Principal Security Engineer

Position Overview

Ethos is dedicated to making life insurance faster and easier for families by blending industry expertise, cutting‐edge technology, and a human touch. As a Principal Security Engineer reporting directly to the CISO, you will lead the design and implementation of scalable and secure systems across cloud platforms and modern application stacks, playing a pivotal role in shaping our security posture in a rapidly growing organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement secure architectures for applications, APIs, microservices, and containerized workloads.
• Develop and enforce application security best practices across the SDLC; collaborate with DevOps and engineering teams to integrate security into CI/CD pipelines.
• Conduct threat modeling, security design reviews, and risk assessments for new and existing systems.
• Evaluate and implement cloud security tools, controls, and frameworks (e.g., CSPM, CWPP, IAM, KMS, logging, and monitoring).
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to security engineers, software developers, and DevOps personnel, and lead response to complex security incidents.
• Contribute to and influence security policies, standards, and governance while staying current with emerging threats and security technologies.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in security engineering or architecture roles.
• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• Deep expertise in cloud platforms (particularly AWS) including infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Strong experience in secure software development, application security (e.g., OWASP Top 10, SAST, DAST, threat modeling), and designing zero-trust architectures.
• Proficiency in scripting or development languages (e.g., Python, Go, JavaScript) with a focus on secure coding practices.
• Proven leadership in cross-functional security initiatives and technical mentorship.
• Ability to work from the San Francisco, CA office once a week.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, AWS Security Specialty, or GIAC (GCSA, GWEB, GDSA).
• Familiarity with Kubernetes security, service mesh, and cloud-native security tooling.
• Experience in regulated industries like fintech, healthcare, or large-scale SaaS environments.

Benefits & Perks

• Compensation: US national base salary range is $136,000 - $241,000. Note that this base salary does not include bonus, equity, or other potential benefits.
• Benefits: Further details about our US benefits can be found at Ethos Careers.
• Opportunity to work in a diverse, inclusive, and innovative environment with top industry investors and thought leaders.