Trust Framework Architect (Digital Identity & Verified Credentials)
Trust Framework Architect (Digital Identity & Verifiable Credentials)
About the Role
We’re looking for a Trust Framework Architect to design and operationalize the standards, logic, and governance that underpin a new era of digital identity. This position will be responsible for shaping the framework for credential trust across our verifiable credential (VC) SDK, setting the foundation for a secure, interoperable, and compliant credentialing within the identity system. In an effort to establish the “gold standard” for credential issuance, you will design the processes, protocols, and oversight mechanisms that define what makes a digital credential worthy of trust in high-stakes environments within regulated industries. This role blends strategic and architectural thinking, focusing on defining the certification requirements, decision logic, compliance measures, edge cases, and ongoing governance necessary to maintain trust at scale.
Key Responsibilities
Governance and Issuer Accreditation · Establish a governance charter defining the rights, duties, and accountability of credential issuers, auditors, and relying parties. · Architect the full lifecycle for trusted issuers, developing onboarding, analysis and evaluation, validation, and monitoring processes that ensure issuers meet stringent requirements before and after issuance. · Align internal standards with global frameworks (e.g., W3C, DIF, ISO, NIST, EBSI) while identifying and closing gaps in usability or trust adoption. · Define end-to-end credentialing standards, including the data, documents, and rigorous validation steps required for key credential types (e.g., name, age, etc.). · Maintain an auditable trust registry documenting which issuers are authorized to issue which credential types. Operational Excellence Standards · Define standard operating procedures (SOPs) for credential issuance workflows—validation of claims, cryptographic signing, and revocation. · Mandate credential lifecycle policies, covering issuance, suspension, expiry, renewal, and revocation procedures. · Require data governance policies, including versioning, off-chain data reference integrity, and consent management. · Incorporate availability and reliability benchmarks (e.g., uptime SLAs, key management resilience, disaster recovery). · Monitor, interpret, and operationalize emerging state, federal, and international regulation, especially identity and privacy-related laws (e.g., age verification, digital ID, and KYC requirements). Translate new legislation into actionable adjustments to credentialing standards, frameworks, and policies. · Represent the company in industry working groups and standards bodies, driving the evolution and adoption of best practices for secure, trustworthy digital identity infrastructure. Compliance and Auditability · Establish audit and attestation protocols—regular internal and third-party audits verifying issuers’ adherence to standards. · Require issuers to log credential issuance events transparently, using cryptographic proofs or immutable ledgers for oversight. · Develop a revocation compliance API ensuring credentials that become invalid are promptly reflected in status registries. · Enforce privacy compliance aligned with global frameworks like GDPR, CCPA—issuers must minimize data collection and use explicit consent. Business and Risk Management · Define risk classification methodologies for credential types (e.g., low-risk badges vs. high-risk verifiable IDs). · Mandate issuer liability frameworks to handle mis-issued or fraudulent credentials and remediation procedures. · Require transparent business disclosures about verification sources and data provenance. Technical Interoperability and Integration · Work with engineers, product leaders, risk and compliance teams, and external partners (banks, fintechs, and verifiers) to align standards with technical implementation. · Define reference SDKs and APIs to simplify compliance with cryptographic, status, and interoperability layers. · Encourage automated compliance checks—smart contract–based validation of issuer credentials within your registry. Continuous Improvement and Governance Evolution · Publish transparency dashboards showing issuer performance, compliance scores, and audit outcomes. · Maintain feedback loops—stakeholder councils and community participation to evolve standards iteratively. · Issue annual updates based on security incidents, regulatory trends, and interoperability test results. Qualifications · Proven experience in digital identity, credentialing, compliance, or trust framework design (e.g., Trust Over IP, W3C VC, FIDO, eIDAS, ISO, or similar). · Understanding of self-sovereign identity (SSI) principles, verifiable credentials, and issuer–holder–verifier ecosystems. · Strong working knowledge of U.S. and international privacy and identity regulations, and ability to interpret and operationalize legal requirements. · Demonstrated ability to create policy, process, and protocol documentation from the ground up. · Strong grasp of risk management, fraud prevention, and compliance frameworks. · Excellent communication and stakeholder alignment skills — able to translate technical concepts into operational policy.
Why Join Us
You’ll define the backbone of digital trust. Your work will become the reference model for how verifiable credentials are issued and managed across industries — from finance and education to healthcare and beyond. This is a rare opportunity to design the rules of trust for the next era of digital identity. Apply tot his job Apply To this Job