Security Automation Engineer

First Merchants Bank is seeking a Security Automation Engineer to join our team! This position will be responsible for designing, engineering, and governing automated vulnerability remediation execution across the enterprise. This role owns the end-to-end remediation system, including automation, orchestration, validation, and reporting. The role is accountable for transforming remediation from manual, ticket-driven processes into event-driven, automated execution pipelines capable of achieving multi-day remediation timelines for critical vulnerabilities. Working across Cyber, Endpoint, Systems, Network, Cloud, and Application teams, this role establishes standardized remediation playbooks and ensures vulnerabilities are remediated consistently, efficiently, and in alignment with regulatory and operational expectations.

As part of this role you will:

• Remediation Automation & Orchestration

• Design and implement event-driven automated workflows that leverage AI and scripting to drive remediation across endpoints, servers, networks, applications, and cloud platforms.

• Integrate vulnerability scanning tools, ticketing systems, and change management platforms into cohesive, low-friction remediation pipelines.

• Reduce manual handoffs and execution variance through automation-first remediation models.

• Evaluate and integrate AI-assisted triage and prioritization capabilities to support compressed remediation timelines.

• Eliminate manual ticket routing and approval dependencies for pre-approved remediation scenarios.

• Enterprise Remediation Playbooks

• Create and maintain standardized remediation playbooks by platform and asset class (endpoints, servers, network, cloud, applications).

• Define patching, configuration hardening, mitigation, and exception handling paths for each asset class.

• Build playbooks that enable autonomous execution without human intervention.

• Ensure playbooks account for scenarios where patching cannot meet SLA windows, providing fallback mitigation workflows (containment, isolation, configuration controls) as valid operational alternative(s).

• Execution Ownership & Validation

• Own remediation tracking, validation scanning, re-scan scheduling, and formal closure across all asset classes.

• Partner with execution teams to identify and resolve systemic blockers to remediation.

• Partner with Cyber to maintain enterprise-wide visibility into remediation status and proactively escalate aging items.

• Risk, Audit & Compliance Support

• Produce audit-ready remediation evidence as part of automated workflows.

• Ensure exception handling and risk acceptance processes are documented, approved, and time-bound.

• Support regulatory and audit requirements (FFIEC, GLBA, PCI-DSS, SOX).

• Tooling & Platform Integration

• Administer and optimize integrations between vulnerability scanning platforms, ITSM systems, and automation tooling.

• Evaluate emerging tools and capabilities to improve remediation velocity, coverage, and automation breadth.

• Serve as a subject-matter expert on remediation tooling for IT Operations and Cyber/Information Security teams.

• Continuous Improvement & Metrics

• Define, track, and report on key remediation KPIs: Mean Time to Remediate (MTTR), SLA compliance rate, backlog aging, and automation coverage.

• Identify recurring remediation failures and engineer durable solutions that reduce or eliminate manual intervention.

• Present remediation program metrics and maturity updates to IT Operations and Information Security leadership on a regular cadence.

To be successful in this position, we require the following:

• High School Diploma or equivalent (GED).
• At least five (5) years of experience in infrastructure engineering, security operations, or IT operations within a regulated enterprise environment.
• At least two (2) years of experience with API-based integrations, SOAR platforms, automation frameworks, and building and operating automation or orchestration workflows in an enterprise context.
• At least two (2) years of hands-on experience with enterprise vulnerability management and scanning platforms (Crowdstrike VM, Tenable.io/Nessus, Qualys, or Rapid7 InsightVM).

The following would be a plus:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, security, or a related field.
• Industry certifications: CISSP, CompTIA Security+, CEH, GIAC GPEN, or equivalent.
• Experience evaluating or operating AI-assisted security tooling and an ability to govern AI use in a compliance-sensitive context.
• Previous experience in banking, financial services, or another heavily regulated industry.
• Experience with ITSM and ticketing platforms
• Proficiency in scripting and automation (Python, PowerShell, Ansible, or equivalent).
• Strong working knowledge of vulnerability management lifecycles, CVSS scoring, and remediation prioritization strategies.
• Proven ability to influence and coordinate cross-functional teams without direct management authority.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

First Merchants offers the following:

• Base Pay PLUS Bonuses
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• 401k
• Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Vacation/Sick Time
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Additional Benefits

A little about us:

First Merchants is guided by a genuine philosophy of being a meaningful place to work and having a prosperous impact across all walks of life throughout the communities we serve, including consumers, businesses and other organizations. Our Vision, Mission and Team statement reflect and reinforce that authentic service philosophy.

Our Vision is:

To enhance the financial wellness of the diverse communities we serve.

Our Mission is:

To be the most responsive, knowledgeable, and high-performing financial organization for our clients, teammates, and shareholders.

Our Team:

"We are a collection of dynamic colleagues with diverse experiences and perspectives who share a passion for positively impacting lives. We are genuinely committed to attracting and engaging teammates of diverse backgrounds. We believe in the power of inclusion and belonging."

Apply today to begin your career with us!