Lead IT Automation Engineer

As a Lead IT Automation Engineer, you will play a critical role in building out and maturing the IT and Security automation strategy for this leading HR Tech SaaS company. With this role being the first fully focused on automation, you will help to define the tools, technologies, and processes for delivering key automation objectives supporting the IT and Security organizations. As we shift to executing this strategy, you will also have the opportunity to build out and lead a team of resources sized to meet the demands of the organization. This is a critical role requiring a mix of technical and personal skills along with prior experience developing this type of function in high-tech environments.

What You Will Do:

• Participate in the selection of tools and technologies and lead the development of design patterns for various IT and Security automations.
• Lead the design and development of automation solutions to streamline IT and security operational processes.
• Collaborate with IT and Security teams to identify repetitive tasks and inefficiencies that can be automated.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts, tools, and frameworks using scripting languages such as Python, PowerShell, or Bash.
• Develop using security orchestration automation and response (SOAR) and/or other low-code application platforms (e.g. Tines, Torq, Power Automate).
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines to support automation workflows.
• Automate identity and access management (IAM), security monitoring, patch management, and compliance reporting.
• Develop integrations with third-party security tools, ITSM platforms (e.g., Jira Service Management -JSM), cloud providers (AWS & Azure) and other API-based SaaS platforms.
• Monitor and optimize automation performance, troubleshooting issues and ensuring reliability.
• Document automation processes, best practices, and standard operating procedures, including reporting on overall savings attributed to automation.
• Mentor and provide day-to-day guidance to other automation developers and engineers.
• Perform other technical duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7+ years of experience software engineering with at least 2 years focused on IT or Security automation.
• Strong proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, PowerShell, or Bash.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD tools (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD).
• Familiarity with cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) and security automation.
• Experience integrating automation with ITSM and security tools (e.g., JSM, Splunk, SIEM, SOAR).
• Knowledge of REST APIs and experience in API integrations.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Certifications such as AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer, or Terraform Associate preferred.
• Experience with SOAR and robotic process automation (RPA) tools.
• Knowledge of security frameworks such as NIST, CIS, and SOC 2 compliance.
• Experience with automation tools like Ansible, Terraform, or Puppet preferred.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical users.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.