Vikas Bajaj
Gurgaon
Summary
Strategic Security Architect with over 19 years of experience designing and operationalizing enterprise-grade Privileged Access Management (PAM) and cloud security programs that eliminate standing privileges and prevent credential compromise at scale. Hands-on expert in BeyondTrust Password Safe (3+ years), leading full-lifecycle PAM governance, automated credential rotation, just-in-time access, and session monitoring implementations. Proficient in automating privileged access controls through Python and AWS-native services including IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager, Lambda, and Terraform. Consistently embed Zero Trust principles across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments, delivering measurable risk reduction, hardened architectures, and audit-ready solutions.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
1
1
Certificate
Work History
Senior Security Engineer I (Security Architect)
McKinsey & Company
11.2022 - 11.2025
- Architected and drove enterprise-wide deployment of BeyondTrust Password Safe across 40K+ Windows, Linux Unix, and network devices, achieving 100% discovery and onboarding of privileged accounts within 6 months.
- Designed and implemented BeyondTrust Password Safe credential vaulting and automated rotation policies, eliminating shared accounts and reducing standing privileges by 99% enterprise-wide.
- Built Just-in-Time (JIT) privilege elevation workflows using BeyondTrust Password Safe and Active Directory integration, cutting average privileged session time from 6+ hours to under 60 minutes.
- Established API-driven credential checkout and injection for DevOps pipelines removing 1000+ hardcoded secrets from scripts and CI/CD configurations.
- Integrated BeyondTrust Password Safe with Splunk for real-time privileged activity monitoring and alerting, reducing mean-time-to-detect privilege misuse from days to
- Enabled alerting and monitoring with SoC team for PAM use cases
- Led migration of 100+ tier 0 SaaS apps privileged accounts from manual spreadsheets to BeyondTrust Password Safe, delivering 100% automated daily rotation.
- Defined and enforced least-privilege policies via BeyondTrust Smart Groups and dynamic access rules, reducing excessive admin rights by 99%.
- Implemented application-to-application password management (A2A) using BeyondTrust Password Safe REST APIs, securing 100+ internal applications and databases with zero plaintext credentials
- Designed, developed and deployed AWS workflows using Github Actions, terraform and python for securing privileged SaaS accounts
- Enabled SAST (SonarQube) for automated testing into CI/CD pipelines achieving 100% vulnerability escape rate.
Senior Solution Designer
McKinsey & Company
11.2011 - 11.2022
- Embedded security into enterprise SDLC by designing and enforcing a mature Secure SDLC framework (OWASP10), reducing critical vulnerabilities in production by 95% across 10 applications.
- Led threat modeling for 5+ mission-critical applications and microservices architectures, identifying and mitigating 100+ high-risk threats (privilege escalation, data exposure, injection) before code commit.
- Integrated automated security testing into CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions) using SAST (SonarQube), achieving
- Championed shift-left security culture; trained 5-6 developers and architects on secure coding practices, resulting in 75% reduction in OWASP Top 10 findings during peer reviews.
- Designed and governed API security architecture (REST) with centralized OAuth/OIDC gateway (Apigee).
Asst. Manager - Survey Programming
Genpact Gurgaon
04.2011 - 11.2011
- Designed and developed complex, multi-language online surveys using ConfirmIT, ensuring seamless logic, skip patterns, and mobile-responsive functionality.
- Led end-to-end survey project planning: estimated effort, created detailed timelines, allocated programming and QA resources, and consistently delivered projects on or ahead of schedule.
- Drove First-Time-Right (FTR) quality score above 95% through rigorous testing protocols, peer reviews, and proactive issue resolution — minimizing rework and client revisions.
- Optimized resource allocation and capacity planning for a team of survey programmers; built and maintained a 30 days forecasting pipeline that improved utilization rates.
- Managed team timesheets, tracked billable hours, and enforced process compliance, ensuring 100% accurate client invoicing and internal reporting.
