Sr. Security Engineer, GRC Fintech & Financial Services

SpaceX Super Intelligence; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 258,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical

Vision

Dental

401(k)

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Job summary

SpaceXSI is seeking an experienced Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Engineer focused on fintech and financial services regulation to scale compliance across xMoney and related platforms. You will design Compliance‑as‑Code, automate evidence collection, and work closely with engineering to embed controls into the product life cycle.

The role requires PCI DSS, NYDFS, FFIEC experience, privacy frameworks (GDPR, CCPA), cloud familiarity, and strong collaboration with auditors and regulators to

Qualifications

• PCI DSS and NYDFS/FFIEC experience
• Compliance-as-Code and automated evidence collection
• Cloud proficiency in AWS/GCP/Azure
• Ability to translate regulatory obligations into technical controls

Responsibilities

• Own PCI NYDFS FFIEC compliance posture across relevant jurisdictions
• Build and extend Compliance-as-Code capabilities
• Operate GRC platforms (e.g., Vanta) and integrate with cloud/engineering systems
• Collaborate with Architects and Engineering Leads to bake compliance into design
• Design and validate controls for fintech environments (cardholder data, access, logging)
• Manage risk register and track regulatory risk with business impact
• Lead audits and regulatory reviews with external assessors and regulators
• Develop, maintain policies and procedures aligned to PCI, NYDFS, FFIEC, privacy laws

Skills

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder mgmt

Regulatory knowledge

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/InfoSec

Tools

Vanta

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars. SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

We are seeking an experienced Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Engineer focused on fintech and financial services regulation to help scale compliance for SpaceXSI and xMoney. As we operate deeper in regulated financial environments, maintaining a robust, transparent, and technically sound GRC program is critical. You will architect the systems and processes that automate trust — a pragmatic operator who understands that GRC exists to enable the business, balancing rigorous standards with the velocity of a high-growth company. The ideal candidate brings hands‑on fintech compliance experience (PCI DSS, NYDFS, FFIEC), fluency in data privacy frameworks (GDPR, CCPA), and GRC engineering skills: Compliance‑as‑Code, continuous evidence collection, and deep partnership with engineering so controls are designed into the platform rather than bolted on after the fact. This role may also include additional tasks and responsibilities as needed to support the team and evolving business priorities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own and evolve financial services and payments compliance posture across PCI DSS, NYDFS (including 23 NYCRR 500), FFIEC guidance, and related banking/fintech regulatory expectations supporting xMoney across relevant jurisdictions.
• Build and maintain Compliance-as-Code capabilities — policy-as-code, automated control validation, continuous evidence collection, and monitoring integrated into CI/CD — so audit readiness scales with the business rather than depending on manual, point-in-time checks.
• Operate and extend GRC platforms (e.g., Vanta) as the backbone for control mapping, evidence management, and continuous compliance; integrate with cloud, identity, logging, and engineering systems to reduce administrative bottlenecks.
• Partner with Architects and Engineering Leads to bake compliance and privacy requirements; translate complex regulatory obligations into concrete technical implementations and auditor‑ready narratives without slowing development.
• Design, implement, and validate technical controls relevant to fintech environments (cardholder data environment scoping and segmentation, access control, logging, encryption, change management, vulnerability management) — not just document them.
• Operate the cybersecurity and compliance risk register — identify, quantify, and track risks, distinguishing theoretical gaps from meaningful business and regulatory risk.
• Lead risk assessments and compliance reviews for new products, payment flows, features, vendors, and architectural changes that affect the regulated attack surface.
• Own and cultivate relationships with external auditors, assessors (e.g., QSAs where applicable), and regulators; serve as the bridge between auditors and internal teams so requests are reasonable, clear, and relevant to our stack.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve policies, standards, and procedures aligned to PCI, NYDFS, FFIEC, privacy laws, and complementary frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001) where they overlap.
• Champion pragmatic governance — prioritize issues that represent real security or business risk over checkbox compliance.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Security, Cybersecurity, or in an engineering/STEM field.
• 8+ years of experience in GRC, security compliance, or technology audit roles in fintech, banking, payments, or other heavily regulated financial environments.
• Hands‑on experience with PCI DSS and at least one of NYDFS (23 NYCRR 500) or FFIEC cybersecurity/IT examination guidance — including implementing or operating controls, not only reading the requirements.
• Experience with Compliance-as-Code practices and GRC automation tooling (e.g., Vanta, or similar), with a bias toward continuous monitoring and reducing manual evidence collection.
• Technical fluency sufficient to speak the language of engineering, cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure), and security architecture, and to anticipate how design decisions impact risk and compliance.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 10+ years of security compliance, GRC engineering, or technology audit‑related experience in fintech or financial services.
• Hands‑on experience implementing technical controls (e.g., IAM, logging and monitoring, encryption, network segmentation, infrastructure hardening) and integrating compliance checks into CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience supporting SOC 2 and/or ISO 27001 programs alongside fintech‑specific obligations.
• Experience with payment ecosystems, cardholder data environments, tokenization, or similar PCI‑scoped architectures.
• Working knowledge of data privacy frameworks including GDPR and CCPA/CPRA, and experience partnering with Legal or Privacy.
• Familiarity with additional financial regulatory regimes (e.g., GLBA, BSA/AML technology controls, state money‑transmitter expectations, or international banking rules in the EU, UK, or other markets, e.g DORA) is valuable.
• Experience enabling enterprise sales through trust centers, vendor questionnaires, and customer security reviews.
• Proven ability to operate a risk register and apply judgment in gray areas — focusing on outcomes over optics.
• Exceptional analytical, problem‑solving, organizational, and project management skills, with the ability to take compliance programs from conception to assessment‑ready launch.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills — able to explain regulatory and privacy requirements to engineers, legal, sales, and executives in plain language.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CISM, CRISC, PCIP, CIPP/US, CIPP/E, or similar preferred.
• Experience with emerging AI‑related financial services expectations or securing AI features in a regulated fintech product is a plus.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

$152,000 - $258,000 USD

• equity
• comprehensive medical
• vision
• dental coverage
• access to a 401(k) retirement plan
• short & long-term disability insurance
• life insurance
• various other discounts and perks.

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