Founding Security Engineer

Series B AI Research Platform • San Francisco (On-site)

Location

San Francisco, CA (On-site)

Compensation

$230k–$300k + competitive equity

About the company

Our client is a Series B AI company in San Francisco, backed by a top-tier venture firm, building an autonomous research platform. Their software runs qualitative user research at scale — interviewing thousands of people and surfacing not just what they want but why. Their customers are large technology companies and Fortune 500 enterprises, which is precisely why the security bar matters.

The role

This is the company's first dedicated security hire. You'll build and own the entire security program from the ground up, reporting directly to the CTO. There is no existing team, no inherited playbook and no one above you setting the strategy — you decide what the program looks like and then build it. Because the platform handles sensitive research data on behalf of large enterprise customers, the work is genuinely consequential from day one, and there is a clear path to building and leading a security organisation as the company scales.

What you'll do

Build the company's security program from zero — strategy, controls, tooling and process
Own the protection of sensitive customer research data end-to-end
Lead enterprise security reviews and compliance work for large technology and Fortune 500 customers
Partner directly with the CTO and embed security into how the engineering team already works
Lay the foundations for a security organisation you will grow and lead

What we're looking for

These are hard requirements. Check each one that applies to you.

7+ years of security engineering experience
I've owned a security program end-to-end, rather than executing tickets inside someone else's
I've built security foundations from scratch somewhere that had none
Hands-on experience protecting sensitive customer data in a SaaS or enterprise environment
I'm comfortable working directly in a TypeScript codebase
I've led enterprise security reviews or compliance work for large customers
I can work on-site in San Francisco

Please note: every item above is a hard requirement for this role. Applications that don't meet all of them will be rejected. We recommend applying only if you check every box.

Don't check every box? No worries — submit your info here and we'll keep you in mind for roles that could be a better fit.

Submit Your Info

Nice to have

Experience taking a company through SOC 2, ISO 27001 or a comparable compliance programme
Background in application or product security in a fast-moving SaaS environment
You've been the first security hire somewhere before
Experience securing AI or data-heavy platforms handling sensitive user data

Tech stack

A TypeScript codebase, running a cloud-native AI research platform.

Compensation & logistics

$230k–$300k base + competitive equity
On-site in San Francisco
Series B, team of around 80
Three-stage interview process — no final-round panel
Visa transfers and new visa sponsorship are both available for this role

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