Security Automation Engineer

First Merchants Corporation is seeking a Security Automation Engineer to join their team. This role is responsible for designing, engineering, and governing automated vulnerability remediation execution across the enterprise, transforming manual processes into automated execution pipelines, and ensuring efficient and consistent remediation of vulnerabilities.

Responsibilities:

• 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
• 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)
• 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
• 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)
• 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
• 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

Requirements:

• 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)
• 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