How to apply for Staff Engineer - Cybersecurity Architect

About BackMarket

Back Market is a global marketplace for refurbished devices. The company says refurbished tech produces 92% less carbon emissions than new. It operates remotely and hires across multiple functions including customer care and engineering.

About the role

This staff engineer role owns the creation of cybersecurity architecture models that connect business processes to application, data, and infrastructure layers. You will translate Back Market's cyber and IT strategy into a global security architecture. You will work in the Platform Department alongside IT, GRC, and SecOps squads of about thirty people.

A typical day

You might review business process requirements and map them to application, data, or infrastructure security controls. You could meet with IT, GRC, or SecOps squads to align on architecture decisions. The job description does not specify daily routines, so ask about typical ceremonies and documentation expectations in the interview.

Who BackMarket is looking for

• Has experience designing organisation-wide security architecture across application, data, and infrastructure domains.
• Can translate business and IT strategy into concrete architecture models and secure design plans.
• Has worked in or with platform teams covering IT, GRC, or SecOps functions.
• Is comfortable owning architecture decisions for one or more domains in a remote, full-time role.

Tips for this application

• In your resume, list specific architecture models or frameworks you have built, not just tools you have used.
• Reference Back Market's mission to reduce e-waste and explain how security architecture supports a refurbished device marketplace.
• Name the domains you have owned (application, data, or infrastructure) and give one example per domain.
• Mention any experience working with GRC or SecOps teams, since this role sits in the Platform Department with those squads.
• Check the Back Market careers page for the exact application steps before submitting, because the job description does not list a process.

What to cover in your cover letter

['How you connect business processes to security architecture layers in a concrete example.', 'Your experience owning architecture models for one or more domains.', 'Why a marketplace for refurbished devices needs a global cybersecurity architecture.', 'How you have worked with IT, GRC, or SecOps teams in a platform organisation.']

Research before applying

• Read Back Market's published statements on carbon emissions and refurbished tech to understand the business model.
• Look up the Platform Department structure or any public engineering blog posts about IT, GRC, or SecOps at Back Market.
• Find Back Market's remote work policy and where the company has legal entities, since the role is remote.
• Check if Back Market has published any security or trust pages for buyers and sellers on the marketplace.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a security architecture model you created and how it mapped business processes to infrastructure.
• How do you translate a cyber and IT strategy into an organisation-wide secure architectural plan?
• Describe a time you owned security architecture for a specific domain. What decisions did you make?
• How would you approach security architecture for a global refurbished device marketplace?
• How do you work with GRC and SecOps squads when designing security architecture?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Listing security tools without explaining what architecture you designed or owned.
• Ignoring the business context of a refurbished device marketplace and treating the role as a generic security job.
• Failing to mention any experience with GRC or SecOps teams, since the role sits with those squads.