Senior Software Engineering Manager | Applied AI Engineering

Servicenow; Santa Clara (CA); Remote; USD 191,000 - 334,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health plans

401(k) with company match

ESPP

Matching donations

Flexible time away plan

Family leave programs

Job summary

ServiceNow is seeking a Sr Software Engineering Manager within the Security Organization to build the Applied AI Engineering function. You will own AI-powered security architecture and drive rapid shipping cadence across cyber defense domains, partnering with Threat Intelligence, Hunting, and SOC teams to reduce risk.

You will recruit and grow a high-performing engineering team, set a high technical bar, enable self-sufficiency for practitioners, and shape the roadmap with executive backing to

Qualifications

• Experience leveraging AI to automate work processes or improve decision-making.
• 10–15 years building and shipping software systems at scale or equivalent with education.
• Proven track record of building/scaling a high-performing engineering team with 2+ years managing engineers.
• Deep technical fluency: code reviews, architecture tradeoffs, removing blockers.
• Able to distinguish build-it-yourself vs enable-others in a fast-moving context.
• Comfort operating with significant ambiguity when standing up a new function.

Responsibilities

• Own AI-powered security architecture across cyber defense domains (threat intel, hunting, SOC, incident response, attack path management).
• Unify data into defender-ready systems leveraging internal telemetry and external intel.
• Enable security practitioners to extend and maintain automation themselves.
• Build and grow a world-class engineering team with a high technical bar.
• Drive shipping velocity with rapid, low-risk cadences and clear architecture decisions.
• Shape the roadmap cross-functionally with Security Operations, Threat Intelligence, Hunting, Red Team, and more.

Skills

AI in workflows

Software engineering

Engineering leadership

Mentoring engineers

Ambiguity tolerance

Engineering best practices

Job description

Company Description

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

Job Description

The ServiceNow Security Organization (SSO)

The ServiceNow Security Organization (SSO) delivers world-class, innovative security solutions to reduce risk and protect the company and our customers. We enable our customers to migrate their most sensitive data and workloads to the cloud, accelerating our business so that we are the most trusted SaaS provider. We create an environment where our employees are proud to work and can make a positive impact

Cyber defense doesn't scale through headcount alone. It scales when systems make defenders exponentially more effective. We're looking for a Sr Software Engineering Manager to join Cyber Defense Engineering and build the Applied AI Engineering function: a small, high-caliber engineering team applying AI and automation to some of the most challenging problems in cyber defense, protecting a platform trusted by thousands of the world's largest enterprises.

You'll own the architecture for systems that automate security incident investigations, accelerate threat hunting, operationalize threat intelligence, scale attack path management, and turn security issue management into measurable risk reduction. You'll also build the internal capability for security practitioners to extend that automation themselves, so your systems compound impact rather than create new bottlenecks.

This is a rare opportunity to define how AI transforms cyber defense at scale, with the technical latitude and executive backing to do it right.

What You'll Do

• Own AI-Powered Security Architecture: Set the technical strategy and architecture for AI-powered use cases across cyber defense domains, including threat intelligence, threat hunting, security operations, incident response, attack path management, and security issue management
• Unify Data Into Defender-Ready Systems: Build solutions that fully leverage internal telemetry, asset data, context, and external intelligence to deliver domain-specific use cases that enable cyber defenders
• Enable Practitioner Self-Sufficiency: Empower security practitioners to extend and maintain automation themselves, compounding your team's impact over time
• Build a World-Class Engineering Team: Recruit and grow a high-performing engineering team, setting a high technical bar and building durable career paths
• Drive Shipping Velocity: Establish a rapid, low-risk shipping cadence, owning architecture decisions and removing blockers so your team moves fast without breaking things
• Shape the Roadmap Cross-Functionally: Partner closely with Security Operations, Threat Intelligence, Hunting, Red Team, and more on priorities

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving. This may include using AI-powered tools, automating workflows, analyzing AI-driven insights, or exploring AI's potential impact on the function or industry.
• 10 to 15 years building and shipping software systems at scale (backend, full stack, data, or platform engineering) OR similar experience with education
• Proven track record of building or scaling a high-performing engineering team, with 2+ years managing engineers
• Deep technical fluency: you can code review, evaluate architecture tradeoffs, and unblock the hardest problems your team faces
• Demonstrated ability to distinguish "build it ourselves" from "enable someone else to build it": this role demands both engineering execution and a coaching mindset
• Comfort operating with significant ambiguity, standing up a new function from the ground up
• A track record of establishing engineering best practices and holding a team to a high bar of technical excellence

Preferred Qualifications

• Security domain experience (incident response, SOC, threat intelligence, hunting, vulnerability management, etc.), or a strong appetite to learn it quickly
• Experience applying AI/ML to operational or workflow automation at scale
• Familiarity with modern data infrastructure
• Experience building enablement programs, internal platforms, or tooling for non-engineer end users

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $190,900 - $334,100, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.