Senior Software Security Engineer

Xcede; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Xcede, a fast-growing AI infrastructure startup in San Francisco, is seeking its first dedicated Security Engineer. This pivotal role allows you to build and own the security function from the ground up, focusing on security tools and automation that facilitate engineering velocity.

You will collaborate closely with senior platform engineers on securing a multi-tenant AI platform while establishing best practices for security across the organization. Join a well-funded startup tackling complex operational challenges for Fortune 500 clients.

Qualifications

• 4 years of software engineering experience with a focus on security.
• Hands-on experience in application security and cloud environments.
• Experience with compliance frameworks like SOC 2 and PCI.

Responsibilities

• Own the company's security program end-to-end.
• Build security tooling and automation for secure development.
• Lead threat modeling and security architecture initiatives.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Application security

Cloud security

Infrastructure hardening

Secure software development

Building security tooling

Strong communication skills

Tools

AWS

CI/CD security

Infrastructure as Code

Job description

We're partnering with a rapidly growing AI infrastructure startup that is redefining how enterprises automate complex operational workflows. Backed by some of Silicon Valley's leading investors and AI pioneers, the company has built a platform that transforms highly technical business processes into natural-language-driven software, enabling Fortune 500 organizations to automate mission-critical operations at scale.

With hundreds of thousands of production workflows executed across regulated industries including financial services, insurance, and telecommunications, they're tackling some of the most challenging security problems in modern AI infrastructure. The team is lean, highly technical, and operates entirely in-person from San Francisco.

The Opportunity

As the company's first dedicated Security Engineer, you'll have the rare opportunity to build and own the security function from the ground up. This is a highly impactful role for a hands‑on builder who enjoys creating security solutions that enable engineering velocity rather than restrict it.

You'll work closely with a team of senior platform engineers to secure a multi‑tenant AI platform processing sensitive enterprise data while establishing the security foundations required to support continued growth and enterprise adoption.

What You'll Do

• Own the company's security program end-to-end, spanning application security, infrastructure security, information security, and compliance
• Build security tooling and automation that makes secure-by-default development the easiest path for engineers
• Secure large‑scale AI infrastructure, including tenant isolation, secrets management, network segmentation, cloud environments, and regulated data pipelines
• Lead threat modeling, secure code reviews, vulnerability management, and security architecture initiatives across the platform
• Drive compliance programs including SOC 2 and PCI, serving as the primary internal security owner
• Partner directly with enterprise customers and their security teams to communicate security posture and respond to assessments
• Establish security best practices across the engineering organization while balancing security, usability, and product velocity

What We're Looking For

• 4 years of software engineering experience with a strong security background
• Hands‑on experience across application security, cloud security, infrastructure hardening, and secure software development
• Experience building security tooling, automation, or developer‑focused security platforms
• Familiarity with AWS, containerized environments, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD security, and modern cloud architectures
• Experience supporting compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, PCI, or similar regulatory requirements
• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence engineering teams through collaboration rather than process enforcement

Nice to Have

• Experience securing AI/LLM-powered systems
• Multi‑tenant SaaS security experience
• Background in fintech, healthcare, insurance, or other regulated industries
• Experience designing security controls for highly sensitive enterprise environments

Why Join?

• Build a security program from zero to one
• Work at the intersection of AI infrastructure and security
• Own broad technical scope across product, cloud, compliance, and enterprise security
• Collaborate with an exceptionally senior engineering team
• Join a well‑funded, high‑growth company solving complex real‑world problems for some of the world's largest enterprises