AI SecOps Engineer

About the Role

Nelnet is seeking an AI Sec Ops Engineer to own the security and compliance posture of our Enterprise AI program. Reporting to the IT Director of AI Delivery, this role is the technical bridge between AI governance policy and platform implementation, embedded in Shared Services and partnered closely with our Cyber Security Group (CSG).

• CSG Partnership:
  Own the working relationship with CSG on data residency, PII handling, access governance, and model security controls. Translate policy into guardrails the delivery team and citizen developers can act on.
• Security Tooling & Automation:
  Build and maintain security tooling, guardrail enforcement, and policy-as-code integrations across Enterprise AI platforms. Reduce manual review through automation where possible.
• Reference Implementations:
  Develop reusable security components and patterns that delivery teams and citizen developers can drop into Agent builds — making the secure path the easy path.
• Security Observability:
  Instrument AI platforms to detect anomalous behavior, access patterns, and policy violations. Build the detection layer, not just consume it.

• You see security as an engineering discipline, not a compliance checkbox.
• You are energized by building systems that make compliance easier to do right than to skip.
• You default to "here's how we do this safely" rather than just "no".
• You can hold a technical conversation with a developer and a risk conversation with a compliance stakeholder in the same day.

• 1–2 years hands‑on experience applying security and compliance controls to AI or ML systems.
• Familiarity with LLM‑specific risks: prompt injection, data leakage, model access control, output filtering.
• Experience defining architecture standards or technical guardrails.
• Familiarity with data residency requirements, PII handling, and access governance in enterprise environments.
• Ability to translate security requirements into developer‑facing guidance.
• Demonstrated ability to build and implement solutions directly, not just document or advise.

• 2–4 years of industry experience.
• Familiarity with Anthropic's enterprise security model and data residency options.
• Cloud security background (AWS/Azure) applied to AI workloads.
• Experience with SOC I/II, FedRAMP, ISO 42001/42005, or NIST AI RMF.
• Experience working in SIEM or log aggregation platforms (e.g., Sentinel, Splunk, Google Sec Ops) to investigate AI‑related signals and anomalies.
• Relevant certifications: CISSP, CCSP, or AI‑specific security credentials.

Pay range for this role is $100,000 - $150,000 depending on experience.

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance‑based incentive pay, short‑ and long‑term disability, and a robust wellness program.  to learn more about our benefits: LINK ().

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.

We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.

Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at  or c

Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.

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