Staff Security Assurance Engineer

Databricks Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Databricks Inc. is seeking a Staff Security Assurance Engineer in the Washington, DC area to lead security compliance initiatives. You will partner across Security, IT, Engineering, Internal Audit, and Corporate Operations to ensure successful cross-functional delivery.

You will navigate a cloud-native landscape, manage end-to-end programs, and communicate progress to executives and government stakeholders. A Top Secret clearance and SCIF access are required.

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret Clearance with ability to access/work in a SCIF environment.
• Location in or willing to relocate to Washington, DC metropolitan area.
• 7+ years in security and technical program/project management (or 5+ years with advanced degree).
• Experience leading high-stakes security compliance initiatives (e.g., FedRAMP, DoD IL5/IL6, NIST 800-53, CMMC, PCI, HIPAA).
• Ability to navigate complex projects with multiple stakeholders and geo-distributed teams.
• Strong executive presence and ability to brief senior leadership and government stakeholders.
• Proven ability to rapidly learn new processes, technologies, and security frameworks.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for clear, actionable insights and documentation.
• Bachelor’s degree in CS/IS or equivalent experience.
• Federal experience in government/defense/IC or regulated environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive project outcomes for new security certifications and federal authorizations across regulated and government markets.
• Accelerate execution by removing blockers and maintaining high velocity in a cloud-native environment.
• Orchestrate cross-functional decision making among Engineering, IT, Product, and Security teams.
• Optimize delivery methodologies to keep security initiatives rigorous yet agile.
• Oversee end-to-end project lifecycles with milestones, dependencies, and risk mitigation; provide executive status reporting.
• Build strategic partnerships with Security Assurance Team SMEs and stakeholders to align on security goals.

Skills

Top Secret Clearance

SCIF access

Security program management

FedRAMP/NIST/DoD compliance

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Cloud-native security

Geographically distributed projects

Security governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / Information Systems

Job description

P-1528

As a Staff Security Assurance Engineer within the Security Assurance Team, you will help lead high-visibility security compliance implementation initiatives. Reporting directly to the Senior Director, you will serve as a strategic catalyst for these programs, ensuring seamless execution and alignment with Databricks’ global security objectives.

You will navigate a complex, cloud-native landscape, collaborating with Security, IT, Engineering, Internal Audit, Corporate Operations, and other teams, to assure successful completion of highly cross-functional projects that enable the growth of our business and safeguard our customers.

This role requires an active Top Secret Clearance, the ability to access and work within a SCIF environment, and residence within the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

The Impact You Will Have

• Drive Project Outcomes: Adopt an ownership mindset to manage the end-to-end delivery of work required for new security certifications, federal authorizations, and compliance initiatives that expand Databricks’ reach across regulated and government markets.
• Accelerate Execution: Act as a force multiplier by proactively identifying and neutralizing project blockers, reducing friction, and maintaining high velocity in a cloud-native environment.
• Orchestrate Cross-Functional Decision Making: Navigate complex technical and compliance trade-offs, driving consensus across Engineering, IT, Product, and Security teams to reach timely resolutions.
• Optimize Delivery Methodologies: Continuously refine project frameworks to maximize effectiveness, ensuring that security initiatives are both rigorous and agile.
• Precision Program Management: Masterfully oversee project lifecycles—including milestones, dependencies, and risk mitigation—while providing executive-level transparency through accurate status reporting.
• Build Strategic Partnerships: Forge deep, collaborative relationships with Security Assurance Team subject matter experts and technical stakeholders to ensure seamless alignment on security goals.

What We Look For

We are looking for a professional with the following skills and practical experience in:

• Active Top Secret (TS) Clearance with the ability to access and work within a SCIF environment.
• Location Requirement: Must be located in, or willing to relocate to, the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
• Proven Expertise: 7+ years of experience (with Bachelor’s degree or 5+ years with advanced degree) in security and technical program/project management. Ideally, at a fast-paced, cloud-native organization.
• Strategic Ownership: Demonstrated success in leading high-stakes security compliance initiatives (e.g., FedRAMP, DoD IL5/IL6, NIST 800-53, CMMC, PCI, HIPAA) from inception to authorization or market.
• Complexity Management: Experience navigating projects with intricate technical dependencies, multiple stakeholders, and competing constraints with geo-distributed teams.
• Executive Presence: Ability to influence and communicate effectively across the spectrum, from deep-dive technical discussions with engineers to high-level briefings for senior leadership and government stakeholders.
• Agility & Continuous Learning: A proven track record of rapidly mastering new processes, methodologies, technologies, and security frameworks to meet evolving business needs.
• Communication Excellence: Superb verbal and written skills, with a knack for translating complex project data into clear, actionable insights and documentation.
• Educational Foundation: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Federal Experience Preferred: Experience supporting U.S. Government, Defense, Intelligence Community, or other highly regulated environments is strongly preferred.

About Databricks

Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.

Benefits

At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.

Compliance

If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.