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Staff Security Engineer

San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; New York, NY

At Scale, our Security Architecture team builds the foundations that allow engineers to ship fast without compromising security. From securing modern TypeScript services and cloud infrastructure to enabling safe adoption of AI-driven systems, our work shapes how products are designed, deployed, and operated across the company. We are looking for a Staff Security Engineer to help define and build the “paved road” for secure development at Scale.

As a Staff Security Engineer, you will operate as a builder first — roughly 60% software engineering and 40% security. You’ll partner deeply with product, platform, and infrastructure teams to design secure architectures, build shared primitives, and influence how engineering teams work end-to-end. This role requires strong production software engineering DNA, architectural judgment, and the ability to lead through influence in a fast-moving, high-impact environment.

You will:

  • Design and build secure application and infrastructure foundations that engineering teams use by default.

  • Partner with product and engineering teams across the full SDLC, from RFC and architecture reviews through implementation, launch, and long-term maintenance.

  • Conduct deep architecture, design, and code reviews, identifying systemic risks beyond individual vulnerabilities.

  • Build and maintain secure cloud and CI/CD foundations using Infrastructure as Code.

  • Act as a technical advisor to engineering teams, helping them ship secure, maintainable, production-grade systems.

  • Serve as a technical point of contact during high-impact security events, contributing engineering and operational leadership.

  • Influence security strategy and technical direction through tooling, standards, and clear technical guidance.

  • Mentor engineers and help raise the overall security and engineering maturity of the organization.

Ideally you’d have:

  • Staff-level experience in 3+ of the areas below (Senior at a minimum):

  • Deep, production-level expertise in TypeScript and the Node.js ecosystem, including frameworks such as Next.js and modern tooling.

  • A strong track record of shipping and owning production software, including experience with testing, deployment, and on-call operations.

  • Experience conducting security, architecture, and design reviews, not just code-level audits.

  • Deep familiarity with AWS cloud primitives, including IAM, and experience designing systems for multiple environments.

  • Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CDK, or similar), treating infrastructure as software.

  • Strong ability to structure ambiguous problems, diagnose root causes independently, and propose pragmatic solutions.

  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex security and architectural tradeoffs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

  • A proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive adoption of secure patterns without blocking velocity.

Nice to haves:

  • Experience with Kubernetes and container security, including network policies and workload isolation.

  • Background in Platform Engineering or Developer Productivity, such as building shared tooling, CLIs, frameworks, or base images.

  • Proficiency in Python, particularly in environments supporting AI/ML workloads.

  • Familiarity with AI / LLM systems, agentic workflows, and emerging AI security concerns.

  • Experience working in large-scale monorepos or with modern build systems (e.g., Bazel).

  • Exposure to data security, data pipelines, or compliance-driven systems (e.g., GDPR).

  • Willingness to learn and build automation around compliance environments (e.g., FedRAMP, GovCloud).

  • Interest in emerging infrastructure challenges such as GPU or HPC cluster security.

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

Please reference the job posting's subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the locations of San Francisco, New York, Seattle is:

$264,000 - $330,000 USD

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us:

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Cisco, DLA Piper, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status. 

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision. 

PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.

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