Lead, Security Engineer

Pearson•Durham, NC

1d•Remote

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Leader of Security Engineering to establish, lead, and mature our Security Engineering organization. This senior leadership role is responsible for the full engineering lifecycle (architect, build, deploy, maintain, and decommission) of security capabilities across cloud infrastructure, network, and user environments. The Leader of Security Engineering will own the engineering delivery of cloud security posture management (CSPM), attack surface management (ASM), SaaS security posture management (SSPM), network security, endpoint security, and mobile security, ensuring each capability is properly designed, operationalized, and handed off to Security Operations for ongoing use. As a distributed leader, this role carries dual responsibilities: driving security engineering excellence enterprise-wide while providing leadership, mentorship, and support to security team members across all locations.

Requirements

12+ years of hands-on security engineering experience spanning cloud security, infrastructure security, network security, or user environment security, with progression into leadership roles
5+ years leading security engineering programs, owning the full lifecycle of security capability delivery from architecture through decommission
3+ years managing and developing security teams across multiple disciplines, with demonstrated success in team building and talent development
Proven track record architecting, deploying, and maintaining production-grade security capabilities across cloud, network, and endpoint domains
Deep expertise in CSPM, ASM, SSPM, endpoint security, mobile security, and network security engineering disciplines
Demonstrated experience partnering with Security Operations teams, defining operational handoff criteria, and enabling effective use of deployed capabilities
Deep knowledge of major cloud platform security models, including IAM, networking, security services, and governance frameworks across multiple cloud environments
Experience with Infrastructure as Code security, including secure module development, pipeline-integrated scanning, and policy-as-code enforcement
Network security engineering expertise including next-generation firewalls, segmentation, zero trust architectures, VPNs, and IDS/IPS
Endpoint and mobile security engineering expertise including EDR deployment and tuning, MDM/MAM, device hardening, and BYOD security models
Experience engineering and integrating CSPM, ASM, and SSPM platforms into enterprise security ecosystems
Container and workload security engineering covering orchestration platforms and runtime protection
Scripting and automation skills for building security engineering tooling and deployment automation
Knowledge of security frameworks and standards: NIST CSF, CIS Controls, MITRE ATT&CK, ISO 27001
Experience with security monitoring platforms and the ability to engineer telemetry pipelines that feed Security Operations
Executive presence with the ability to communicate engineering strategy and risk to technical and non-technical audiences
Strategic thinking balanced with hands-on engineering execution capabilities
Ability to influence without authority to drive security engineering standards across infrastructure and operations organizations
Strong interpersonal skills for coaching, mentoring, and building trust with diverse stakeholders including Security Operations peers
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or related field (or equivalent experience)
Desired certifications: CISSP, CCSP, cloud security specialty certifications, GCIH, GCIA, or equivalent

Nice To Haves

Experience with AI-powered security tooling and AI-driven automation for security engineering and detection capabilities
Experience in highly regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, government) with complex compliance requirements
Zero trust architecture design and implementation experience across network and user access domains
Multi-cloud security engineering experience spanning multiple major cloud platforms
GitOps experience with infrastructure deployment automation tools
Service mesh security engineering experience in complex microservices environments
SOAR integration experience, engineering automation workflows that connect deployed capabilities to Security Operations platforms
Master's degree in a relevant field
Experience with security metrics and reporting to board-level audiences
Previous experience in multi-site or distributed team leadership
Advanced certifications in cloud architecture, network security, or offensive security disciplines

