Principal Product Security Engineer

The role, in a nutshell:

At Chainguard, our security posture is our competitive advantage. In this principal-level role, you will:

• Set product security direction across major products and platforms.
• Lead multi-quarter, cross-functional security initiatives that materially reduce risk.
• Embed security by design into roadmaps and day-to-day engineering work.

You'll operate with high autonomy, working directly with engineering and product leadership to turn high-level risk into concrete, shippable plans.

What you'll do:

• Shape product security strategy: Define and evolve security guardrails for AI-assisted development from design and coding through testing, review, deployment and operations so teams can move quickly while using AI responsibly.
• Lead large-scale security initiatives: Own cross-functional programs (e.g., secure SDLC improvements, vulnerability reduction) that span multiple teams and quarters.
• Accelerate vulnerability remediation and automation: Partner with engineering to build automation for vulnerability detection, triage, and remediation (including STIGs/CIS baselines and policy-as-code), shortening time-to-fix for critical issues.
• Evolve security assurance programs: Improve how we run and consume pentests, vulnerability assessments, bug bounty programs, and red-team activity so findings become lasting engineering and process changes.
• Champion secure-by-default tooling: Guide adoption and integration of security tools (static/dynamic analysis, dependency and license checks, IaC scanners) into CI/CD in a way that works with, not against, developer workflows.
• Support compliance in sensible ways: Help maintain and use frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST, and NIS2 to drive automation-friendly, durable controls into our products and platforms.
• Influence senior leaders and mentor others: Bring clear risk framing and trade-off options to engineering and product leaders; mentor Product Security Engineers and raise the bar across the org.
• Track and translate the threat landscape: Stay current on emerging threats and supply-chain risks, and turn them into concrete changes to our controls, tooling, and product direction.

What we're looking for:

Core experience

• 10+ years in software, product, or application security, with ownership of complex products or platforms.
• Deep expertise in secure architecture and system design for cloud-native or distributed systems, including modern authz/authn and defense-in-depth patterns.
• Experience driving org-level risk management and security programs (secure SDLC, AI SDLC, vulnerability management) from design through rollout.
• Strong hands-on familiarity with cloud-native environments (containers, Kubernetes, public cloud) and associated security controls.
• Experience with security compliance frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, SLSA) and translating controls into practical engineering work.
• Ability to automate security workflows in at least one language (e.g., Go, Python, Shell) and integrate them into CI/CD.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across teams through clear, concise communication in a remote-first environment.
• High bar for ownership, accountability, and adaptability: you anticipate risks, navigate ambiguity, and leave systems and teams better than you found them.

Nice to haves

• Background in software supply chain security (SBOMs, SLSA, provenance, signing, build system hardening).
• Experience with red-teaming or offensive security and/or open source software development in security-sensitive projects.
• Public speaking or writing on security topics; participation in industry communities or standards.
• Prior experience in early-stage or high-growth companies, where security must move at product speed.

Base Salary Range

$229,000 - $258,000 USD

Benefits

• Flexible & Remote-First Culture: Work remotely with team meetup opportunities, bi-annual destination summits, and a monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone and internet costs.
• Our Approach to Equity: Receive stock options upon hire and promotion. Plus, you can participate in secondary offerings and have 10 years to exercise your options.
• 100% Covered Health Insurance: We cover 100% of your health, vision and dental insurance premiums for you and your dependents.
• Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need to do our best work and recharge and reset.
• 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with the option to use it all at once or throughout your child's first year.

If your experience is close but doesn't fulfill all requirements, please apply. Chainguard is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.