Principal Product Security Researcher

Chainguard

7d • $201,000 - $226,000 • Remote

About The Position

Chainguard is hiring a Principal Product Security Researcher to lead its product security research function end-to-end. The role focuses on identifying emerging threats across the broader ecosystem, translating research into risks and opportunities for Chainguard and its customers, and shaping security direction across the company’s products and platforms. The researcher will partner with Product, Engineering, and Security leadership to incorporate findings into roadmaps, architecture decisions, and long-term plans, and will help drive industry discussion about important security risks and trends.

This principal-level position involves turning ambiguous, fast-moving threat intelligence into practical, prioritized initiatives and multi-quarter plans. The role also includes designing mitigations across people, processes, and technology; addressing root causes of systemic weaknesses; mentoring teams; balancing stakeholder needs; and representing Chainguard externally through talks, conferences, and thought leadership. The position is remote-first and is listed for candidates in the US, Canada, or UK.

Requirements

• Deep experience in product or application security, with a track record of leading research or threat-focused work that produced clear company-level outcomes.
• Expert knowledge across multiple domains, such as secure architecture, application or product security, software supply chain, and organization-level risk management.
• Ability to balance security, velocity, and reliability.
• Ability to take ownership of ambiguous, cross-functional problems and turn them into structured, prioritized initiatives that are implemented and sustained.
• Proven ability to present complex ideas to executive stakeholders, gain alignment, and drive high-level decisions.
• Keeps current with industry trends, tooling, and research methods and applies them pragmatically.
• Works independently with high ownership and collaborates generously with others.
• Comfortable working in fast-evolving, uncertain contexts and building structure.

Responsibilities

• Own the product security research agenda, scanning the broader ecosystem and identifying emerging attack patterns, risks, and opportunities.
• Research emerging threats and trends in software supply chain and product security, and assess their impact on Chainguard’s products and customers.
• Shape security direction across products and platforms in partnership with Product, Engineering, and Security leadership.
• Translate research and threat intelligence into roadmap input, architecture decisions, long-term plans, and prioritized initiatives.
• Design pragmatic mitigations across people, process, and technology, and help ensure defenses are adopted.
• Partner with executive and senior engineering leadership to drive organization-level security strategy, influence roadmap decisions, and secure buy-in for complex changes.
• Identify systematic weaknesses in systems, structures, and habits, and develop lasting plans to address root causes.
• Mentor and develop people across Product Security and Engineering, helping teams reason strategically about threats, risk, and long-term security posture.
• Balance input from stakeholders across the organization and deliver value for different functions.
• Represent Chainguard externally through talks, conferences, and thought leadership, sharing research and helping move the industry forward.
• Drive industry-wide discussion about security priorities, risks, and emerging concerns.

Benefits

• Remote-first culture with team meetup opportunities and bi-annual destination summits.
• Monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone, and internet costs.
• Stock options upon hire and promotion; participation in secondary offerings; 10 years to exercise options.
• 100% covered health, vision, and dental insurance premiums for employees and dependents.
• Flexible time off.
• Paid parental leave: 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, usable at once or throughout the child’s first year.

What This Job Offers

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