Security Engineer 2

Hills Bank • Iowa City, IA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Security Engineer 2 is a senior security practitioner responsible for engineering, operating, and continuously improving the Bank's cybersecurity controls. The role combines hands-on security operations, incident response, detection engineering, vulnerability management, identity and access security, endpoint and network protection, cloud security, data protection, automation, and security architecture. This position serves as a Tier 2 and Tier 3 escalation resource and translates threat, risk, compliance, and audit requirements into practical control improvements. The Security Engineer 2 provides clear, risk-based recommendations to technical teams and leadership, mentors junior staff, and may lead security workstreams, technical evaluations, and response activities.

Requirements

• Five or more years of progressive information technology experience, including at least two years of hands-on cybersecurity engineering or operations and demonstrated experience investigating security events and administering enterprise security controls.
• Working knowledge of Windows and Linux, networking, identity and access management, endpoint security, cloud security, audit/logging, vulnerability management, and incident response.
• Enterprise security technology experience such as Microsoft Defender XDR, Sentinel, Entra ID, Intune, Purview, Azure security, firewalls, vulnerability management platforms, network monitoring, and privileged access tools.
• Ability to use PowerShell, Python, Kusto Query Language, APIs, regular expressions, or similar scripting and query technologies.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, engineering, or a related field is preferred.
• An equivalent combination of education, relevant experience, and industry certifications may be considered.
• Knowledge of recognized frameworks such as NIST CSF, CIS Controls, MITRE ATT&CK, and financial services regulatory guidance are preferred.
• Relevant role-aligned certifications are preferred, along with excellent analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Engineer, operate, and continuously improve enterprise security capabilities across SIEM, XDR/EDR, endpoint, network, identity, email, cloud, data protection, vulnerability management, and privileged access platforms.
• Monitor, investigate, and respond to security incidents by assessing scope and impact, preserving evidence, and coordinating containment, eradication, recovery, and stakeholder communication.
• Serve as a Tier 2 and Tier 3 escalation resource and participate in assigned on-call response for time sensitive security events.
• Develop, tune, and automate detection and response capabilities, including security analytics, alerts, queries, enrichment, evidence collection, response workflows, and reporting to improve coverage, accuracy, and operational efficiency.
• Document incidents and lessons learned, and use exercises and after-action reviews to improve response procedures and plans.
• Lead vulnerability and exposure management activities, including assessment, risk-based prioritization, remediation coordination, exception management, retesting, and validation across technology environments.
• Conduct security architecture and design reviews for projects, technology changes, products, cloud services, and vendor integrations.
• Define and document practical security requirements, risks, and control recommendations aligned with business needs and risk tolerance.
• Apply zero trust, least privilege, and strong authentication principles to control access to systems, applications, and data.
• Use defense in depth and secure-by-design practices to embed effective controls throughout the technology lifecycle.
• Implement network, system, and application segmentation to reduce exposure, restrict unauthorized access, and limit the impact of security events.
• Incorporate resilience and recovery requirements into new and existing environments to support continuity and timely restoration following a disruption.
• Develop and maintain secure configuration standards and hardening baselines across endpoints, servers, networks, cloud services, applications, and security tools.
• Assess and improve security controls, posture management, and logging in Microsoft 365, Azure, and other approved cloud and software-as-a-service environments.
• Integrate security platforms with asset management, identity, ticketing, and change management processes to enable coordinated visibility, efficient investigations and response, and effective security lifecycle management.
• Support data classification, encryption, data loss prevention, retention, and secure information management, partnering with business and control owners to implement data protection requirements.
• Support penetration testing, control validation, and other authorized security testing. Analyze results and recommend corrective actions.
• Perform security risk assessments, control testing, and compliance reviews. Collect evidence for regulatory examinations, audits, and independent assessments.
• Provide technical input to third-party risk reviews, contracts, solution assessments, and supply chain security evaluations.
• Develop, deliver, or support security awareness training for Bank employees on relevant threats, policies, controls, and secure practices.
• Use programming languages such as PowerShell, Python, KQL, and other approved methods to automate repeatable security engineering and operational work.
• Communicate security posture, material findings, residual risk, remediation status, trends, metrics, and prioritized recommendations to technical teams and leadership.
• Evaluate security technologies and services through requirements analysis, proof of concepts, risk assessments, total cost analysis, implementation planning, and operational supportability reviews.
• Maintain accurate security procedures, playbooks, standards, technical documentation, inventories, records, and operational metrics.
• Support third-party security reviews and security awareness activities within assigned areas of responsibility.
• Review artificial intelligence use cases for security, data protection, access, monitoring, and oversight requirements.
• Mentor junior staff, share technical knowledge, and lead assigned security workstreams and response activities.
• Contribute technical expertise to security strategy, architecture roadmaps, investment priorities, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Our employees are our most valuable assets, so we invest in them with a comprehensive and competitive benefits package.
• Our philosophy of taking care of the customer extends to taking care of our employees so that they, in turn, can take good care of themselves and their families.
• Join Hills Bank and let us surprise you with even more perks!

What This Job Offers

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