Security Engineer

Clera; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

401k

Visa sponsorship

Relocation support

AI productivity tools access

Job summary

Clera, an early-stage AI/ML infrastructure company, is seeking a founding security hire to build the program from scratch. You will collaborate across product, cloud infrastructure, compliance, and incident response to safeguard a platform used by leading AI labs and enterprises.

This role demands hands-on expertise in detection and response, security architecture, and governance. You will own SOC 2 readiness, design controls, and translate data-license requirements into enforceable safeguards

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on security engineering across infrastructure, detection, response, and identity domains.
• Experience leading security incidents end-to-end from containment to root-cause analysis.
• Proven ability to implement or operate SOC 2 or equivalent security frameworks.
• Experience securing AI/ML infrastructure and data platforms.
• Experience with data protection controls: access, retention, deletion, isolation, auditability.
• Experience working with legal teams, auditors, and customers on security questionnaires.

Responsibilities

• Lead detection and incident response end-to-end from signal to postmortem and engineering improvements.
• Own the security roadmap spanning product, cloud/infrastructure security, and compliance.
• Secure APIs, platforms, and data systems through threat modeling and access controls.
• Build and operate monitoring, detection, and incident-response capabilities.
• Own SOC 2 compliance and customer trust through audits and policy management.
• Partner with legal, commercial, engineering, and operations to translate data-license requirements into enforceable controls.

Skills

Security engineering

Incident response

SOC 2 compliance

Threat modeling

Access controls

Compliance collaboration

Communication with stakeholders

Job description

About the Role

This is a founding security hire at an early-stage AI/ML infrastructure company, giving you the opportunity to build the security program from scratch. You will work across product, cloud infrastructure, compliance, and incident response to protect a platform used by leading AI labs and large enterprises. The role is critical to maintaining customer trust and safeguarding sensitive data assets at scale.

What You'll Do

• Lead detection and incident response end-to-end, from initial signal and alert through investigation, postmortem, and durable engineering improvements.

• Own the security roadmap spanning product security, cloud and infrastructure security, corporate security, incident response, and compliance.

• Secure APIs, platforms, and data systems through threat modeling, design and code reviews, authentication and authorization controls, and secrets management.

• Build and operate monitoring, detection, and incident-response capabilities, and turn emerging threats into lasting improvements.

• Own SOC 2 compliance and customer trust, including control design, security questionnaires, policy management, vendor reviews, and audits.

• Partner with legal, commercial, engineering, and operations to translate data-license requirements into enforceable controls covering access, provenance, retention, deletion, isolation, and auditability.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of hands-on security engineering experience across infrastructure, detection and response, and identity domains.

• Proven ability to lead security incidents end-to-end, from containment through root-cause analysis and follow-up engineering work.

• Experience implementing or operating SOC 2 or a comparable security framework and translating requirements into technical controls.

• Experience securing AI/ML infrastructure, agent execution environments, data platforms, or systems handling untrusted or sensitive data.

• Experience designing and implementing data protection controls including access, retention, deletion, isolation, and auditability.

• Experience working with legal teams, auditors, and customers on security questionnaires, policy management, and audit processes.

• Strong communication skills with a broad range of stakeholders, including engineers, operations, legal, auditors, and customers.

• High agency and sound judgment, with the ability to prioritize risks and make pragmatic decisions under uncertainty.

• Relevant certifications (OSCP, AWS Security Specialist, OSWE, CKS, GIAC) or demonstrated expertise through CVEs, security tooling, or bug bounty work are a plus.

Compensation & Benefits

Very competitive compensation package. Full medical, dental, and vision coverage. Additional benefits include a 401k, commuter benefits, and access to leading AI productivity tools. Visa sponsorship and relocation support are available for strong candidates.

Location

On-site in San Francisco, CA or Singapore. Visa sponsorship and relocation support are provided.