Associate Director, Cybersecurity Engineering

Merck is hiring an Associate Director to lead enterprise Privileged Access Management (PAM) strategy, engineering execution, and service improvement on an onsite Rahway, NJ team.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and execute the enterprise PAM roadmap aligned to cybersecurity strategy, Zero Trust goals, and identity security initiatives.
• Define and maintain PAM standards and governance practices in partnership with security, risk, and architecture teams.
• Develop and present PAM posture, risk metrics, and remediation plans for leadership, governance, and audit stakeholders.
• Collaborate across teams to prioritize PAM adoption, expand privileged access controls, and remediate risk.
• Lead the design and delivery of enterprise PAM and secrets management capabilities.
• Modernize privileged access using risk-based, least-privilege, and just-in-time access models.
• Translate PAM strategy into scalable designs, standards, and reusable patterns across environments.
• Evaluate new PAM technologies based on business need, risk, architectural fit, and cost.
• Oversee remediation of PAM vulnerabilities, control gaps, audit findings, and technical debt.
• Run daily PAM engineering activities, drive delivery execution, remove barriers, and grow team capability.
• Promote Agile ways of working and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and influence the team’s personal and professional development.
• Partner with the IAM Product Owner to manage the backlog aligned with OKRs and team capacity.
• Maintain accountability for health, stability, and continuous improvement of PAM services.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to ensure capabilities meet business and security needs while reducing cyber risk.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience), preferably in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity or IAM, including at least 7 years focused on Privileged Access Management (PAM).
• Experience leading and developing security engineering teams in a large, global organization.
• Strong understanding of enterprise PAM and secrets management platforms, such as Delinea, CyberArk, BeyondTrust, and/or HashiCorp Vault.
• Hands-on knowledge of PAM solutions supporting Windows, UNIX/Linux, and databases.
• Experience delivering solutions using Agile methodologies; collaborate with Product Owners using tools such as Jira.
• Excellent communication skills to translate complex technical concepts, risks, and recommendations for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Technologies

• Privileged Access Management (PAM), secrets management
• Delinea, CyberArk, BeyondTrust, HashiCorp Vault
• Windows, UNIX/Linux, Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID
• Cloud identity services, AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes
• ServiceNow, PowerShell, Jira
• NIST, ITIL, Zero Trust

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• Retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• Paid holidays
• Vacation
• Compassionate and sick days

Preferred Experience & Skills

• Hands-on experience with identity platforms such as Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, cloud identity services, and/or HashiCorp Vault.
• Hands-on knowledge of PAM solutions in multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) and Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with ServiceNow for incident and change management processes.
• Experience automating administrative and operational tasks using PowerShell or similar technologies.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity fundamentals, secure SDLC practices, Zero Trust principles, and cloud-native security controls.
• Knowledge of industry standards and frameworks such as NIST, ITIL, and modern identity security practices.
• Experience working in healthcare, life sciences, or other highly regulated industries.
• Industry-recognized certifications such as CISSP, Security+, or comparable credentials.

Required Skills

• Application Security
• Cloud Security
• Cybersecurity Operations
• Data Protection
• Delivery of Security Applications
• Design Applications
• DevOps Coaching
• Influence
• Information Security
• SLA Management
• System Designs
• Technical Advice
• Zero Trust Identity

Location & Work Arrangement

• Rahway, NJ (onsite)
• Hybrid

Compensation

• USD 142,400 - 224,100 per year

Job posting end date: 10/8/2026 (effective until 11:59:59PM on 10/7/2026).