Engineer II Data Protection

CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. 

Our Vision: Our vision is to become the most admired utility in the United States through the execution of our long-term growth strategy. We have an unwavering commitment to safely and reliably deliver electricity and natural gas to millions of people. 

Our Commitment: CenterPoint Energy is committed to creating an inclusive work environment where business results are achieved through the skills, abilities and talents of our diverse workforce.

At CenterPoint Energy, individuals are respected for their contributions toward our company objectives. We strive for an inclusive work environment across all levels that is reflective of the available workforce in the communities we serve. 

Summary:

As a Data Protection Engineer within the Data Protection team, you will be instrumental in designing, implementing, and maturing CenterPoint Energy’s enterprise-wide data protection strategy. You will work across structured and unstructured data environments—on-prem, cloud, and endpoint—to safeguard sensitive information such as PII, SPII, CEII, and other critical business data. Your work will directly support regulatory compliance, operational resilience, and the company’s mission to be a trusted utility.

Essential Responsibilities:

Data Inventory and Classification 

• Partner with data owners and the Data Privacy team to identify and inventory critical data assets across the enterprise. 
• Implement automated and programmatic classification of sensitive data using tools such as Microsoft Purview and Palo Alto CASB.

Policy Development and Enforcement 

• Develop and maintain data protection policies aligned with regulatory standards (e.g., CEII, TSA, CCPA). 
• Apply and tune DLP policies across email, cloud, USB, printing, and endpoint channels using Microsoft Purview, ForcePoint, and Symantec DLP.

Monitoring and Threat Detection 

• Use Splunk to build dashboards, alerts, and metrics for real-time monitoring of data protection events. 
• Analyze DLP alerts and logs to identify anomalies, reduce false positives, and escalate incidents as needed.

Rights Management and Access Control 

• Implement and manage data rights enforcement mechanisms (e.g., Seclore) to ensure appropriate access and usage of sensitive data. 
• Support integration of rights management with automated classification and labeling systems.

Data Security Posture Management DSPM 

• Contribute to the deployment and tuning of DSPM tools such as BigID, Cyera, and CyberHaven to enhance visibility and control. 
• Support roadmap initiatives to shift from reactive to proactive risk-based protections.

Backup and Recovery Integration 

• Collaborate with infrastructure teams to ensure backup and recovery strategies (e.g., Rubrik, Cohesity) align with data protection objectives and support immutable backups.

Process Automation and Integration 

• Integrate DLP and DSPM tools with ServiceNow for incident response, ticketing, and compliance reporting. 
• Support orchestration of triage, review, and remediation workflows to reduce manual overhead.

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Work closely with Insider Threat, Data Enablement, and Governance teams to align protection strategies with business operations. 
• Provide training and documentation to helpdesk and business units on data protection best practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent experience. 
• 4+ years of experience in data protection, DLP engineering, or cybersecurity operations. 
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Purview, Splunk, and at least one DSPM platform (e.g., Wiz, BigID, Cyera). 
• Strong understanding of data lifecycle management, classification, and regulatory compliance. 
• Familiarity with ServiceNow workflows and integrations is a plus. 
• Certifications such as SC-400, SC-100, or CISSP are highly desirable.

We want you to know
Being a part of the CenterPoint Energy team is more than a career alone. It's an opportunity to make a positive impact. You will be an integral part of enabling everyday life and the pursuit of possibilities for the customers we serve and the communities we share. The vital services we provide are at the core of making our world work, and by sharing your energy with us, we'll create a better tomorrow together. 
 

What we bring to you

• Competitive pay
• Paid training
• Benefits eligibility begins on your first day
• Transit subsidies
• Flexible work schedule, paid holidays and paid time off
• Access to discounts at fitness clubs and an on-site wellness center at our headquarters in Houston
• Professional growth and development programs including tuition reimbursement
• 401(k) Savings Plan featuring a company match dollar-for-dollar up to 6% and a company contribution of 3% regardless of your contribution

Job Type: Full Time 
Posting Start Date: 07/20/2025​
Posting End Date: 08/08/2025

This contractor and subcontractor shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR §§ 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a), and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.

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