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.
About Nelnet, Inc. Nelnet (NYSE: NNI) is a publicly traded financial services and technology company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded with roots in education finance, Nelnet has grown into a diversified holding company with primary businesses spanning consumer lending, loan servicing, payments, and technology.About the Role Nelnet is seeking an AI SecOps Engineer to own the security and compliance posture of our Enterprise AI program. Reporting to the IT Director of AI Delivery, this role is the technical bridge between AI governance policy and platform implementation
— embedded in Shared Services and partnered closely with our Cyber Security Group
(CSG).
This is not a policy role. You will be hands on keyboard, building and developing solutions directly — defining architecture standards, translating compliance requirements into engineering guardrails, and making sure secure, responsible AI is baked in from the start — not bolted on at the end. You will start with Claude and scale to the full EA portfolio and custom Agent builds as the enterprise grows.
What You Will Own
CSG Partnership: Own the working relationship with CSG on data residency, PII handling, access governance, and model security controls. Translate policy into guardrails the delivery team and citizen developers can act on.
Security Tooling & Automation: Build and maintain security tooling, guardrail enforcement, and policy-as-code integrations across Enterprise AI platforms. Reduce manual review through automation where possible.
Reference Implementations: Develop reusable security components and patterns that delivery teams and citizen developers can drop into Agent builds — making the secure path the easy path.
Security Observability: Instrument AI platforms to detect anomalous behavior, access patterns, and policy violations. Build the detection layer, not just consume it.
You Will Thrive Here If
You see security as an engineering discipline, not a compliance checkbox
You are energized by building systems that make compliance easier to do right than to skip
You default to "here's how we do this safely" rather than just "no"
You can hold a technical conversation with a developer and a risk conversation with a compliance stakeholder in the same day
What You Bring
Required:
1–2 years hands-on experience applying security and compliance controls to AI or
ML systems
Familiarity with LLM-specific risks: prompt injection, data leakage, model access control, output filtering
Experience defining architecture standards or technical guardrails
Familiarity with data residency requirements, PII handling, and access governance in enterprise environments
Ability to translate security requirements into developer-facing guidance
Demonstrated ability to build and implement solutions directly, not just document or advise
Preferred:
2–4 years of industry experience
Familiarity with Anthropic's enterprise security model and data residency options
Cloud security background (AWS/Azure) applied to AI workloads
Experience with SOC I/II, FedRAMP, ISO 42001/42005, or NIST AI RMF
Experience working in SIEM or log aggregation platforms (e.g., Sentinel, Splunk, Google SecOps) to investigate AI-related signals and anomalies
Relevant certifications: CISSP, CCSP, or AI-specific security credentials
**Pay range for this role is- $100,000 - $150,000 depending on experience
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 [email protected].
Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.
Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring
We may use automated or artificial intelligence enabled tools to assist with the initial review of applications, such as identifying relevant skills or experience. These tools are used to support human review and do not make hiring decisions. A recruiter reviews applications and determines which candidates move forward in the hiring process. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Pre-Use Notice: Automated Tools in Hiring
Skills Required
- 1-2 years hands-on experience applying security and compliance controls to AI or ML systems
- Familiarity with LLM-specific risks such as prompt injection, data leakage, model access control, and output filtering
- Experience defining architecture standards or technical guardrails
- Familiarity with data residency requirements, PII handling, and access governance in enterprise environments
- Ability to translate security requirements into developer-facing guidance
- Demonstrated ability to build and implement solutions directly (hands-on engineering)
- 2-4 years of industry experience
- Familiarity with Anthropic's enterprise security model and data residency options
- Cloud security background (AWS/Azure) applied to AI workloads
- Experience with SOC 1/2, FedRAMP, ISO 42001/42005, or NIST AI RMF
- Experience working in SIEM or log aggregation platforms (e.g., Sentinel, Splunk, Google SecOps) to investigate AI-related signals and anomalies
- Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, or AI-specific security credentials
What We Do
Nelnet is a leading student loan servicer – but we’re even more than that. We provide payment technology for over 1,300 higher education institutions and 11,500 K-12 schools. We deliver world-class fiber internet, TV, and phone services to residents of Nebraska and Colorado. We help borrowers achieve their educational goals with private student loan and refinance solutions. And we help businesses boost their performance with our cutting-edge technology and trusted expertise. Each day, over 6,500 Nelnet associates in more than 30 communities across the country work to serve our customers and make their dreams possible. And we’re on the lookout for new people to help us go even further.
