Data Security Architect - Generative and Agentic AI

Data Security Architect - Generative and Agentic AI

Quebec City, QC (Hybrid) Full time

Job Summary

Our team carries out research and development (R&D) work to meet the needs of the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Projects focus on innovative digital solutions combining software development, systems integration, modern infrastructure and generative artificial intelligence.

As part of accelerating our artificial intelligence initiatives, we want to develop a new generation of applications based on Agentic AI. These solutions go beyond traditional conversational assistants by enabling intelligent agents to analyze data, reason, make decisions, orchestrate complex workflows and interact with multiple enterprise systems in a secure and autonomous manner.

We are looking for someone to fill a Data Security Architect - Generative and Agentic AI role to join our team in Quebec, specializing in knowledge management. Our multidisciplinary team focuses on data collection, transformation and enrichment. Our projects involve defining and deploying automated processing chains to make data accessible to users. With the support of our data scientists, the team designs, trains and integrates artificial intelligence models, including Generative AI (GenAI) based on large language models (LLMs), to improve data analysis. Our team also uses AI and machine learning (ML) concepts to increase analysis efficiency.

Essential Functions

The incumbent of the C2 Data Security Architect position is responsible for defining, implementing and governing data and operational security architecture for next-generation data fusion and artificial intelligence solutions in the context of a C2IS (command and control information system). In collaboration with the data, AI, cybersecurity and development teams, this person will ensure the application of Data Centric Security (DCS) principles, the securing of Generative AI and Agentic AI platforms, as well as the implementation of robust compliance, auditability and traceability mechanisms. They will also contribute to the evolution of DevSecOps, MLOps and LLMOps practices on Google Cloud to ensure the secure, reliable and operational deployment of critical AI capabilities in defense and national security environments.

The incumbent of the Data Security Architect - Generative and Agentic AI position will play a key role in the design, development and production release of intelligent platforms and applications integrating language models (LLMs), multi-agent architectures, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) engines, orchestration tools and next-generation cloud services. The person holding this position will contribute to strategic projects aimed at improving operational efficiency, decision support and the automation of complex processes in environments where security, reliability and traceability are essential. This person must be autonomous, curious and comfortable in an R&D context where needs evolve rapidly. They will work with architects, developers and artificial intelligence specialists to transform technical concepts into concrete, demonstrable and scalable solutions.

This person is part of a multidisciplinary team. A strong team spirit and teamwork capabilities are mandatory. The ideal person is therefore able to demonstrate cross-functional skills that would facilitate the transfer of work done to all stakeholders involved. Therefore, good communication skills are required.

Responsibilities of the Data Security Architect – Generative and Agentic AI:

• Define data and operational security architecture for data fusion, Generative AI and Agentic AI platforms.

• Design and enforce Data Centric Security (DCS), Zero Trust and Security by Design principles across the entire data lifecycle.

• Ensure the application of compliance policies during the ingestion, analysis, fusion and sharing of multi-source data.

• Design governance, traceability, provenance, auditability and data lineage mechanisms for data, models and AI agents.

• Define security architectures for LLM solutions, RAG, multi-agent systems and generative AI platforms.

• Establish security controls and guardrails enabling the secure and explainable use of AI agents in critical environments.

• Lead risk management, threat assessment and compliance activities for AI/ML and cloud solutions.

• Design and supervise DevSecOps, MLOps and LLMOps practices ensuring secure and reproducible deployments.

• Collaborate with product, data, AI, cybersecurity and operations teams to integrate security requirements from design.

• Support validation, certification, accreditation and operational demonstration activities with internal and external stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, data science or related field.

• 5+ years of experience related to security, cybersecurity, data governance or critical platforms.

• Demonstrated experience in highly regulated environments such as defense, aerospace, national security or C2/C4ISR systems.

• Expertise in Data Centric Security (DCS), Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Zero Trust architectures and sensitive data governance.

• Applied enterprise experience in implementing and maintaining data security policies on cloud or private platforms.

• Experience in the development and management of enterprise data flows, involving various sources, database and/or data lake, services and systems.

• Mastery of DevOps, DevSecOps, MLOps and LLMOps practices, including deployment automation and model governance.

• Expertise in Kubernetes, containers, GitOps, CI/CD, observability and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).

• Experience in designing solutions ensuring traceability, auditability, compliance and tracking of data and model lifecycle.

• Excellent technical leadership, communication and collaboration capabilities with multidisciplinary teams and industrial partners.

• Intellectual curiosity and a strong interest in emerging technologies.

• Pragmatic, able to balance innovation, technical feasibility and business value.

• Fluency in French and English (spoken and written).

This position requires a good knowledge of English to interact, support and/or provide services to international clients, employees and/or partners as well as to foreign government authorities who do not speak French.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience with the development or integration of autonomous multi-agent systems in operational environments.

• Experience and in-depth knowledge of STANAG and ACP standards related to the subject.

• Experience involving AI, the use of LLMs or AI Agents or the operation of open source models in secure environments.

• Mastery of AI-related security risks and controls (Prompt Injection, Data Poisoning, Model Leakage, Agent Security, AI Governance).

• Knowledge of AI governance and cybersecurity frameworks and standards.

• Experience in developing and managing complex data flows involving transformation and aggregations of structured and unstructured data, based on traditional and AI/ML methods.

• Experience in accreditation, certification or validation of critical systems, including the production of audit, compliance and security evidence for government or military clients.

• Recognized certifications such as CISSP, TOGAF, CISM, CCSP, Google Professional Cloud Architect, Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer or Certified AI Governance Professional (AIGP).

• Knowledge of the defense field, military intelligence or Canadian Armed Forces context.

Physical Requirements

This position may require the employee to set up equipment and conduct field experiments in an outdoor environment.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:

• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.

• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.

• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.

• Employee Discounts on insurance (home, and auto).

Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are advised accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.