Threat Detection & Automation Engineer (with focus on Data Engineering)

Northwestern Mutual; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 131,000 - 196,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual in New York seeks a Security Automation Engineer with data engineering expertise to design and maintain automated pipelines for cybersecurity analytics. You’ll build scalable ETL/ELT processes, create cloud-based data architectures, and ensure governance and data quality across the data lifecycle.

You will collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and engineers, implement SOAR playbooks, deploy tools via CI/CD, and contribute to dashboards and monitoring.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional development experience using SQL and Python.
• 5+ years of professional experience building datapipelines (batch/streaming) and data governance practices.
• Hands-on experience with modern data warehouses and large-scale data platforms (Databricks preferred).
• Deep understanding of database structures, data modeling, ETL/ELT design, data integration, replication, event streaming, and performance tuning.
• Experience with security automation and orchestration tools and/or software development technologies.
• CI/CD tooling such as GitLab CI, Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes; AWS cloud services.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to communicate with technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines and analytics products for security operations.
• Develop and maintain enterprise ETL/ELT processes and data transformation frameworks.
• Build cloud-based data pipelines and data lake architectures using best practices.
• Ensure data quality, lineage, integrity, and governance across the data lifecycle.
• Automate workflows and improve efficiency with SOAR playbooks and cloud-hosted pipelines.
• Create integrations with security tools and APIs; work with data scientists and engineers.
• Develop dashboards, metrics, and monitoring alerts; maintain documentation.

Skills

SQL

Python

Databricks

REST API

CI/CD

AWS

SOAR

SIEM

Bash/PowerShell

Kubernetes

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Databricks

AWS

Kubernetes

Terraform

Ansible

GitLab

Job description

About the Job:

We are looking for a highly motivated Security Automation Engineerwith experience in Data Engineeringto join NM’sSecurity Automation & Data Analyticsteam. As a member ofourteam, you willplay a pivotal role indesigning,building andmaintainingcontinuous and sustainableautomatedpipelineswith the goal of enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness and accuracy ofcybersecurity teams’capabilitiesreducing manual tasks fortheIRCteamsand enable data-driven cybersecurity operations.This role requires a mix ofmodern data engineering practices, experience in database structures and tooling,coding, clouddevelopment,and security domainexpertise.

What You’ll Do:

• Design, develop, andmaintainscalable data pipelines, datasets, and analytics products supportingIRCdepartment’sreporting and analyticscapabilities.
• Developandmaintainenterprise-ready ETL/ELT processes and data transformation frameworksto support data-driven initiatives.
• Design, buildand supportcloud-based data pipelinesand data lake architecturesusing software and data engineering best practices.
• Ensure data quality, lineage, integrity, and governance standards are implemented throughout the data lifecycle.
• Optimizeand troubleshoot existing data pipelines for performance and reliability, ensuring data quality and integrity across various data sources.
• Identifyopportunities to automate workflows/processesand improve efficiency across cybersecurity teamsthrough SOAR playbooksandKubernetes-hostedand/orcloud-hosted pipelines.
• Assistwith the design,engineering, deployment, andmaintenance ofcustom automation tools(primarilyinPython and PowerShell)
• Develop integrationswithsecurity toolsand APIs.
• Evaluate and implement emerging technologies to improve cybersecurity and analytics capabilities
• Assistwith the developmentand supportofdashboards,metrics,andmonitoringalerts related totheteam’s and the department’soperations.
• Develop andmaintaindocumentation related totheteam’s automated workflows/products.
• Partner withdata scientists,analysts, engineers, andotherstakeholderstoidentifyrequirementsanddeliverhigh-quality solutions and insights.
• Provide mentorship and coaching to junior team members, fostering skill development and encouraging continuous learning.

What You’ll Bring to the Role:

• 5+years of professional development experienceusingSQLandPython.
• 5+years of professionalexperiencebuilding datapipelines(batch and/or streaming)and datagovernancepractices.
• Hands-on experience with modern datawarehousesand large-scale data platforms (Databricks Preferred); comfortable working across large-scale,structuredand unstructured data.
• Deep understanding of database structures principles and best practices
• Deep understanding of data modeling,ETL/ELT design,data engineering best practices,including dataintegrationpatterns, replication,eventstreaming,and pipeline performance tuning.
• Hands-on experience withsecurity automation and orchestration tools and/or software development technologies.
• Comfortable with REST API best practices and usage.
• Hands-on experience deploying contentand/or systems through CI/CDenvironments, and tooling such as GitLab, GitLab CI, Terraform, Ansible,Kubernetesetc.
• Hands-on experience with AWS and cloud services configuration and development.
• Excellent written andverbalcommunicationsskills.
• Ability to communicatewithtechnical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Cybersecurity, ComputerEngineering,Data Engineering,Software Engineering, or related fields
• Relevant industry certifications are preferred, such as AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate Databricks, Certified Data Engineer Associate, or Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional, demonstrating expertise in modern cloud-based data engineering, analytics, and data platform technologies.
• Experience withDatabricks
• Experience with SOAR and SIEM platforms.
• Practical experience with automation techniquesusingPowerShell, Bash,JavaScript,API calls, and regular expressions
• Additionalcoding experience in one or more programming languages - Java, C++, Go
• ServiceNowdevelopment experience
• Experience with network and/or systems administration
• Experience working in Security Operations, Incident Response, or Penetration Testing
• Hands-on experience with security technologies such as firewalls, IDR/IPS, EDR, IAMprinciplesand others.

What Sets you apart:

• Adaptive Communication - Adaptive Communication: Formulates strategies to be used to convey complex information about services, products, systems, or processes to targeted audiences; communicates and liaises between technical and non-technical audiences.
• Data Architecture - Data Architecture: Designs and maintains the structure of logical and physical data assets and data management resources; develops and governs policies and processes for data collection, storage, arrangement, integration, and usage of data.
• Data ETL - Data ETL: Extracts, transforms, and loads data from multiple sources to a data warehouse or unified data repository.
• Databases & Data Platforms - Databases & Data Platforms: Utilizes knowledge of databases to access, manage, and update information, typically containing aggregations of data records or files; includes understanding of different types of databases.
• Engineering Expertise & Practices - Engineering Expertise & Practices: Applies specialized experiences in different facets of engineering, including data, applications, cyber, systems, operations, product, security, and testing, along with technical aptitude to adapt new expertise as they become relevant through an understanding of underlying engineering principles.
• Programming Languages - Programming Languages: Demonstrates proficiency in one or more programming languages to execute activities, tasks, practices, and deliverables associated with writing and modifying programs and scripts that comprise an application system; designs, codes, tests, and installs complex computer programs and maintains detailed documentation of programming tasks.
• SQL - SQL: Applies clear, logical codes for small and large-scale projects using the language constructs and object-oriented approach of SQL to manage data in a database management system.

#LI-Hybrid

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - Start:

$130,800.00

Pay Range - End:

$196,200.00

Geographic Specific Pay Structure:

Structure 110:

$143,920.00 USD - $215,880.00 USD

Structure 115:

$150,400.00 USD - $225,600.00 USD

We believe in fairness and transparency. It’s why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process. The standard pay structure is listed but if you’re living in California, New York City or other eligible location, geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable, click here to learn more.

Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes talented individuals of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which each employee can contribute creative ideas, seek challenges, assume leadership and continue to focus on meeting and exceeding business and personal objectives.