Principal Cyber Security Engineer - DLP / Data Protection

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role Summary

Principal Cyber Security Engineer responsible for leading the secure enablement, technical direction, control guidance, and execution oversight for Data Protection Engineering. The role has primary accountability for Data Loss Prevention (DLP), encryption-related data protection, and external data transfer controls, including ongoing data center bypass work. This position also provides technical leadership for exception handling automation, Zscaler policy redesign, Database Activity Monitoring (DAM), and the migration from Symantec DLP to Microsoft Purview, including the Symantec exit strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the technical vision and control strategy for DLP and encryption data protection, not just feature implementation.
• Lead secure enablement and control oversight for DLP engineering and external data transfer controls, including data center bypass capabilities.
• Drive automation of exception handling and establish repeatable governance workflows.
• Lead the redesign and optimization of Zscaler data protection and security policies.
• Provide technical direction for Database Activity Monitoring (DAM) initiatives.
• Lead the migration from Symantec DLP to Microsoft Purview and define a controlled, supportable Symantec exit strategy.
• Define durable and repeatable security patterns that can be adopted by engineering, technology, and business teams.
• Partner with Security, Compliance, Privacy, Microsoft 365, and Risk stakeholders to align controls with enterprise requirements.

Major Duties

• Design, implement, and operate enterprise DLP-related controls spanning information protection, labeling, endpoint, cloud, identity, and governance capabilities.
• Develop and maintain the enterprise information protection and labeling strategy.
• Engineer and operate DLP and Endpoint DLP controls, including AI-specific data protection scenarios.
• Implement and enhance Insider Risk Management and Communication Compliance controls.
• Advance Data Lifecycle Management capabilities, including retention enforcement.
• Support Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), including exposure detection and oversharing remediation.
• Configure, deploy, troubleshoot, and operate controls across Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID environments.
• Support production changes through disciplined change management, testing, approved deployment windows, and post-change validation.
• Anticipate data protection and emerging AI risks and translate them into preventive and detective controls.
• Serve as the escalation point and design authority for complex or ambiguous AI and data protection security decisions.

Required Skills & Expertise

• Strong hands-on experience with Zscaler and Microsoft Purview DLP.
• Deep knowledge of Data Loss Prevention, data classification, information protection, encryption, and enterprise data protection principles.
• Experience with enterprise DLP platforms and Azure security capabilities, including Azure Information Protection (AIP), Microsoft Information Protection (MIP), and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (formerly MCAS).
• Strong understanding of network security concepts, including proxies, firewalls, traffic analysis, and external data transfer paths.
• Experience designing, deploying, troubleshooting, and operating security controls in complex enterprise environments.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, written communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate independently, lead through influence, and make sound technical decisions in complex or ambiguous situations.

Experience & Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Cyber Security, Data Protection Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience working in a highly regulated enterprise environment.
• Experience supporting control alignment with FFIEC, PCI-DSS, and SOX expectations is preferred.
• Experience leading large-scale DLP platform migrations, policy redesigns, or legacy technology exit strategies is preferred.

Leadership Scope (P4 Expectations)

• Operate as a senior individual contributor with wide autonomy and minimal oversight.
• Own technical strategy and influence architecture, controls, and execution priorities.
• Provide direct influence across Security, Compliance, Privacy, Microsoft 365, and Risk.
• Create scalable, reusable engineering patterns and operational guardrails.
• Anticipate risk before incidents occur and translate emerging threats into preventive controls.
• Act as the escalation point and design authority for critical or ambiguous decisions.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI-specific DLP use cases, DSPM, Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, and retention enforcement.
• Experience with Database Activity Monitoring and data-centric security controls.
• Experience integrating DLP, DAM, cloud security, and monitoring platforms across hybrid enterprise environments.
• Knowledge of governance, privacy, compliance, and risk management frameworks.

Summary

This role is key to advancing enterprise data protection by establishing the technical direction for DLP and related controls, modernizing the DLP technology landscape, improving the consistency of engineering patterns, and enabling timely, risk-informed decisions across complex security initiatives.

Salary Range:

Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa).

Working with Us

As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve.

Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities.

Reasonable Accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected], or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.