Cyber Security Engineer

NRG Energy; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

NRG Energy is seeking a Cyber Security Engineer to protect our systems, cloud workloads, and data across on‑prem and cloud environments. You will identify vulnerabilities, operate security tools, and guide engineering teams in secure configurations and governance.

The role emphasizes cloud posture management, IAM administration, vulnerability remediation, and incident response support, with emphasis on industry standards and best practices. Collaboration with cross‑functional teams is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Cyber Security or Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• 2–5 years in cyber security with cloud exposure.
• Certifications such as Security+, CEH, CySA+ are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Identify misconfigurations and risks across cloud environments and drive remediation.
• Provide security guidance to cloud, infrastructure and development teams.
• Support secure cloud architecture reviews against standards and benchmarks.
• Administer IAM, SSO, MFA and directory services across on‑premises and cloud.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments across on‑premises, cloud, and container workloads.
• Assist in deploying and maintaining security tools (IDS/IPS, SIEM, WAF).
• Develop and enforce security policies and guardrails for cloud environments.
• Perform audits to ensure compliance with NIST CSF, PCI DSS, SOX.

Skills

Cloud security concepts

Vulnerability assessment

Incident response

Security guidance

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cyber Security or Computer Science

Tools

Orca CSPM

Wiz

Prisma Cloud

Defender for Cloud

SIEM

WAF

Job description

Position Summary:

The Cyber Security Engineer is responsible for maintaining security measures that protect the organization's systems, cloud workloads, and data. This role focuses on identifying vulnerabilities and risks, operating security tools across on-premises and cloud environments, providing security guidance to engineering teams, and supporting incident response efforts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Cloud posture across AWS (and/or Azure/GCP), identify misconfigurations and risks, and drive remediation by partnering with cloud and application owners.
• Provide security guidance and advisory support to cloud, infrastructure, and development teams on secure configuration, IAM, encryption, network segmentation, and logging.
• Support secure cloud architecture reviews and ensure alignment with the Framework (Security Pillar), CIS Benchmarks, and organizational cloud security standards.
• Understanding of Network protocols and network security Tools like NAC, IPS.
• Administer IAM platforms and integrations (e.g., SSO, MFA, directory services, conditional access) across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments across on-premises, cloud, and container workloads to identify potential risks.
• Assist in the remediation of vulnerabilities by working closely with IT, cloud, and development teams.
• Assist in deploying, configuring, and maintaining security tools such as IDS/IPS, endpoint protection, SIEM, and WAF.
• Assist in the development, implementation, and enforcement of security policies and procedures, including cloud security standards and guardrails.
• Perform routine audits to ensure security compliance with organizational policies and regulatory requirements (e.g., NIST CSF, PCI DSS, SOX) across hybrid and cloud environments.
• Research and stay informed about current cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, cloud attack techniques, and best practices.
• Provide technical support and guidance to IT, cloud engineering, and development staff on security-related issues.

Qualifications:

• Hands-on experience operating a CSPM/CNAPP platform (Orca preferred; Wiz, Prisma Cloud, or Defender for Cloud also relevant).
• Working knowledge of at least one major cloud provider (AWS preferred), including native security services (e.g., GuardDuty, Security Hub, IAM Identity Center, KMS, CloudTrail, WAF/Shield).
• Strong understanding of cloud security conceptsincluding IAM, key management, network security (VPC, transit gateway, private endpoints), logging/monitoring, and shared responsibility models.
• Ability to interpret cloud misconfiguration findings, assess risk, and clearly communicate remediation guidance to cloud and application teams.
• Exposure to container and serverless security concepts (e.g., EKS, ECS, Lambda) is a plus.
• Cloud security certifications such as AWS Certified Security - Specialty, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft SC-200/AZ-500, or CCSP are highly desired.
• Bachelor's degree in Cyber Security, Computer Science, or related field or equivalent relevant work experience.
• 2-5 years of experience in cyber security or related roles, including exposure to cloud environments.
• Additional certifications such as Security+, CEH, or CySA+ are desired.
• Knowledge of security tools, technologies, and best practices across enterprise and cloud environments.
• Strong understanding of networking and operating systems.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and communicate technical concepts effectively.

We support the use of AI tools to help you prepare for your interview (e.g., practicing responses, researching the role, or refining your resume). However, during interviews and assessments, we expect responses to reflect your own thinking, experience, and communication. Use of AI to generate or read answers in real time, complete assessments, or misrepresent your qualifications is not permitted and may impact your candidacy.

NRG Energy is committed to a drug and alcohol-free workplace. To the extent permitted by law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post‑accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing. EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability. Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant's experience or skills.

Official description on file with Talent.