Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities.
The perks of working at Nelnet go beyond our benefits package. When you join the Nelnet team, you're part of a community invested in the success of each individual. That support comes through in our work, as we are united by our mission of creating opportunities for people where they live, learn, and work.
The Cybersecurity AI Automation Engineer at Nelnet plays a critical role in advancing the organization's cybersecurity capabilities through intelligent automation and AI-driven solutions. This position partners closely with cybersecurity and internal teams to design, build, and deploy automated workflows that increase operational efficiency, reduce manual effort, and surface actionable insights.AI Automation & Solutions Engineering
Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered automation pipelines and tools that support cybersecurity and partner teams, with an emphasis on operational workflows and business processes.
Build and integrate automation solutions within Nelnet's existing AI infrastructure, including LLM APIs, orchestration platforms, and workflow tooling, to ensure consistency, reuse, and long-term maintainability.
Consult with internal teams to eliminate manual, repetitive processes by engineering scalable AI solutions that drive measurable workflow efficiencies.
Apply DevSecOps principles throughout the software delivery lifecycle, embedding security, testing, and quality practices into every phase of solution development and deployment.
Collaborate with business stakeholders to translate business and compliance requirements into well-scoped automation solutions, ensuring delivered tools align with risk program objectives and audit expectations.
Continuously evaluate emerging AI and automation capabilities to identify opportunities for improvement across cybersecurity team workflows and tooling.
Innovation
Bring a solutions-engineering mindset to cybersecurity challenges, exploring practical and creative applications of AI beyond conventional approaches.
Prototype and iterate on automation concepts quickly, validating feasibility in Nelnet's environment before scaling to production-ready solutions.
Stay current on developments in AI, LLM tooling, and automation frameworks, proactively introducing relevant advancements that could benefit cybersecurity operations.
Agility
Operate effectively in a fast-moving environment, adapting solutions as team needs, infrastructure capabilities, and security priorities evolve.
Manage multiple concurrent automation initiatives, balancing stakeholder urgency with the rigor required for reliable, production-grade delivery.
Work across domains with strong engineering fundamentals, quickly building context in cybersecurity and business processes.
Problem Solving
Analyze complex, manual cybersecurity workflows to identify root inefficiencies and design automation solutions that address them at the process level, not just the task level.
Troubleshoot issues across the full automation stack, from data ingestion and model integration to pipeline execution and output delivery and resolve them efficiently.
Approach ambiguous or novel use cases with structured thinking, breaking down large problems into actionable engineering work with clear outcomes.
Collaboration
Partner closely with cybersecurity and stakeholder teams to understand workflow pain points and define automation requirements.
Work alongside platform, infrastructure, and AI teams to ensure solutions are aligned with architectural standards and leverage shared capabilities.
Act as a bridge between technical implementation and business stakeholders, translating engineering decisions into clear, accessible language.
Mentor peers on AI automation capabilities and emerging tooling relevant to cybersecurity operations.
Communication Skills
Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences, adapting depth and framing to suit the audience.
Document automation solutions thoroughly, including design decisions, integration dependencies, and operational runbooks to ensure maintainability.
Present work in progress and completed solutions clearly, incorporating feedback and demonstrating responsiveness.
Strategic Focus
Align automation efforts to Nelnet's broader cybersecurity strategy and AI infrastructure investments, ensuring solutions contribute to long-term program goals.
Prioritize high-impact opportunities that reduce risk, improve consistency, and free up capacity for higher-value work.
Design solutions with scalability and reuse, enabling adoption across teams and use cases.
Serve as a trusted advisor on AI automation and help shape how cybersecurity teams adopt and benefit from these capabilities.
EDUCATION:
Knowledge equivalent to the completion of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field of study.
EXPERIENCE:
2–4 years of experience in AI/ML engineering, automation development, solutions engineering, or DevOps/DevSecOps.
Hands-on experience building and integrating with LLMs or AI APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, or open-source models).
Proven experience developing automated workflows, data pipelines, or AI-driven solutions in production environments.
Experience with AI orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, n8n, or similar) and prompt engineering practices.
Experience with GRC or risk/compliance process automation is a plus.
Security certifications (Sec+, CISSP, etc.) not required but is a plus.
COMPETENCIES – SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES:
Required:
Proficiency in Python or a comparable language for building AI and automation solutions.
Experience integrating LLMs and AI APIs into enterprise workflows and tooling.
Experience building and maintaining automated pipelines, including data ingestion, transformation, and output delivery.
Familiarity with DevSecOps principles and secure software development practices.
Working knowledge of AI orchestration tools and the ability to evaluate and adopt new technologies as the landscape evolves.
Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
Ability to work within existing AI infrastructure to identify inefficiencies and deliver scalable improvements.
Excellent organizational, presentation, verbal, and written communication skills.
Ability to assess and clearly communicate complexity, trade-offs, and technical decisions to both engineering and management stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to stay current with emerging technologies and adapt to evolving business and technical environments.
Preferred:
Experience with GRC platforms such as ServiceNow, Archer, or similar.
Familiarity with cybersecurity domains (e.g., vulnerability management, compliance) or exposure to operational security workflows.
Cloud infrastructure experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP), particularly in deploying or managing AI/ML services.
Experience with compliance or business process automation use cases.
Knowledge of cyber defense operations or security tooling ecosystems.
Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. To be considered, candidates must already be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.
**Pay Range for this role is - $100,000 - $135,000
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. Click here 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 402-486-5725 or corporaterecruiting@nelnet.net.
Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.