Engineering Manager - AI Tools (Security)

Engineering Manager · Manager · Full Time

US - San FranciscoUSD 220k – 320k6mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

Airwallex is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead AI Tools development for their Security team, overseeing the protection of $150B+ in payments and 150,000 companies. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on engineering, focusing on building AI-powered security tooling, automation systems, and terabyte-scale data pipelines while managing and mentoring a team of engineers.

Responsibilities

  • Team Leadership: Manage and lead a team of engineers, providing technical direction, setting clear goals, and ensuring high-quality delivery of AI-powered security tooling
  • Execution Management: Own team execution and delivery including planning, prioritization, resourcing, and performance management while balancing hands-on technical leadership
  • AI Tool Development: Lead the development of AI tools and applications from inception to implementation for security use cases
  • Incident Response Support: Build ad-hoc tools for threat hunting, remediation, and security scanning during incident response efforts
  • Infrastructure Management: Build, monitor, and maintain underlying infrastructure including Kubernetes clusters, serverless workloads, and ETL pipelines
  • Automation Identification: Work directly with engineers to identify opportunities for automation and tooling development
  • Cross-team Collaboration: Partner with product engineering teams to drive security outcomes through automation, patching, and gateway development
  • Mentorship: Mentor and help grow other Software Engineers in the team through career development and technical guidance

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Programming Languages

    Experience with at least one scripting language (Python) and one systems programming language (Go, C/C++)

  • Cloud Infrastructure

    Experience with modern cloud infrastructure, data pipelines, serverless workloads, and Kubernetes

  • Production Systems

    Hands-on experience with production code bases and autonomous project delivery

  • Linux Administration

    Preferred experience maintaining Linux operating systems

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field required

Experience

  • Software Engineering

    8+ years of experience as a Software Engineer with proven technical depth

  • Team Leadership

    Prior experience leading or managing software engineering teams, including mentorship and performance feedback

  • Business Alignment

    Proven ability to translate business and security goals into execution plans with roadmap and timeline alignment

  • AI Experience

    Preferred hands-on experience with AI, specifically leveraging AI to build applications

  • High-Growth Environment

    Preferred experience working in a high-growth tech company

Skills

Required

  • Team Management

    Leading software engineering teams with mentorship and performance management experience

  • Python Programming

    Scripting language proficiency for automation and AI tool development

  • Systems Programming

    Go or C/C++ experience for high-performance security applications

  • Kubernetes

    Container orchestration for security infrastructure management

  • Cloud Infrastructure

    Modern cloud platforms, serverless computing, and data pipeline architecture

  • Strategic Planning

    Translating business goals into technical execution plans and roadmaps

Preferred

  • AI/Machine Learning

    Nice to have

    Hands-on experience building AI-powered applications and automation tools

  • Linux Administration

    Nice to have

    Operating system maintenance and troubleshooting capabilities

  • Security Domain

    Nice to have

    Understanding of threat hunting, incident response, and vulnerability management

  • High-Growth Experience

    Nice to have

    Previous work in fast-paced, scaling technology companies

Tech stack

Languages

PythonGoC/C++

Frameworks

KubernetesServerless Computing

Databases

Log Analytics PlatformsTime-series Databases

Tools

ETL PipelinesCI/CD SystemsThreat Hunting ToolsAI/ML Platforms

Other

Linux SystemsCloud InfrastructureSecurity Scanners

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 220,000 – 320,000

Benefits

  • Hybrid Work Model

    Flexible hybrid work arrangement allowing for both remote and office collaboration

  • Global Impact

    Opportunity to protect $150B+ in payments and 150,000 companies worldwide

  • Career Growth

    Accelerated learning opportunities in a high-growth fintech environment

  • Innovation Focus

    Work with cutting-edge AI and security technologies in a well-funded company

  • Equal Opportunity

    Commitment to diversity and inclusion with merit-based hiring practices

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    Phone or video call to discuss background, leadership experience, and interest in the role

  2. 02

    Technical Leadership Interview

    Deep dive into technical background, architecture decisions, and team management philosophy

  3. 03

    System Design Session

    Design a security-focused AI system or automation platform relevant to Airwallex's scale

  4. 04

    Behavioral Interview

    Leadership scenarios, conflict resolution, and cultural fit assessment with focus on mentorship

  5. 05

    Final Round

    Meet with senior leadership and key stakeholders to discuss vision and strategic alignment

Full posting

Original listing.

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.

You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.

What you’ll do

As an Engineering Manager working on internal AI tooling, you will be responsible for helping keep $150b+ in payments, 150,000 companies, and our thousands of employees safe.

You'll have the opportunity to partner with internal teams to help identify projects that can drive impact - like building internal automation tooling, owning our terabyte-scale log pipelines, and using AI to streamline how our team operates.

We're not tied to specific projects, languages, and technology - we rely on smart people diving deep to find the best solutions to hard problems. You'll also be mentoring junior team members and continuing to grow our world-class engineering team.

Responsibilities:

  • Manage and lead a team of engineers, providing technical direction, setting clear goals, and ensuring high-quality, timely delivery of AI-powered security tooling.

  • Own team execution and delivery, including planning, prioritization, resourcing, and performance management while balancing hands-on technical leadership.

  • Lead the development of AI tools and applications, from inception to implementation.

  • Support incident response efforts by building ad-hoc tools for threat hunting, remediation and scanners.

  • Build, monitor, and maintain underlying infrastructure, including Kubernetes clusters, serverless workloads, and ETL pipelines.

  • Sit with engineers to identify opportunities for automation and tooling development

  • Partner with product engineering teams to drive security outcomes - such as automation for patching, and development of gateways and other services to decrease risk.

  • Mentor and help grow other Software Engineers in the team.

Who you are

  • You have a passion for solving the complex challenges within a high-growth start-up.

  • You are self-motivated, a self starter, and able to learn new skills and dive deeper into existing skills.

Minimum qualifications:

  • Prior experience leading or managing software engineering teams, including mentorship, career development, and performance feedback.

  • Proven ability to translate business and security goals into execution plans, aligning roadmap, timelines, and engineering capacity.

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field.

  • 8+ years of experience as a Software Engineer.

  • Experience with production code bases

  • Experience with at least one scripting language (e.g. Python) and one systems programming language (eg. Golang, C/C++)

  • Experience with modern cloud infrastructure, including data pipelines, serverless workloads, and Kubernetes

  • Proven experience working autonomously on projects - delivering them to a high quality and on time.

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

  • Ability to dive deep to find the best solution to a problem

  • Obsessive curiosity and a willingness to ask questions, gather context, and learn

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience working in a high-growth tech company.

  • Hands on experience with AI - specifically leveraging AI to build applications

  • Experience maintaining Linux operating systems

Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters

To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.

Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

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