Engineer/Sr Engineer, IT Aviation Cybersecurity

American Airlines • Dallas, TX

3d • Onsite

About The Position

This role provides support to the Cybersecurity (CS) Aviation Cybersecurity team and is responsible for building and maintaining key relationships throughout the organization and with cybersecurity aviation industry partners. This includes key internal partners such as Avionics Engineering, Cabin Experience, Maintenance Technology, Government Affairs, Corporate Security, and Corporate Safety. In addition, this person will be coordinating our involvement with external industry partners to ensure we are up to date on the latest developments in aviation cybersecurity. This role provides strong aviation cybersecurity experience to assist with risk analysis and recommending mitigation possibilities, and promotes cybersecurity practices as part of our digital aircraft.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, IT Security, Network Systems Technology or related technical discipline, or equivalent experience/training
• 5 years of experience in security technology design
• 5 years network, server, and application systems development experience
• Understanding of airworthiness cybersecurity concepts, including regulatory compliance and governance norms.
• Familiarity with industry standards development and governing bodies (e.g., RTCA, IATA, ARINC, and FAA) in relation to aviation cybersecurity.
• Experience analyzing cybersecurity for avionics, ground systems, networks, tooling, 3rd parties, and other aviation-adjacent systems.
• Awareness of aviation cyber threat vectors (airborne software manipulation, GPS spoofing, ADS-B misuse, datalink manipulation, avionics tampering).
• Experience working alongside SIEM platforms (Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk) for log collection, enrichment, detection engineering, or triage.
• Familiarity with UEBA, anomaly detection, KQL, Sigma-to-KQL translation (even at a basic level).
• Understanding of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) concepts as used in aviation contexts: X.509, OCSP, CRL, certificate chain validation.
• Awareness of cryptographic workflows for loadable software parts, avionics signing, or aircraft-to-ground authentication.
• Experience integrating certificate-based identity into network security or Zero Trust architectures.
• Familiar with NIST Special Publications (e.g., 800-171, 800-30)
• Ability to perform vulnerability testing, risk analyses and security assessments
• Knowledge of secure integration of cybersecurity into the aircraft software lifecycle, including maintenance workflows and part-loading processes.
• Ability to coordinate security reviews with TechOps, Avionics Engineering, EFB Engineering, and Connectivity teams.
• Familiarity with aircraft operational telemetry, uptime considerations, and failure-mode assessment.
• Ability to support aviation-specific incident response, including log preservation, chain-of-custody, and cross-domain triage.
• Significant experience with virtualization architectures (Citrix, VMWare, Hyper-V)
• Experience collaborating successfully with project managers, engineers, architects, administrators, and customers to deliver projects on time and within budget
• Experience presenting to senior leadership including corporate architecture review boards and governance committees
• Experience with designing, developing, and integrating Active Directory Group Policy, Local Security Policy, and Windows scripts
• Knowledge of cloud technologies and risk assessment criteria (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS)
• Proficient in Agile and SDLC methodologies

Nice To Haves

• 5 years designing, deploying, and managing PKI and cryptographic solutions
• 5 years hands-on experience with Identity and Access solutions
• 3 years experience on Network Security and VPN solutions
• 4 + years' experience in NIST 800 series frameworks
• Application coding and scripting via Python, SQL, BASH, or PowerShell
• CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• CISM - Certified Information Security Manager
• CISA - Certified Information Systems Auditor
• CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker
• GIAC aviation-aligned certs: GCIA, GCFA, GMON, GCTI
• Microsoft / Azure security certs (AZ-500, SC-100)
• Zero Trust-related GIAC certs (GDAT)

Responsibilities

• Leverages cybersecurity expertise to drive the technical research, planning, and architectural design of systems related to digital aircraft to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and high availability of corporate, vendor, and customer data
• Defines, develops, and delivers technical solutions, security requirements and standards that incorporate both industry and company technology standards spanning multiple security domains
• Provides internal security consultations for teams supporting digital aircraft, ground, and communication systems
• Supports standards, regulations, and compliance activities from cybersecurity perspective for FAA & other governing bodies
• Interfaces with industry counterparts like Aviation-ISAC, IATA Cybersecurity Task Force, and oneworld partners
• Assists with cyber-incidents related to AA's aviation technologies
• Delivers and maintains key artifacts and work products in support of the system review, software development, and quality assurance of airline operations
• Ensures digital aircraft systems and endpoints are scanned using Vulnerability Management tools and practices
• Coordinates with business, IT teams, and IS Risk to remediate compliance findings in a timely manner while addressing risk reduction objectives
• Demonstrates continuous improvement mindset
• Maintains an effective approach to problem solving, multi-tasking, coordinating, and scheduling in accordance with stated goals to ensure visibility and predictability
• Works extended hours occasionally, based on the needs of the project and the operation and may require travel periodically, but planned well in advance

Benefits

• Travel Perks: You, your family and your friends can reach 365 destinations on more than 6,800 daily flights across our global network.
• Health Benefits: On day one, you’ll have access to your health, dental, prescription and vision benefits to help you stay well. We also offer virtual doctor visits, flexible spending accounts and more.
• Wellness Programs: Our wellness programs provide you with all the right tools, resources and support you need.
• 401(k) Program: Available upon hire and, depending on the workgroup, employer contributions to your 401(k) program are available after one year.
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pet insurance
• Discounts on hotels, cars, cruises and more

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior