Principal Security Engineer, Threat Detection

Google • Sunnyvale, CA

3d • $307,000 - $427,000

About The Position

As the Principal Security Engineer for Threat Detection, you will be the most senior technical leader in Cloud CISO Security Engineering, responsible for security incident detection and response across the entire Google Cloud Platform. You will set and execute a transformative, cross-company strategy to democratize and federate detection capabilities. Your mission is to significantly advance Google Cloud Platform's (GCP) security posture by advocating for the integration of automation, AI, and machine learning to scale our defenses and outpace advanced adversaries. You will utilize expertise in threat detection at scale, visionary leadership, and the ability to influence and lead large-scale, cross-functional initiatives to protect Google Cloud and its customers. Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 15 years of experience in security engineering, software engineering, or a related technical discipline, with a focus on large-scale systems.
• Experience designing, building, and securing large-scale cloud-based infrastructure and services.
• Experience in multiple security domains (e.g., incident response, threat detection, network security, and data protection).

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or a field related to systems or security engineering.
• Experience applying AI/ML to solve complex security problems (e.g., threat intelligence, anomaly detection, or automated response).
• Understanding of detection system design, architectural patterns, software failure modes, and development processes at scale.
• Ability to quickly assimilate new architectures, designs, and languages and to translate deep technical complexity into business outcomes for executive leadership.
• Recognized contributions to the security community (e.g., threat research, publications, open-source tools, or presentations at major security conferences).

Responsibilities

• Define, own, and drive the multi-year technical outlook and strategy to modernize Google Cloud’s threat detection and incident response capabilities, preparing for the next wave of AI-driven attacks.
• Lead the development of unified security detection platforms and operational standards, driving widespread adoption of automated detection and response tools across all Google Cloud engineering teams.
• Pioneer and integrate advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities to accelerate threat detection and automate response.
• Architect novel approaches to identify systemic root causes of high-severity incidents, and drive cross-organizational programs to remediate them.
• Act as the primary technical leader for detection and response across Google Cloud, providing architectural guidance and resolving complex platform-level security escalations and architectural tradeoffs.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
• Sick Time: 40 hours/year (statutory, where applicable); 5 days/event (discretionary)
• Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks
• Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
• Holidays: 13 paid days per year

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal