e.g., NIST-based models, CMMI, or equivalent) to assess cyber security capabilities
- 10+ years of experience applying industry-standard cyber security frameworks, including:
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) v1.1 and v2.0
- CIS Critical Security Controls v8
- ISO/IEC 27001
- 10+ years of experience preparing clear, structured written deliverables, including:
- Cyber security and privacy assessment reports
- Remediation plans and recommendations
Nice to have:
- Demonstrated experience working with NIST CSF v2.0 is preferred
- 10+ years of experience presenting complex technical concepts, assessment findings, and risk insights to executive leadership, management teams, and diverse stakeholders.
- One or more recognized cyber security certifications
- Privacy certifications
- Knowledge of Government of Ontario standards, policies, and directives (e.g., GO-ITS, EDSTA).
Skill Set Requirements:
Cyber Security and Privacy:
- 10+ years of experience in cyber security programs, frameworks, standards, and regulatory compliance, preferably within the public or broader public sector.
- 10+ years of experience conducting cyber security assessments, including:
- Threat Risk Assessments (TRAs)
- Cyber Security Risk Assessments
- Cyber security GRC program assessments
- 10+ years of experience evaluating technical and administrative controls; developing findings, risk logs, and reports; and preparing actionable, risk-based remediation plans.
- Experience applying maturity models (e.g., NIST-based models, CMMI, or equivalent) to assess cyber security capabilities
- Advanced experience in data analytics and statistical analysis to analyze raw data and compilate meaningful insights and visuals
- 10+ years of experience applying industry-standard cyber security frameworks, including:
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) v1.1 and v2.0
- CIS Critical Security Controls v8
- ISO/IEC 27001
- COBIT
- Demonstrated experience working with NIST CSF v2.0 is preferred
- 10+ years of experience applying privacy frameworks such as:
- NIST Privacy Framework
- ISO/IEC 27701
- Strong knowledge of privacy and cyber security considerations related to Internet of Things (IoT) environments.
- Strong knowledge of privacy and cyber security considerations related to the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI tools).
- Strong knowledge of applicable privacy legislation and regulatory requirements, including:
- Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA)
- Canadian Privacy Act
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024 (EDSTA)
Communication Skills and Experience:
- 10+ years of experience presenting complex technical concepts, assessment findings, and risk insights to executive leadership, management teams, and diverse stakeholders.
- 10+ years of experience preparing clear, structured written deliverables, including:
- Cyber security and privacy assessment reports
- Remediation plans and recommendations
- Status reports and briefing materials
- Demonstrated ability to translate technical findings into clear, actionable insights tailored to non-technical audiences.
Industry Certifications / Relevant Degrees:
- One or more recognized cyber security certifications:
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Privacy certifications such as:
- Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)
- Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
- Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT)
- Post-secondary education in information security, computer science, information systems, or a related discipline is preferred.
Public Sector Experience:
- Knowledge of Government of Ontario standards, policies, and directives (e.g., GO-ITS, EDSTA).
- Minimum 5+ years of experience working within the K–12 education sector, preferably with Ontario school boards.
- Experience supporting or assessing school board environments, including network infrastructure, network security, and cyber security controls.
RequirementsExperience and Skill Set Requirements: Must Haves: 10+ years of experience in cyber security programs, frameworks, standards, and regulatory compliance, preferably within the public or broader public sector. 10+ years of experience conducting cyber security assessments, including: 10+ years of experience evaluating technical and administrative controls; developing findings, risk logs, and reports; and preparing actionable, risk-based remediation plans. Experience applying maturity models (e.g., NIST-based models, CMMI, or equivalent) to assess cyber security capabilities 10+ years of experience applying industry-standard cyber security frameworks, including: NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) v1.1 and v2.0 CIS Critical Security Controls v8 ISO/IEC 27001 10+ years of experience preparing clear, structured written deliverables, including: Cyber security and privacy assessment reports Remediation plans and recommendations Nice to have: Demonstrated experience working with NIST CSF v2.0 is preferred 10+ years of experience presenting complex technical concepts, assessment findings, and risk insights to executive leadership, management teams, and diverse stakeholders. One or more recognized cyber security certifications Privacy certifications Knowledge of Government of Ontario standards, policies, and directives (e.g., GO-ITS, EDSTA). Skill Set Requirements: Cyber Security and Privacy: 10+ years of experience in cyber security programs, frameworks, standards, and regulatory compliance, preferably within the public or broader public sector. 10+ years of experience conducting cyber security assessments, including: Threat Risk Assessments (TRAs) Cyber Security Risk Assessments Cyber security GRC program assessments 10+ years of experience evaluating technical and administrative controls; developing findings, risk logs, and reports; and preparing actionable, risk-based remediation plans. Experience applying maturity models (e.g., NIST-based models, CMMI, or equivalent) to assess cyber security capabilities Advanced experience in data analytics and statistical analysis to analyze raw data and compilate meaningful insights and visuals 10+ years of experience applying industry-standard cyber security frameworks, including: NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) v1.1 and v2.0 CIS Critical Security Controls v8 ISO/IEC 27001 COBIT Demonstrated experience working with NIST CSF v2.0 is preferred 10+ years of experience applying privacy frameworks such as: NIST Privacy Framework ISO/IEC 27701 Strong knowledge of privacy and cyber security considerations related to Internet of Things (IoT) environments. Strong knowledge of privacy and cyber security considerations related to the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI tools). Strong knowledge of applicable privacy legislation and regulatory requirements, including: Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) Canadian Privacy Act General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024 (EDSTA) Communication Skills and Experience: 10+ years of experience presenting complex technical concepts, assessment findings, and risk insights to executive leadership, management teams, and diverse stakeholders. 10+ years of experience preparing clear, structured written deliverables, including: Cyber security and privacy assessment reports Remediation plans and recommendations Status reports and briefing materials Demonstrated ability to translate technical findings into clear, actionable insights tailored to non-technical audiences. Industry Certifications / Relevant Degrees: One or more recognized cyber security certifications: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) Privacy certifications such as: Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT) Post-secondary education in information security, computer science, information systems, or a related discipline is preferred. Public Sector Experience: Knowledge of Government of Ontario standards, policies, and directives (e.g., GO-ITS, EDSTA). Minimum 5+ years of experience working within the K–12 education sector, preferably with Ontario school boards. Experience supporting or assessing school board environments, including network infrastructure, network security, and cyber security controls.
