Staff Security Engineer, Detection & Response

Robinhood; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 217,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Equity ownership

401(k) matching

Lifestyle wallet

Life & disability insurance

Parental leave

Mental health benefits

Job summary

Robinhood is seeking a Staff Security Engineer (IC6) to lead incident response strategy and build robust detection frameworks. This role, based in Bellevue, WA or Menlo Park, CA, involves mentoring engineers and shaping AI-native security solutions for the SecOps organization.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to protect Robinhood’s ecosystem, participate in on-call rotations, and advance the Autonomic Security Operations roadmap with AI-driven tooling.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Detection & Response, Incident Response, or Security Operations.
• Proven command presence leading complex incident responses under pressure.
• Deep cloud & infrastructure experience with a focus on Kubernetes.
• Ability to fluently read and reason through code across multiple languages to solve security challenges.
• Track record of designing, tuning, and operating scalable detection pipelines and SOAR playbooks; leveraging AI technologies.
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing agentic AI workflows for security operations.
• Thrives in high-growth, fast-paced environments with evolving threat landscapes.

Responsibilities

• Lead security incident response workstreams with decisive leadership and clear executive communication.
• Build, tune, and maintain global detection catalogs across cloud and Kubernetes environments.
• Architect Autonomic Security Operations (ASO) roadmap, integrating AI agents to transform response capabilities.
• Read and analyze multi-language codebases to identify vulnerabilities and guide remediation.
• Mentor engineers, foster technical excellence, and promote team development.
• Participate in an on-call rotation (1 week per rotation) to ensure real-time readiness.

Skills

Incident response

Command presence

Cloud & Kubernetes

Code reasoning

Detection engineering

AI in security

Agility

Job description

Join us in building the future of finance.

Our mission is to democratize finance for all. An estimated $124 trillion of assets will be inherited by younger generations in the next two decades. The largest transfer of wealth in human history. If you’re ready to be at the epicenter of this historic cultural and financial shift, keep reading.

About the team + role

We are building an elite team, applying frontier technologies to the world’s biggest financial problems. We’re looking for bold thinkers. Sharp problem-solvers. Builders who are wired to make an impact. Robinhood isn’t a place for complacency, it’s where ambitious people do the best work of their careers. We’re a high-performing, fast-moving team with ethics at the center of everything we do. Expectations are high, and so are the rewards.

About the Team

The Security Operations (SecOps) team at Robinhood proactively safeguards our platform and millions of customers. We monitor, detect, and respond to security threats in real time while staying ahead of risks through threat intelligence, Red Team operations, and research partnerships. We are building the next generation of security operations—leveraging AI-driven automation, Autonomic Security Operations (ASO), and innovative detection frameworks to set the standard across the cybersecurity industry!

About the Role

As a Staff Security Engineer (IC6) on the Detection & Response team, you will drive our incident response strategy, build robust detection engineering frameworks, and mentor engineers across the organization. In this high-impact role, you will command high-stress incident responses, eliminate operational noise by developing an AI-native detection platform, and help shape the broader AI-agentic ecosystem for SecOps. You will work closely with cross-functional partners in Proactive Security, Security Engineering, Insider Trust, Infrastructure, Legal, and Communications to protect Robinhood’s ecosystem.

This role is based in our Bellevue, WA and Menlo Park, CA office(s), with in-person attendance expected at least 3 days per week.

At Robinhood, we believe in the power of in-person work to accelerate progress, spark innovation, and strengthen community. Our office experience is intentional, energizing, and designed to fully support high-performing teams.

What you’ll do

• Lead Incident Response: Command security incident response workstreams with decisive leadership, rapidly containing threats, quantifying impact, and communicating effectively with leadership.
• Elevate Detection Rigor: Build, tune, and maintain our global detection catalog across our cloud and kubernetes environments to ensure high precision and actionable alerting.
• Drive Strategic Innovation: Architect our Autonomic Security Operations (ASO) roadmap, integrating AI agents and automated issue discovery to transform response capabilities.
• Code & Architecture Analysis: Read and reason through complex, multi-language codebases to identify security vulnerabilities, evaluate threat vectors, and guide remediation.
• Mentor & Elevate the Team: Foster a culture of technical excellence, trust, and continuous learning by mentoring engineers and bringing charisma to team development.
• On-Call Support: Participate in an on-call rotation (1 week per rotation) to maintain real-time operational readiness.

What you bring

• 8+ years of experience in Detection & Response, Incident Response, or Security Operations.
• Proven Command Presence: Demonstrated success leading complex incident responses under pressure with clear, action-oriented executive communication.
• Deep Cloud & Infrastructure Expertise: Advanced technical experience securing cloud environments with a focus on Kubernetes.
• Code Reasoning Skills: Ability to fluently read, analyze, and reason through code across multiple programming languages to solve complex security challenges.
• Detection Engineering Mastery: Track record of designing, tuning, and operating scalable detection engineering pipelines and SOAR playbooks, as well as leveraging AI technologies to improve speed, scale, and quality.
• AI Experience: Hands-on experience designing and implementing agentic AI workflows for security operations.
• Agility: Ability to thrive in high-growth, fast-paced environments with evolving threat landscapes.

Bonus Points

• Hands-on experience with Threat Hunting, Threat Intelligence, Vulnerability Management, or Red Team operations.
• Background in high-growth fintech, crypto platforms, or managed security service providers.
• Familiarity with DeFi/crypto, blockchain, and related technologies.

What we offer

• Challenging, high-impact work to grow your career.
• Performance-driven compensation with multipliers for outsized impact, bonus programs, equity ownership, and 401(k) matching.
• Best-in-class benefits to fuel your work, including 100% paid health insurance for employees with 90% coverage for dependents.
• Lifestyle wallet — a highly flexible benefits spending account for wellness, learning, and more.
• Employer-paid life & disability insurance, fertility benefits, and mental health benefits.
• Time off to recharge including company holidays, paid time off, sick time, parental leave, and more!
• Exceptional office experience with catered meals, events, and comfortable workspaces.

In addition to the base pay range listed below, this role is also eligible for bonus opportunities + equity + benefits.

Base pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. The expected base pay range for this role is based on the location where the work will be performed and is aligned to one of 3 compensation zones. For other locations not listed, compensation can be discussed with your recruiter during the interview process.

Base Pay Range:

Zone 1 (Menlo Park, CA; New York, NY; Bellevue, WA; Washington, DC)

$217,000 — $255,000 USD

Zone 2 (Denver, CO; Westlake, TX; Chicago, IL)

$190,000 — $224,000 USD

Zone 3 (Lake Mary, FL; Clearwater, FL; Gainesville, FL)

$169,000 — $199,000 USD

Robinhood provides equal opportunity for all applicants, offers reasonable accommodations upon request, and complies with applicable equal employment and privacy laws. Inclusion is built into how we hire and work—welcoming different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences so everyone can do their best. Please review the Privacy Policy for your country of application.