Tech Lead - Data Scientist

Obsidian; Newport Beach (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation with equity

401(k)

Comprehensive healthcare

Flexible paid time off

12 weeks of new parent leave

Personal and professional development

Job summary

Obsidian Security is seeking a Tech Lead – Data Scientist to drive the development of our core ontology powering unified security configuration analysis, AI security, and threat detection. You will lead a small team of engineers and data scientists to scale ontology coverage across enterprise platforms, with a strong emphasis on security and data-driven outcomes.

The role requires 6+ years in data science or ML, production ML experience, and expert Python skills.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in data science or ML, with at least 2 years in technical leadership.
• Proven track record shipping production ML systems at scale.
• Expert Python and ML tooling proficiency.
• Experience with ontologies, knowledge graphs, or semantics is a plus.
• Ability to frame security problems as data problems.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of Obsidian's core ontology powering security analysis.
• Guide a team of software engineers and data scientists.
• Collaborate with security teams at Global 1000 companies to refine outcomes.
• Translate complex requirements into scalable ML experiments.

Skills

Python

ML tooling

Leadership

Data science

Security domain knowledge

Education

Advanced degree in CS/Math/ML

Job description

Obsidian Security is the leading SaaS security platform, trusted by global enterprises like Snowflake, T‑Mobile, and Algolia. We protect 200+ organizations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, including many of the world’s largest Fortune 1000 and Global 2000 companies.

Founded in 2017 and backed by top investors like Greylock, Obsidian was built to close a critical gap: securing SaaS apps where business happens—Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and hundreds more. The company does this by offering a complete SaaS security platform to reduce risk, detect and respond to threats, and prevent breaches at the source.

With global momentum, a growing partner ecosystem including SentinelOne, Databricks, and Google Cloud, and a major fundraise ahead, Obsidian is scaling rapidly toward long‑term growth and IPO readiness.

Tech Lead – Data Scientist

About the Role

We are looking for a Technical Lead to drive the development of Obsidian's core ontology that powers our groundbreaking unified security config analysis, AI security, and threat detection product.

• Scale this ontology as part of a team of 3–6 software engineers and data scientists to cover hundreds or thousands more enterprise application platforms. Drive automation of repeatable R&D subtasks.
• Become an expert on foundational identity, authentication, authorization, network, and data security concepts. An unhealthy dose of curiosity about the design and administration—technology, people, and process—of complex application platforms such as GitHub, Salesforce, and Workday is a must. You will love exploring rabbit holes into esoteric domain knowledge related to these topics.
• Formulate security problems as data and ML problems, constantly addressing and refining the customer outcome in collaboration with top‑flight security teams from Global 1000 companies.

What We’re Looking For

• 6+ years of experience in data science, machine learning, or applied research, preferably with 2+ years in a technical leadership role.
• A track record of shipping production ML or data systems at scale—ideally systems involving ontologies, knowledge graphs, entity resolution, or semantics over heterogeneous data sources.
• Expert‑level proficiency in Python and modern ML/data tooling.
• Working knowledge of core security domains, or a strong ability to learn.
• Experience formulating fuzzy business or security problems as concrete ML/data problems.
• Ability to decompose ambiguous, ambitious problems into well‑scoped subproblems and design experiments with statistical rigor.
• Comfortable being scrappy and diving deep into vendor documentation, APIs, and audit logs to find the necessary data sources.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to engage credibly with technical security practitioners at large enterprises.

Employee Benefits

• Competitive compensation with equity and 401(k)
• Comprehensive healthcare with dental and vision coverage
• Flexible paid time off and paid holiday time off
• 12 weeks of new parent or family leave
• Personal and professional development resources

Pay Transparancy

Please note that the base pay range is a guideline and for candidates who receive an offer, the base pay will vary based on factors such as work location, as well as the knowledge, skills and experience of the candidate. In addition to a competitive base salary, this position is eligible for equity awards and may be eligible for sales commission or incentive compensation based on the role or function within the company.

Base Salary Range: $220,000 – $250,000 USD

At Obsidian, we are proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. We value diversity and hire for talent, passion, and compassion. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to submit satisfactory proof of identity and legal authorization. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please contact [e-mail].