Banks run some of the most complex and long-lived cryptographic estates in the world - core platforms, digital channels, identity, PKI, HSM-backed key management, and a dense vendor ecosystem. As quantum-safe programs move from strategy into engineering, we are building a delivery bench of senior cybersecurity engineers who can discover cryptography in the wild, explain the real operational impact, and lead safe migrations.
About Applied Quantum
Applied Quantum is a company specializing in safeguarding organizations against emerging quantum computing threats. We provide advanced quantum-safe security solutions - from post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and quantum key distribution (QKD) to crypto-agility strategies - to help our clients achieve resilience in the quantum era. Our team of experts in cybersecurity, cryptography, and quantum technology works at the forefront of the quantum security revolution, ensuring businesses, critical infrastructure, and governments stay secure as quantum technology evolves.
Role Summary
As a Quantum-Safe Security Engineer (Banking), you will join client engagements focused on quantum readiness, cryptographic inventory, crypto-agility design, and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) implementation within banking environments. This is a delivery role: you will work hands-on across application, infrastructure, and security teams to identify where cryptography is used, assess migration risk, and implement changes without breaking business-critical services.
This role is suitable for senior engineers/architects who have led complex security or infrastructure transformations and can operate comfortably in regulated environments.
Key Responsibilities
Cryptographic discovery & inventory (“crypto scanning”):
Identify cryptographic use across applications, services, endpoints, network paths, and platforms (e.g., TLS configurations, certificates, VPNs, SSH, database encryption, signing, libraries, HSM/TPM usage). Build a structured “cryptographic bill of materials” and link findings to owners, dependencies, and change windows.
Impact analysis & migration planning:
Translate findings into operational reality: what breaks if we rotate certificates, swap libraries, change cipher suites, or introduce hybrid modes? Produce risk-ranked migration plans that account for uptime, customer impact, third-party dependencies, and regulatory constraints.
PQC / crypto-agility engineering:
Design and implement pragmatic approaches to crypto agility (algorithm agility, certificate agility, key lifecycle automation). Contribute to pilots and controlled rollouts - especially where vendor roadmaps, legacy platforms, or performance constraints exist.
Architecture & standards:
Produce reference architectures, engineering patterns, and guardrails for quantum-safe changes (PKI/certificate strategy, key management integration, cryptographic policies, developer patterns, DevSecOps controls).
Engineering leadership in complex programs:
Lead technical workstreams, coordinate with application owners and platform teams, and keep delivery disciplined (backlogs, milestones, documentation, decision logs).
Security assurance & quality:
Build test plans for interoperability/performance, ensure changes meet internal security standards, and support audit-ready documentation for cryptographic controls and transitions.
Required Qualifications and Experience
- Banking experience: Demonstrated hands-on experience delivering security engineering or architecture in a bank (retail, corporate, investment, or digital bank), including regulated change processes and production-critical systems.
- Security engineering depth: Strong understanding of applied cryptography in enterprise environments (TLS, PKI, asymmetric/symmetric crypto, hashing, signing, key lifecycles).
- Discovery/scanning capability: Experience building inventories via a mix of tooling and investigative work - network scanning, config parsing, certificate discovery, code review, dependency analysis, interviews with system owners.
- Transformation leadership: Experience acting as a lead engineer or architect on large-scale infrastructure/cyber transformations (identity, PKI modernization, platform migrations, cloud security, zero trust, etc.).
- Hands-on execution: Comfort writing scripts and automation (Python, Bash/PowerShell), working with CI/CD, and producing clear technical documentation.
- Stakeholder fluency: Ability to explain complex cryptographic risks and migration impacts to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
Preferred Skills or Attributes
- Familiarity with PQC concepts, hybrid approaches, or vendor roadmaps (not required - we train).
- Experience with HSM-backed environments, large-scale PKI/certificate lifecycle management, and complex identity ecosystems.
- Experience with cloud key management/HSM services and modern service-to-service authentication models.
- Security certifications (optional): CISSP, CCSP, GIAC, cloud security certs, etc.
Location and Travel Expectations
- Locations: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, European Union, ASEAN
- Work model: Remote within your country/region, with occasional client-site travel depending on engagement needs.
- Note: Some clients require background checks and/or enhanced screening due to the nature of banking environments.
Engagement Model
We are hiring for both full-time and contract arrangements. Contracts may vary by client (duration and start dates), and full-time roles are aligned to sustained delivery demand.
Project Timing and Hiring Process Transparency
We are building a pre-qualified delivery bench ahead of several banking PQC/quantum-readiness engagements that are in final scoping and contracting. Project start dates are not yet fully confirmed, so there may be a short delay (potentially a few weeks) between initial conversations and the next stage of the process. We will communicate proactively so candidates are not left wondering about status.
How to Apply
Submit a resume highlighting:
- examples of cryptography discovery/inventory work,
- security engineering or architecture leadership on complex transformations, and
- banking systems you’ve worked with (platforms, channels, identity/PKI, infrastructure).
