Job Description

We are seeking an Associate Director, CD&A Engineering to lead the strategy, architecture, and operational delivery of security data pipelines and cloud infrastructure supporting enterprise-scale analytics and detection platforms. This role owns the end-to-end engineering vision for ETL operations using Cribl and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) across Google Cloud and Azure, ensuring reliable, scalable, and cost-effective ingestion and processing of security telemetry at our Company's scale.

The role sits at the intersection of security data engineering, cloud infrastructure strategy, and operational excellence, with accountability for team leadership, technical direction, automation maturity, and platform enablement across Cyber Defense & Analytics.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Technical Direction

• Drive the engineering roadmap for security data pipelines, cloud infrastructure, and platform services aligned with CD&A and enterprise cybersecurity strategy.

• Responsible for the data ingestion, transformation, and delivery across SIEM, XDR, and data lake platforms.

• Establish engineering standards, design patterns, and governance frameworks that scale across teams and environments.

• Represent CD&A Engineering in cross-functional forums with Cloud Security, Platform Engineering, Compliance, and enterprise architecture leadership.

Security Data Engineering & ETL (Cribl)

• Design Cribl-based pipelines for ingesting, parsing, enriching, routing, and transforming high-volume security telemetry.

• Drive optimization of data flows for performance, reliability, and cost efficiency across security analytics platforms.

• Define and enforce data standards for normalization, metadata enrichment, and data quality — ensuring Copilot, AI, and analytics readiness.

• Oversee onboarding of new security data sources and continuous improvement of existing pipeline architecture.

Cloud Infrastructure & IaC Engineering

• Contribute to the infrastructure strategy for security data platforms across Azure and Google Cloud, delivered through Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, ARM/Bicep, or equivalent).

• Ensure infrastructure deployments are consistent, repeatable, auditable, and aligned with enterprise security, networking, and governance standards.

• Partner with cloud platform and enterprise architecture teams to shape infrastructure direction and resolve cross-cutting dependencies.

Platform Reliability, Observability & Operations

• Accountable for the availability, scalability, and resilience of security data pipelines and supporting infrastructure.

• Drive implementation of monitoring, alerting, and operational KPIs for ETL and ingestion services.

• Drive incident response and root cause analysis for data pipeline or infrastructure issues, driving systemic improvements.

• Proactively identify and remediate performance bottlenecks, operational risks, and technical debt.

Leadership & Delivery Management

• Mentor and develop engineers focused on data pipeline and cloud infrastructure delivery.

• Contribute to sprint planning, backlog prioritization, and PI execution in alignment with CD&A objectives.

• Foster a culture of accountability, automation, documentation, and continuous improvement.

Governance, Compliance & Collaboration

• Ensure audit, compliance, and data retention requirements are embedded into pipeline and infrastructure design.

• Provide technical leadership into architecture reviews, onboarding assessments, and platform change governance.

• Collaborate closely with the Cyber Fusion Center (CFC/SOC), XDR/SIEM engineering, CDAI, and ITRMS stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field.

• Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in security data engineering, cloud infrastructure engineering, or platform engineering — with at least 3 years in a leadership or people management capacity.

• Deep expertise with Cribl or equivalent security data pipeline / ETL platforms.

• Strong experience architecting and governing infrastructure using IaC (Terraform, ARM/Bicep, or similar).

• Proven experience with Google Cloud and/or Azure in large, enterprise-scale environments.

• Solid command of security telemetry, logging standards, and data lifecycle management.

• Demonstrated ability to drive cross-functional alignment, set technical direction, and deliver at scale.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply

Current Contingent Workers apply

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

The salary range for this role is

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at .

You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.