Responsibilities

Design and implement a comprehensive Security Engineering Program spanning cloud infrastructure, network, and user environment security, including policies, standards, processes, metrics, and tooling
Own the full engineering lifecycle (architect, build, deploy, maintain, and decommission) for all security capabilities within the program's scope
Establish and mature engineering practices across infrastructure deployment, network architecture, and user environment security, including threat modeling, secure design reviews, configuration hardening, and security acceptance criteria
Define and enforce engineering standards, design patterns, and operational readiness criteria that ensure security capabilities are stable, scalable, and operable by Security Operations upon handoff
Drive security awareness initiatives that elevate secure infrastructure and operational practices across engineering, SRE, and IT operations teams
Develop and deliver training programs for infrastructure engineers, cloud engineers, network engineers, and IT operations staff on secure configuration, threat modeling, and emerging security risks
Build security champions programs to embed security advocates within infrastructure and operations teams
Define and track program metrics and KPIs to measure engineering delivery quality, capability maturity, and security posture improvements across all domains
Architect security capabilities across cloud, network, and user environment domains, ensuring designs are scalable, resilient, and aligned with enterprise architecture principles
Drive engineering delivery of security tooling, integrating capabilities into CI/CD pipelines, GitOps workflows, and infrastructure operations
Oversee policy-as-code frameworks to enforce security standards and configuration compliance at scale
Evaluate and adopt emerging security technologies, ensuring new capabilities are architected and deployed to production-ready standards
Partner with Security Operations to define operational requirements, runbooks, and handoff criteria for all deployed capabilities
Partner with engineering, SRE, and platform leadership to balance security requirements with operational efficiency and business objectives
Stay current with the evolving threat landscape across cloud, network, endpoint, and mobile domains, continuously adapting the engineering program accordingly
Architect and engineer cloud security capabilities across all cloud environments, including secure landing zones, account structures, governance frameworks, and cloud-native security controls
Build and maintain cloud security posture management (CSPM) capabilities, owning the full engineering lifecycle from architecture through deployment, tuning, and eventual decommission
Engineer cloud-native security controls including identity and access management, network controls, encryption services, and data protection capabilities
Build and maintain security engineering for containerized workloads, serverless functions, managed databases, object storage, and API gateways
Engineer container and workload security across container orchestration platforms, ensuring runtime protection, image integrity, and least-privilege access
Implement and maintain secrets management and encryption key lifecycle infrastructure using vault and key management platforms
Develop and maintain IaC security modules, secure deployment templates, and pipeline-integrated scanning capabilities for use by infrastructure and SRE teams
Architect and deploy ASM capabilities that provide continuous discovery and inventory of all internet-facing assets, including cloud resources, network-exposed services, and shadow IT
Engineer integrations between ASM tooling and downstream systems including vulnerability management, CSPM, and Security Operations platforms
Build and maintain the data pipelines, connectors, and automation workflows that ensure ASM coverage is complete, accurate, and current
Tune and maintain ASM platform configurations, asset classification logic, and risk scoring to reduce noise and improve signal fidelity for Security Operations
Establish engineering runbooks and handoff documentation so Security Operations can effectively monitor, triage, and act on ASM findings
Manage the decommission lifecycle of ASM capabilities as tooling evolves, ensuring continuity of coverage and clean transitions
Architect and deploy SSPM capabilities providing continuous visibility into the security configuration and compliance posture of enterprise SaaS applications
Engineer integrations between SSPM tooling and enterprise SaaS applications, identity platforms, and Security Operations workflows
Build and maintain configuration baseline definitions, compliance mappings, and automated assessment workflows within the SSPM platform
Tune and maintain SSPM detection logic, OAuth and integration monitoring, and excessive permissions detection to align with organizational risk tolerance
Establish engineering runbooks and handoff documentation so Security Operations can effectively monitor and remediate SSPM findings
Manage the decommission lifecycle of SSPM capabilities, ensuring continuity of SaaS security visibility during platform transitions
Architect and engineer enterprise network security capabilities across on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments
Design, build, and maintain network segmentation architectures, including zero trust principles, micro-segmentation, and perimeter defense models
Engineer and maintain network security controls including next-generation firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, VPNs, network access controls, and secure DNS
Architect and build secure connectivity solutions for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including software-defined networking and secure remote access
Engineer network telemetry and logging pipelines to feed Security Operations monitoring and detection platforms
Develop and maintain network security standards, baselines, configuration templates, and operational runbooks
Manage the decommission lifecycle of network security capabilities, ensuring no gaps in coverage during transitions
Architect and engineer security capabilities for all user-facing environments, encompassing desktop, laptop, mobile, and virtual endpoints across the enterprise
Build and maintain endpoint security standards and hardening baselines for all managed operating systems and device types
Engineer and maintain endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities, including platform deployment, policy configuration, detection tuning, and integration with Security Operations platforms
Architect and engineer mobile security capabilities, including mobile device management (MDM), mobile application management (MAM), and security policy enforcement for corporate-owned and BYOD devices
Build and maintain data protection controls on endpoints and mobile devices, including device encryption, data loss prevention, and remote wipe capabilities
Engineer secure access from user environments to enterprise and cloud resources, including zero trust network access (ZTNA) and conditional access policy infrastructure
Develop and maintain engineering runbooks and handoff documentation enabling Security Operations to monitor, respond to, and manage endpoint and mobile security events
Manage the decommission lifecycle of endpoint and mobile security capabilities, ensuring coverage continuity during platform transitions
Build and scale security automation for deployment, configuration validation, detection engineering support, and remediation across cloud, network, and user environment domains
Create and maintain reusable IaC security modules and deployment templates for secure-by-default infrastructure provisioning
Implement and maintain IaC scanning and validation in deployment pipelines to enforce security standards before production
Build compliance validation automation to continuously assess environments against security baselines and regulatory frameworks
Develop and maintain security metrics and dashboards providing unified visibility into engineering delivery and capability health across all domains
Support compliance initiatives for SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and other applicable frameworks across all engineering domains
Conduct security architecture and engineering reviews ensuring deployed capabilities meet compliance and control requirements
Document security architectures and maintain system security plans (SSPs), control documentation, and engineering design records
Develop and maintain engineering runbooks and procedures for capability operation, incident response support, and lifecycle management
Generate compliance reports demonstrating security control implementation and effectiveness to leadership and auditors
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 15-25 Cloud, Infrastructure, Network, and User Environment Security Engineers and Architects
Build team capabilities through hiring, skills development, career planning, and performance management
Foster a collaborative culture that emphasizes engineering excellence, continuous learning, and operational readiness
Allocate resources effectively across engineering initiatives, capability deployments, and lifecycle management activities, ensuring the team meets defined SLAs and SLOs
Provide leadership, mentorship, and support to security team members across all locations regardless of functional reporting structure
Act as a key point of contact for security team members seeking leadership guidance, career development, or organizational support
Build and maintain strong relationships with engineering, infrastructure, network, cloud, IT operations, Security Operations, and business stakeholders
Communicate program strategy, delivery progress, and risk to executive leadership and the CISO
Collaborate with peer security leaders to ensure consistency and knowledge sharing across the enterprise security program