Assoc. Dir , Cybersecurity Engineering

Merck•Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director for Product Security Platform Engineering will lead, build, and mature the security tooling ecosystem supporting application security, cloud security guardrails, SDLC security automation, vulnerability intelligence, and enterprise‑wide developer enablement. This role serves as a technical and strategic leader working closely with Product Security leadership and platform engineering teams to ensure security capabilities are scalable, measurable, developer‑friendly, and aligned to enterprise security strategy.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in cybersecurity engineering, DevSecOps, platform engineering, cloud security, or application security.
Deep experience with at least two of: SAST, SCA, DAST, cloud security platforms, Containers, vulnerability management tooling, logging/telemetry, or CI/CD integration.
Strong engineering background (Python, Java, automation frameworks, cloud-native architectures).
Experience deploying enterprise‑scale security platforms and integrating them into engineering ecosystems.
Proven leadership experience managing teams or large cross‑functional initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Experience embedded security controls in the developer workflow.
Experience with AWS/Azure/GCP/Alibaba cloud guardrails.
Background in distributed systems, API platforms, and event-driven architectures.
Experience collaborating with globally distributed engineering teams.
Bachelor's or Advanced degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related field.
Relevant certifications (CISSP, CCSK, GIAC, etc.).

Responsibilities

Lead design, development, and scaling of product security platforms, including integrating application scanners and cloud-native security guardrails.
Integrate security controls into CI/CD pipelines, provisioning workflows, and developer platforms
Drive automation/AI and orchestration to reduce manual security review overhead.
Translate enterprise security policies and standards into enforceable platform capabilities.
Partner with architecture, Cloud, DevOps, and product teams to integrate secure‑by‑design principles into engineering workflows.
Establish platform KPIs, KRIs, and adoption metrics; enable reporting for risk reviews, leadership updates, and regulatory needs.
Oversee platform operations, including performance, availability, team processes, backlog management, vendor management, and escalations.
Lead a team of platform engineers and security specialists.
Provide mentorship, career development, and continuous learning opportunities
Cultivate a culture of engineering excellence, automation, and measurable security outcomes.
Work closely with product lines, cloud engineering, DevOps, and enterprise security teams to drive adoption of platform capabilities.
Act as a trusted technical advisor to internal teams.