Jobs › Options Clearing Corporation

Associate Principal, Security Engineering - Hashi Vault

Options Clearing Corporation · Chicago, IL · $122,900–$199,500 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 21, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you were on call for a privileged access system and something failed. What did you do?

What they are checking: Incident handling under pressure for systems that protect the most critical assets.

Tell me about a security architecture decision you influenced across teams you did not manage.

What they are checking: Influence and cross-functional collaboration expected at the associate principal level.

What would you do

The posting mentions AI-based security capabilities. Where would you apply AI in privileged access, and where would you avoid it?

What they are checking: Clear-eyed judgment about AI in security rather than enthusiasm or dismissal.

An application team says Vault is slowing down their releases and wants an exception. How do you respond?

What they are checking: Balancing security policy against delivery friction and finding a workable fix.

About the work

Walk me through how you would design HashiCorp Vault for high availability and disaster recovery in an environment that runs 24x7.

What they are checking: Deep Vault architecture knowledge, including replication, storage backends and unseal strategy.

How would you move application teams from static secrets in config files to dynamic secrets from Vault?

What they are checking: Practical migration planning that wins adoption from developers rather than forcing it.

What are the main risks of a privileged access management platform itself, and how do you protect it?

What they are checking: Understanding that the PAM system is a high-value target that needs its own hardening and monitoring.

How would you set up Vault authentication for workloads running in Kubernetes and AWS?

What they are checking: Hands-on knowledge of Vault auth methods and short-lived identity for machines.

How do you rotate root and high-privilege credentials without causing an outage?

What they are checking: Operational discipline around credential rotation in critical financial systems.

What audit evidence would you expect regulators or internal audit to ask for about privileged access, and how would you produce it?

What they are checking: Awareness of compliance needs in a regulated clearinghouse and how to make evidence routine.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Options Clearing Corporation.

*****THIS POSITION IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR VISA SPONSORSHIP***** To be considered for this position, applications and resumes are accepted only through our careers site by directly applying to the posted job. We do not accept unsolicited resumes or sales solicitations from staffing agencies. Any OCC employee wishing to submit a referral must do so through their Workday account. Any resume submitted outside of an active job posting will not be considered for employment. What You'll Do: Join our dynamic Security Engineering team as an Associate Principal and make a significant impact on our organization's cybersecurity posture. In this role, you'll manage privileged access systems that protect our most critical assets, implement AI-based security capabilities, and help shape our security architecture. This position offers excellent growth opportunities as you'll work with best-in-class technologies while collaborating with cross-functional teams to solve complex security challenges. If you're passionate about cybersecurity and seeking a role where your expertise directly strengthens organizational resilience, this is an ideal next step for your career. Primary Duties and Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. • Provide 24x7 operational support for the suite of privileged management solutions (e.g., CyberArk, Hashi, PKI), including implementing hot fixes, resolving bugs, troubleshooting issues, performing break-fixes, managing secrets lifecycle, and delivering end-user support. • Maintain robust operational integrity of privileged access management infrastructure throughout its lifecycle (e.g., patching, version control, system upgrades, alignment with OCC/Security standards, etc.). Provide organizational subject matter expertise on secrets management and privileged access management architecture, establishing and enforcing security as code principles throughout the environment. • Develop and implement system enhancements to improve platform user experience and automated integrations, while designing long-term solutions to address operational issues through innovative technologies including artificial intelligence for faster detection and remediation of functional and technical problems. Supervisory Responsibilities: • None Qualifications: The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions. • Knowledge of application authentication and authorization systems (i.e., Active Directory, oAuth 2.0, OIDC, AWS IAM, App Role, k8s, LDAPS, Kerberos, Certificate) • Working knowledge of the cloud ecosystem and CI/CD deployments with Terraform, Ansible, and Jenkins pipelines. • Working knowledge of security architecture design and principles including confidentiality, integrity and availability. Technical Skills: • Expertise in providing operational and engineering support for HashiCorp Vault and one or more of the following: CyberArk, Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS), HSMs, and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). • Expertise in scripting languages and developing in one or more of the following languages GoLang, Bash, Python, PowerShell, Ansible, and/or Terraform. • Knowledge of privileged access management methodologies and techniques for on-prem and Cloud implementation. Education and/or Experience: • Experience in one or more of the following disciplines: security operations, development, engineering, or architecture • Experience supporting privileged access management and access controls programs. • Professional or personal experience using AI coding agents such as OpenAI Codex, Claude Code, or Gemini CLI. Certificates or Licenses: • None About Us The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com. Benefits A highly collaborative and supportive environment developed to encourage work-life balance and employee wellness. Some of these components include: • A hybrid work environment, up to 2 days per week of remote work • Tuition Reimbursement to support your continued education • Student Loan Repayment Assistance • Technology Stipend allowing you to use the device of your choice to connect to our network while working remotely • Generous PTO and Parental leave • 401k Employer Match • Competitive health benefits including medical, dental and vision Visit https://www.theocc.com/careers/thriving-together for more information. Compensation • The salary range listed for any given position is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If hired at OCC, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors such as skills, experience and/or education. • In addition, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer. • We typically do not hire at the maximum of the range in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a substantial benefits package as noted on www.theocc.com/careers • All employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses are based on various factors, including, but not limited to, company and individual performance and are not guaranteed. Salary Range $122,900.00 - $199,500.00 Incentive Range 8% to 15% This position is eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award, for which the target range is listed above (see Incentive Range ). The amount of such award, if any, will be based on various factors, including without limitation, both individual and company performance. Step 1 When you find a position you're interested in, click the 'Apply' button. Please complete the application and attach your resume. Step 2 You will receive an email notification to confirm that we've received your application. Step 3 If you are called in for an interview, a representative from OCC will contact you to set up a date, time, and location. For more information about OCC , please click here . OCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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