Sr Cybersecurity Engineer- Data Security/ Data Protection

American Express; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

American Express is seeking a Senior Cyber Security Engineer to advance our enterprise data security program. The role partners with application, engineering, and architecture teams to design and implement secure data practices that scale.

You will lead automation efforts, improve audit readiness, and drive governance, risk management, and incident readiness across the organization, while mentoring teammates and delivering measurable security outcomes.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of cybersecurity, data security, or security engineering in a large enterprise.
• Solid understanding of data protection technologies, cloud security, secure application development, and security architecture.
• Experience with governance, risk management, compliance and audit processes.
• Experience automating processes with scripting, APIs, or AI-enabled technologies.
• Strong analytical and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with cloud platforms, DevSecOps, and security automation tools.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCSP, or equivalent are a plus.
• Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as visa sponsorship will not be pursued.

Responsibilities

• Lead initiatives to improve enterprise data security compliance and control effectiveness.
• Partner with application, engineering, and architecture teams to create automation, tools, and materials that increase adoption of data security capabilities.
• Drive modernization of data security compliance review processes through automation and AI-enabled solutions.
• Lead data security exception review processes and reduce exception rates through improved data security capabilities.
• Develop and maintain operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting to measure program effectiveness.
• Support design, implementation, and continuous improvement of security capabilities.
• Coordinate and lead Data Security audit responses with timely, high-quality materials and remediation of findings.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable, user-friendly data security capabilities.
• Mentor team members and contribute to process and capability improvements.

Skills

Data security

Cloud security

Automation

Security architecture

Audit & governance

Stakeholder management

DevSecOps

Job description

Joining Amex Tech means discovering and shaping your contribution to something big. Here, you can work alongside talented tech teams and build a unique career with the Powerful Backing of American Express. With a range of opportunities to work with the latest technologies, and a commitment to back the broader engineering community through open source, our mission is to power your success. Because Amex Tech is powered by our technology, our culture, and our colleagues. The Technology organization enables and accelerates the company’s growth strategies, delivering global capabilities and services in support of Amex’s customers and colleagues, while maintaining 24/7 servicing and availability to ensure an uninterrupted, high-quality customer experience. Technology provides the foundation for everything we do in the company while driving differentiation through building and leveraging innovative technology and data insights. At American Express, our mission is to deliver the world’s best customer experience every day. At the heart of this mission is our Information Security organization, enabling exceptional experiences built on a foundation of trust, service, and security. We leverage advanced technologies and data-driven insights to stay ahead of an evolving threat landscape. We foster a culture of passion, curiosity, and courage—empowering you to innovate, grow, and help shape the future of a Fortune 100 company. Trust. Service. Security. We are seeking a Senior Cyber Security Engineer to play a key role in advancing our enterprise Data Security program. The ideal candidate is a technically strong security professional who thrives in a collaborative environment, leads complex initiatives, and influences security outcomes across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead initiatives to improve enterprise data security compliance and control effectiveness.
• Partner with application, engineering, and architecture teams to create automation, tools, and materials that will increase the adoption of data security capabilities and secure design practices.
• Drive the modernization of data security compliance review processes through automation, workflow optimization, and AI-enabled solutions.
• Lead data security exception request reviews, continuously identify opportunities to reduce exception rates through increasing the use of data security capabilities.
• Develop and maintain operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting to measure program effectiveness and support risk management.
• Support the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of security capabilities.
• Coordinate and lead Data Security audit response activities, ensuring timely responses, high-quality response materials and effective remediation of findings.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable, efficient, and user-friendly data security capabilities.
• Mentor team members and contribute to the continuous improvement of team processes, standards, and technical capabilities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity, data security, or security engineering within a large enterprise.
• Solid understanding of data protection technologies, cloud security, secure application development, and security architecture principles.
• Strong experience with security governance, risk management, compliance, and participating in the audit processes.
• Experience driving process transformation, automation, and workflow modernization using scripting, APIs, or AI-enabled technologies.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence technical teams and drive cross-functional initiatives.
• Practical experience with cloud platforms, DevSecOps practices, and security automation tools.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCSP, or equivalent are a plus.
• Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.