Software Engineer - Security

Frey Consulting Group; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Foundr.xyz is seeking its first dedicated Security Lead to define and own the security function end-to-end. You’ll report to founders, work with engineering leadership, and shape security architecture, culture, and strategy from the ground up.

You’ll operate as both a strategic owner and an individual contributor, embedding security into how the company builds and ships. This foundational role offers high autonomy, direct access to leadership, and the opportunity to impact enterprise trust and

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading security in high-growth startups or modern tech environments.
• Strong background in cloud security (AWS/GCP) and secure software design.
• Experience embedding security into product development lifecycles (SDLC).
• Ability to perform threat modeling, risk assessments, and security reviews across the product stack.
• Excellent written and verbal communication to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own the company’s security strategy and roadmap across applications, infrastructure, and corporate environments.
• Design and implement secure architecture for cloud-native systems and AI/ML pipelines.
• Lead threat modeling, risk assessments, and security reviews throughout the product lifecycle.
• Establish and enforce security best practices across engineering teams (SDLC, code reviews, access controls).
• Build and scale detection, monitoring, and incident response capabilities.

Skills

Security leadership

Cloud security AWS/GCP

Threat modeling

Secure system design

Security communication

Job description

We’re partnering with a high-growth, venture-backed AI company building next-generation products at the intersection of machine learning and real-world applications. Backed by top-tier investors and led by an experienced founding team, the company is moving quickly from early traction toward scale.

They’re now looking to bring on their first dedicated Security Lead to define and own the security function end-to-end.

This is a foundational hire with direct access to leadership, high autonomy, and the opportunity to shape security architecture, culture, and strategy from the ground up.

The Role

You’ll be responsible for building and operationalizing security across the entire organization — spanning product, infrastructure, and internal systems.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll operate as both a strategic owner and an individual contributor, working closely with engineering to embed security into the core of how the company builds and ships.

What You’ll Do

• Own the company’s security strategy and roadmap across application, infrastructure, and corporate environments
• Design and implement secure architecture across cloud-native systems and AI/ML pipelines
• Lead threat modeling, risk assessments, and security reviews across the product lifecycle
• Establish and enforce security best practices across engineering teams (SDLC, code reviews, access controls, etc.)
• Build and scale detection and response capabilities , including logging, monitoring, and incident response processes
• Partner closely with founders and engineering leadership on security posture, compliance, and customer trust
• Act as the internal subject matter expert on security in AI systems , including model integrity, data protection, and emerging risks
• Support customer and enterprise conversations around security and trust , particularly as the company scales go-to-market

What They’re Looking For

• Proven experience in a security engineering or security leadership role within a high-growth startup or modern tech environment
• Strong background across cloud security (AWS/GCP), application security, and infrastructure security
• Experience working closely with engineering teams in a product-focused environment
• Deep understanding of modern attack vectors , threat modeling, and secure system design
• Ability to operate with high ownership in a 0→1 environment , balancing speed with rigor
• Strong communication skills — able to translate security concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Bonus Points

• Experience securing AI/ML systems or data pipelines
• Background in high-growth startups (Seed → Series B)
• Exposure to compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, etc.)
• Experience building security programs from scratch

Why This Role

• First security hire — full ownership and strategic influence
• Work directly with experienced founders and top-tier investors
• High-impact role at a company entering a key growth phase
• Opportunity to define security for a modern AI product from first principles

Foundr.xyz is extremely committed to working with equal opportunity employers helping build diverse and inclusive workforce’s. We put the people we work with at the heart of everything we do and dedicate all we do to playing a part in developing an industry that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.