Associate – Primary Research
Grail Research
01.2008 - 04.2011
- Led a team of quantitative analysts while managing vendors and client relationships; consistently delivered projects on time and aligned with stakeholder expectations.
- Authored winning technical and commercial proposals for multi-phase research and technology projects, securing new business and expansions.
- Oversaw end-to-end project delivery: scoped requirements, set timelines, managed client communications, and ensured high-quality outputs under tight deadlines.
- Designed, deployed, and distributed complex online research surveys using ConfirmIT and custom platforms, supporting global market studies.
- Performed advanced statistical analysis on large datasets using SPSS, and Excel; translated raw data into actionable business insights and client presentations.
- Automated repetitive marketing research workflows using Excel scripting, reducing manual processing time from 3 days to under 8 hours and freeing 60% of team capacity.
- Directed a 3-member development team in building an in-house ERP system that automated HR onboarding, staffing allocation, and transport logistics, eliminating spreadsheet-based processes and improving operational efficiency by 40%.
Senior Survey Programmer
Annik Technologies
02.2005 - 01.2008
- Designed and built complex, multi-language online surveys using Confirmit, incorporating advanced skip logic, piping, quotas, and fully mobile-responsive designs to maximize completion rates and data quality.
- Consistently delivered all surveys ahead of schedule with 100% first-time quality approval, achieving zero client revisions across 100+ projects annually.
- Collaborated with external sampling vendors to distribute surveys, monitor real-time response rates, and implement targeted outreach strategies — routinely meeting or exceeding incidence and completion targets on time.
- Proactively sent automated and manual reminders to non-respondents, boosting average response rates by 15–25% and ensuring project quotas were met without extending field periods.
- Managed full survey lifecycle (launch, monitoring, soft/hard quotas, closures) to prevent overages, reducing unnecessary sample costs.
- Maintained comprehensive project documentation and adhered to all internal processes, ensuring 100% audit compliance and seamless knowledge transfer.
Education
MCA -
IGNOU
New Delhi01.2008
BCA -
IGNOU
New Delhi01.2004
E-Commerce -
NIIT
New Delhi01.2001
Senior Secondary -
CBSE
New Delhi01.2000
Higher Secondary -
BSEH
Haryana01.1998
Skills
- Designed and developed secure, serverless applications on AWS using Python (Lambda, S3, CloudWatch and EventBridge), and automated security testing in CI/CD pipelines
- Architected and managed AWS infrastructure-as-code deployments using Terraform, enforcing security-hardened modules
- Hands-on expertise with leading security and analytics platforms including Splunk (for privileged activity monitoring), Wiz (cloud-native application protection and vulnerability management), and Linx for real-time threat detection and response
- Led end-to-end Privileged Access Management (PAM) implementations using BeyondTrust Password Safe, delivering automated credential rotation, just-in-time access, session monitoring, and full integration with AWS and enterprise directories
Accomplishments
- Supervised team of 6 staff members.
- Achieved real-time monitoring of privileged access trends using Tableau Dashboard
Certification
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
- AWS Cloud Practitioner
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Hindi
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Spanish
Beginner (A1)
Timeline
Senior Security Engineer I (Security Architect)
McKinsey & Company
11.2022 - 11.2025
Senior Solution Designer
McKinsey & Company
11.2011 - 11.2022
Asst. Manager - Survey Programming
Genpact Gurgaon
04.2011 - 11.2011
Associate – Primary Research
Grail Research
01.2008 - 04.2011
Senior Survey Programmer
Annik Technologies
02.2005 - 01.2008
MCA -
IGNOU
BCA -
IGNOU
E-Commerce -
NIIT
Senior Secondary -
CBSE
Higher Secondary -
BSEH
Professional Recognitions
- Got WOW rating from a Partner for a client delivery that required quick turn around and highest quality
- Received Star Performer Award, from CEO of Annik Technology Services
- Won weekly Quality Performer award for 0% error rate continuously for 2 months in Annik Technology Services
- Got Outstanding Client Service award for 5 times in a row in Grail Research