# Staff Software Engineer, AI Tooling, Information Security **Company:** [Airwallex](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/airwallex) Staff Software Engineer leading the development of AI-powered security tooling and infrastructure for Airwallex's information security team. This role focuses on building advanced tools, maintaining Kubernetes-based infrastructure, and supporting threat detection across a fintech platform protecting hundreds of thousands of businesses and billions in transactions. Requires 7+ years of software engineering experience with proficiency in cloud infrastructure, scripting languages, and systems programming. **Role:** Staff Software Engineer **Seniority:** Staff **Locations:** AU - Melbourne **Salary:** 180000–250000 USD [Apply](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/airwallex/86aab812-c169-4ddc-9193-828ed4441deb) Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/jobs/airwallex/staff-software-engineer-ai-tooling-information-security --- ## Responsibilities - Lead AI Security Tool Development: Drive the conception, design, and implementation of AI-powered security tools and applications that strengthen Airwallex's information security infrastructure and protect sensitive systems, data, and personnel across the organization. - Build and Maintain Cloud Infrastructure: Design, architect, and maintain production-grade infrastructure supporting internal security tooling, including Kubernetes cluster orchestration, serverless workload deployment, ETL pipeline development, and terabyte-scale log aggregation systems. - Support Incident Response and Threat Hunting: Develop specialized tools, automation, and utilities for threat hunting, security remediation, vulnerability scanning, and rapid incident response to defend against sophisticated threats targeting the fintech platform. - Drive Security Automation Initiatives: Collaborate with cross-functional engineering and product teams to identify automation opportunities, design security gateways, implement patching automation, and deploy defensive services that significantly reduce organizational risk exposure. - Mentor Engineering Teams: Provide technical mentorship to Software Engineers, establish best practices for security-focused development, and elevate the overall engineering standards and capabilities across the information security team. ## Requirements ### education - {"name":"Bachelor's Degree","description":"Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, cybersecurity, or closely related field demonstrating foundational knowledge in software engineering and security principles."} ### technical - {"name":"Scripting Languages","description":"Expert-level proficiency in Python or similar scripting languages for automation, tooling development, and rapid prototyping of security solutions."} - {"name":"Systems Programming","description":"Hands-on experience with systems programming languages such as Go or C/C++ for building performant, reliable infrastructure components and security tools."} - {"name":"Kubernetes and Container Orchestration","description":"Deep experience designing, deploying, and managing Kubernetes clusters in production environments, including cluster security, resource optimization, and operational excellence."} - {"name":"Distributed Systems and Data Pipelines","description":"Strong understanding of distributed systems architecture, ETL pipeline design, and data processing frameworks capable of handling terabyte-scale log aggregation and real-time analysis."} - {"name":"Problem-Solving and Investigation","description":"Demonstrated ability to investigate complex technical challenges from first principles, synthesize information from multiple sources, and identify optimal solutions in ambiguous situations."} ### experience - {"name":"Software Engineering Experience","description":"Minimum 7 years of professional software engineering experience with demonstrated expertise in building production systems, cloud infrastructure, and security tooling at scale."} - {"name":"Production Codebase Work","description":"Substantial hands-on experience working with production codebases in large-scale systems, understanding deployment pipelines, monitoring, and the operational demands of systems serving millions of users."} - {"name":"Cloud Infrastructure Experience","description":"Proven experience with modern cloud infrastructure technologies including Kubernetes orchestration, serverless computing platforms, data pipeline architectures, and distributed systems at terabyte scale."} - {"name":"Autonomous Project Delivery","description":"Track record of working independently with strong self-motivation, delivering high-quality technical projects on schedule while maintaining attention to detail and engineering excellence."} ## Skills ### required - {"name":"Python Programming","description":"Expert proficiency in Python for building automation tools, security applications, and infrastructure management solutions."} - {"name":"Go or C/C++","description":"Proficiency in systems programming languages for developing high-performance infrastructure components and low-level security tools."} - {"name":"Kubernetes Administration","description":"Advanced experience operating and managing Kubernetes clusters in production, including networking, storage, security policies, and cluster architecture."} - {"name":"Cloud Platforms","description":"Hands-on experience with major cloud providers and their managed services for infrastructure, compute, storage, and security capabilities."} - {"name":"Incident Response","description":"Experience developing tools and processes for security incident investigation, threat remediation, and post-incident analysis in high-stakes environments."} - {"name":"Infrastructure as Code","description":"Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code tools and practices for versioning, testing, and deploying infrastructure configurations reliably."} - {"name":"Technical Communication","description":"Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both engineering and non-technical stakeholders across diverse cultural contexts and time zones."} - {"name":"System Design","description":"Capability to architect large-scale, reliable systems with consideration for scalability, performance, security, and operational requirements."} ### preferred - {"name":"AI and Machine Learning Implementation","description":"Hands-on experience leveraging AI and machine learning frameworks to build intelligent security applications and automation tools for threat detection and prevention."} - {"name":"Linux System Administration","description":"Deep experience maintaining and optimizing Linux operating systems in production environments, including kernel tuning, security hardening, and system troubleshooting."} - {"name":"High-Growth Tech Startup Experience","description":"Background working at rapidly scaling technology companies where adaptability, initiative, and autonomous decision-making are critical to success."