Lead Security Engineer

Neurophos • Austin, TX

2d • $170,000 - $210,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Neurophos is at the forefront of revolutionizing AI compute by developing chips that utilize silicon photonics for matrix multiplications at the speed of light. This approach offers significantly higher energy efficiency and performance compared to traditional electronic circuits. The company has secured substantial Series A funding and is looking for a Lead Security Engineer to design, build, and defend its core cloud, network, and system infrastructure. This role is crucial for maintaining the architectural integrity of the security posture, implementing zero-trust principles, managing threat detection, and representing the company's security to sophisticated adversaries and commercial clients. The position requires a blend of deep technical expertise and strategic governance.

Requirements

• 8+ years of combined experience in infrastructure security, security engineering, or cybersecurity management.
• 3+ years leading a security program at a hardware, semiconductor, or high-growth tech company.
• Deep hands-on expertise in cloud security, network defense, IAM infrastructure, and endpoint protection.
• Direct experience leading incident response runbooks, threat hunting, and containment in production/cloud environments.
• Exceptional ability to articulate complex security concepts to executive leadership, core engineering teams, and enterprise security auditors.
• Ability to manage external vendors to support the IT needs of the organization until we hire a dedicated IT leader, or to manage IT and security together.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Azure.
• Experience with GRC automation platforms and Infrastructure as Code security analysis tools.
• Experience securing semiconductor EDA/CAD workflows, Linux compute clusters, or physical R&D lab environments.
• Proven track record of guiding a company through SOC 2 Type II audits and operationalizing frameworks such as NIST CSF or ISO 27001.
• Practical understanding of export control compliance requirements as applied to IT infrastructure and source data management.

Responsibilities

• Deploy zero-trust network access, secure cloud perimeters, and infrastructure access controls across cloud and physical lab/office environments.
• Safeguard high-value engineering compute environments, CAD/EDA tools, and proprietary chip design repositories against external exfiltration and unauthorized access.
• Implement robust Identity & Access Management policies, fine-grained Role-Based Access Control, Multi-Factor Authentication, and automated access review cycles.
• Design and execute end-to-end vulnerability management processes, covering continuous asset scanning, prioritization, and coordinated remediation tracking with engineering teams.
• Build, maintain, and test the incident response runbook; serve as the primary incident commander during security events, conducting forensic analysis and root-cause post-mortems.
• Establish SIEM/EDR tooling, intrusion detection, and continuous logging across endpoints, servers, and cloud infrastructure to detect unauthorized access attempts in real time.
• Support technical defense discussions and security assessments with customers and investors.
• Conduct vendor risk management assessments for third-party SaaS and infrastructure tools entering the company’s software stack.
• Own the security compliance library, authoring and enforcing acceptable use, data classification, network segmentation, and disaster recovery policies.
• Support the SOC 2 Type II certification program (utilizing platforms such as Vanta or Drata) in coordination with engineering, General Counsel, and external auditors.
• Collaborate with the General Counsel to establish secure data handling, export control safeguards, and access controls.

Benefits

• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
• Unlimited PTO.
• 401(k) matching.
• Stock option opportunities.
• Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
• Personalized Benefits: Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed