Software Engineer - Information Security

PlanetScale; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

A growing database company is seeking a Software Engineer: Information Security to design and implement security controls for their cloud-native database platform. This role entails collaborating with engineering teams, conducting security reviews, and responding to security incidents. Candidates should have 5+ years of experience in software engineering with a focus on security. Understanding of database security and compliance requirements like SOC 2 is also necessary. The position is based in San Francisco or can be remote.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on security engineering or application security.
• Strong proficiency in Go, with experience in other languages like Python, Java, or C++.
• Experience securing cloud-native applications and infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Knowledge of database security, encryption, and access controls.
• Understanding of threat modeling, security architecture, and secure coding practices.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement security controls for the cloud-native database platform.
• Collaborate with engineering teams on security reviews and threat modeling.
• Conduct proactive red teaming and testing.
• Evaluate and implement security tools and technologies.
• Work with the compliance team to ensure adherence to security frameworks.
• Respond to security incidents and conduct post-incident reviews.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Security engineering

Strong proficiency in Go

Experience in Python, Java, or C++

Cloud-native applications security

Knowledge of database security

Experience with SOC 2 and PCI DSS

Threat modeling

Security architecture

Secure coding practices

Job description

Software Engineer - Information Security

San Francisco Bay Area or Remote

PlanetScale is growing rapidly and reinventing the database space. The PlanetScale platform offers both PostgreSQL and Vitess clusters and will soon offer sharded PostgreSQL clusters with Neki.

Our customers entrust us with what is often their most precious digital asset, their data, so the stakes couldn't be higher. We're looking for a Software Engineer: Information Security to join our team and help us build security into every layer of our infrastructure while maintaining our exceptional developer experience.

What's the job to be done?

• You will design and implement security controls for PlanetScale's cloud-native database platform, protecting millions of queries per second for some of the world's largest applications.
• You will collaborate with engineering teams to conduct security reviews, threat modeling, and provide secure coding guidance across our distributed systems.
• A special focus for this role is on proactive red teaming and testing - you will consistently try to break into the PlanetScale platform as an attacker would, and help patch what you find
• You will evaluate, procure, and implement proactive security tools and technologies to strengthen our security posture.
• You will work closely with our compliance team to ensure adherence to SOC 2, PCI DSS, and other security frameworks.
• You will build security automation and tooling to scale security practices across the engineering organization.
• You will respond to security incidents and conduct post-incident reviews to improve our security resilience.
• You are passionate about building secure, scalable systems and understand that security is everyone's responsibility.
• You have strong experience with cloud security, application security, and securing distributed database systems.
• You can communicate complex security concepts clearly to engineering teams and translate business requirements into technical security solutions.
• You thrive in a collaborative environment and enjoy working across teams to embed security into the development lifecycle.
• You have excellent problem-solving skills and can balance security requirements with developer productivity.
• You are self-motivated and can work independently while making sound security and technical decisions.

What you will need

• 5+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on security engineering or application security
• Strong proficiency in Go, with experience in other languages like Python, Java, or C++
• Experience securing cloud-native applications and infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Knowledge of database security, encryption, and access controls
• Experience with security frameworks and compliance requirements (SOC 2, PCI DSS)
• Understanding of threat modeling, security architecture, and secure coding practices

What else will help you be successful

• Experience with database internals, distributed systems security, or infrastructure security
• Background in security tool evaluation, implementation, and automation
• Experience with Kubernetes security, container security, and cloud security posture management
• Knowledge of security monitoring, incident response, and vulnerability management
• Previous experience at a high-growth technology company or in a security engineering role
• Relevant security certifications (CISSP, CISM, CEH, etc.)

Why PlanetScale

We're redefining how high-growth companies manage data at scale—and we work with some of the most exciting brands in gaming, consumer tech, and B2B SaaS. As a Software Engineer: Information Security, you'll be at the core of protecting the platform that powers world-class apps used by hundreds of millions of users worldwide. You'll help ensure that as we scale, security remains fundamental to our architecture rather than an afterthought. PlanetScale is a profitable company with a philosophy centered around building small teams of p99 individuals and is recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in America.

At PlanetScale we believe in supporting people to do their best work and thrive no matter the location. Our mission is to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company. We strive to build an inclusive environment where all people feel that they are equally respected and valued, whether they are a candidate or an employee. We welcome applicants of any educational background, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, citizenship, socioeconomic status, disability, pregnancy status, and veteran status.

If you have a disability, please let us know if there's any way we can make the interview process better for you; we're happy to accommodate!

Total Compensation and Pay Transparency

An employee's total compensation consists of base salary + variable comp where appropriate + benefits + equity. A member of our Talent Acquisition team will be happy to answer any further questions when we engage with you to begin the interview process.

Base salary range: $140,000 - $320,000 USD