Director of Security Engineering

Sysdig; United States; On-site; USD 186,000 - 256,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extra days off

401(k) match

Parental leave

Mental health support

Health benefits

Job summary

Sysdig is seeking a senior security leader to report to the CISO and guide a small, high‑leverage team on the Trust & Security function. You will own the security‑engineering roadmap, standards, and budget while driving a strong product partnership with engineering and leadership.

You will bring an AI‑first mindset to security delivery, scale security work with agents, and ensure continuous assurance of controls such as ISO 27001/27701 and SOC 2 Type II.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in security or software engineering, including 4+ years leading and developing engineers.

Responsibilities

• Build security engineering end to end for Sysdig, leading a senior team.
• Set functional strategy with the CISO and leadership.
• Apply an AI-first mindset to security delivery.
• Scale security work with AI agents and guard AI workloads in production.
• Partner with product to shape roadmaps and provide guidance.
• Represent security with executives and customers on significant matters.
• Turn compliance into assurance and maintain ISO/SOC controls.
• Model Sysdig values and foster a culture of trust and ownership.

Skills

Security leadership

Engineer leadership

AI tooling

Product partnership

Cloud security

Kubernetes security

Compliance mindset

Job description

At Sysdig, we believe cloud security isn't a compromise - it's a promise. From the start, our mission has been clear: to help organizations secure innovation in the cloud, the right way.

We created Falco, the open standard for cloud threat detection, and continue to lead the cloud security market with runtime insights, open innovation, and agentic Al. Creators of technology trusted by over 60% of the Fortune 500, Sysdig gives teams the real‑time clarity to move fast and defend what matters most.

Culture matters here. We believe diversity fuels stronger ideas, and open dialogue drives sharper decisions. Recognized as a Best Place to Work and one of Deloitte's fastest‑growing companies for the past 5 years, we're here to raise the standard for what cloud security and workplace culture should be.

If you have the passion to dig deeper, the desire to challenge convention, and the curiosity to build something better, Sysdig is the right place for you.

What you will do

• Reporting to the CISO, you build security engineering for Sysdig, end to end, across the full code‑to‑cloud lifecycle. This is a senior leadership role on the Trust & Security team. You'll lead a small, high‑leverage team of senior and staff security engineers. This team's technical direction will be set by you, and you'll grow it through hiring and the development of senior talent. Additionally, you'll own the security‑engineering roadmap, standards, and budget.
• Set functional strategy with the CISO and senior leadership. Translate security strategy into operational plans and policy, cascade it across the function, and act as the final decision‑maker for security‑engineering standards, tooling, and practices.
• Bring an AI‑first mindset to security delivery. Use AI to deliver security capabilities that help engineering build better systems and write better code.
• Make AI‑assisted and agent‑driven development safe across the org, use AI agents to scale security work itself, and defend the AI agents and workloads we run in production as first‑class attack surface — work where the problems aren't clearly defined and established principles don't fully apply.
• Partner with product. Go beyond feedback, bring thoughtful, hands‑on guidance to the roadmap, using new capabilities first internally, then helping mature both our core cloud defense platform and our new AI workload protection. You'll be a true product partner, not just an internal user.
• Represent security with executives and customers. Engage senior leadership and major customers on security matters of significance, reconcile diverse stakeholder views to drive outcomes, and serve as a key leader within the Trust & Security function.
• Turn compliance into assurance. We maintain ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 Type II — but that's the floor. Your aim is continuous assurance of controls that not only meet the needs of the auditor but, more importantly, protect the trust of the customer.
• Model how we lead. Champion Sysdig's values — Trust in the Team, Love our Customers, Dig Deeper — and act as a change catalyst who builds a culture of trust, ownership, and continuous improvement.

What you will bring with you

• 7 or more years in security or software engineering, including 4+ years leading and developing engineers. You've owned a team's roadmap, outcomes, and budget, and you set direction.
• Demonstrated, deep partnership with engineering teams.
• Experience using AI and agentic tooling to deliver security capability and help engineers build better.
• A genuine product‑partnership instinct, and the credibility to engage executives and customers on security matters.
• Technical foundations in cloud and Kubernetes security, infrastructure‑as‑code, and modern CI/CD.
• A view of compliance (ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2 Type II) as continuous assurance to automate.

What we look for

• Familiarity with eBPF and runtime security concepts.
• Experience building internal developer platforms or secure "paved road" / scaffolding tooling.
• Background in promoting AI workloads or shipping AI security capabilities.
• A public voice and the appetite to use it — conference talks, writing, or open‑source work. Welcomed and supported, though not required.

When you join Sysdig, you can expect

• Extra days off to prioritize your well‑being
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with a 3% company match
• Maternity and Parental Leave
• Mental health support for you and your family through the Modern Health app
• Full health benefits package for you and your family

The U.S. annual salary range for this full‑time position is between 186,000 and 256,000 USD/year. Actual offers may be higher or lower than this range based on a variety of factors, including your work location, job‑related experience and education.

Sysdig values a diverse workplace and encourages women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign‑born residents, and veterans to apply. Sysdig is an equal‑opportunity employer. Sysdig does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected status.