} - {"name":"Security Engineering","description":"Foundational or advanced knowledge of information security practices, threat modeling, security architecture, and compliance frameworks relevant to financial services."} - {"name":"Fintech or Payment Systems","description":"Experience working in financial technology or payments infrastructure, understanding unique security, compliance, and operational challenges in regulated financial environments."} - {"name":"APSec and DevSecOps","description":"Experience integrating security into software development and deployment processes, including secure coding practices and automated security scanning."} ## Tech stack ### tools - {"name":"Docker","description":"Container runtime for packaging, deploying, and running security applications and infrastructure components consistently across environments."} - {"name":"Terraform","description":"Infrastructure as Code tool for provisioning, managing, and versioning cloud infrastructure supporting security tooling and Kubernetes clusters."} - {"name":"CI/CD Pipelines","description":"Continuous integration and deployment tools for automating security tool testing, building, and releasing new security capabilities rapidly."} - {"name":"Monitoring and Observability","description":"Tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog for comprehensive monitoring of security infrastructure, alerting on anomalies, and operational visibility."} - {"name":"Linux Shell Scripting","description":"Bash and shell scripting for systems administration, automation tasks, and integration of security tools and processes."} ### others - {"name":"Cloud Platforms","description":"Expertise with AWS, GCP, or Azure managed services including compute (EC2, GCP Compute Engine), containerization, networking, and security services."} - {"name":"API Design and Development","description":"Building RESTful or GraphQL APIs for security tooling, enabling integration between threat hunting tools, incident response systems, and other infrastructure components."} - {"name":"Serverless Computing","description":"Experience with AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, or similar serverless platforms for event-driven security automation and cost-efficient workload execution."} - {"name":"Git Version Control","description":"Proficiency with Git for managing infrastructure code, security tool development, and collaborative engineering practices across distributed teams."} ### databases - {"name":"Elasticsearch","description":"Distributed search and analytics engine for indexing, querying, and visualizing terabyte-scale security logs and audit trails."} - {"name":"PostgreSQL","description":"Reliable relational database for structured security data, configuration management, and operational metrics."} - {"name":"Time-Series Databases","description":"Specialized databases such as InfluxDB or Prometheus for monitoring infrastructure metrics, security events, and system performance indicators."} ### languages - {"name":"Python","description":"Primary scripting language for automation, tooling, AI applications, and infrastructure management within the security tooling ecosystem."} - {"name":"Go","description":"Systems programming language for building performant, concurrent infrastructure components, security daemons, and log processing tools."} - {"name":"C/C++","description":"Optional systems programming language for high-performance security tools and low-level system utilities requiring fine-grained control."} ### frameworks - {"name":"Kubernetes","description":"Container orchestration platform for managing distributed security tooling, microservices, and infrastructure at production scale."} - {"name":"Apache Kafka","description":"Distributed event streaming platform for ingesting, processing, and analyzing terabyte-scale security logs and event data in real-time."} - {"name":"Apache Spark","description":"Large-scale data processing framework for analyzing security telemetry, threat patterns, and infrastructure metrics across distributed systems."} - {"name":"TensorFlow or PyTorch","description":"Machine learning frameworks for developing AI-powered security applications, anomaly detection, and intelligent threat hunting tools."} ## Benefits ### benefits - {"name":"Equity Compensation","description":"Participation in company equity programs providing ownership stake in Airwallex's growth trajectory as a rapidly expanding fintech infrastructure platform."} - {"name":"Flexible Work Arrangement","description":"Three-day per week office requirement in Sydney or Melbourne with flexibility for remote work, supporting work-life balance and collaboration with local teams."} - {"name":"Professional Development","description":"Access to learning opportunities, conference attendance, and training programs to stay current with emerging security technologies and software engineering practices."} - {"name":"High-Impact Projects","description":"Opportunity to work on mission-critical security infrastructure protecting hundreds of thousands of businesses and hundreds of billions in transactions globally."} - {"name":"Mentorship and Leadership Growth","description":"Formal mentoring programs and leadership opportunities supporting career progression toward principal engineer or management positions."} - {"name":"Collaborative Culture","description":"Work within a global team of exceptionally talented engineers across 27 offices spanning North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific."} - {"name":"Cutting-Edge Technology Stack","description":"Opportunity to work with modern, forward-thinking technology infrastructure rather than legacy systems, including AI-driven security innovations."} ## Compensation - **max:** 250000 - **min:** 180000 - **currency:** USD - **stockOptions:** true ## Interview process ### steps - {"name":"Resume and Background Screening","description":"Initial evaluation of qualifications, relevant experience in software engineering, cloud infrastructure, and security tooling against role requirements and team needs."} - {"name":"Phone Screen with Recruiter","description":"Introductory conversation to discuss career background, interest in the role, work style preferences, and alignment with Airwallex's operating principles emphasizing autonomous decision-making and first-principles thinking."} - {"name":"Technical Phone Screen","description":"Technical discussion with a senior engineer assessing depth of experience with Kubernetes, distributed systems, systems programming, and approach to complex technical problem-solving."} - {"name":"System Design Interview","description":"Comprehensive technical interview evaluating architectural thinking for building large-scale infrastructure, designing secure systems, and making trade-offs between performance, reliability, and operational complexity."} - {"name":"Coding Assessment","description":"Technical evaluation of proficiency in Python, Go, or C/C++ through practical coding problems demonstrating ability to write clear, maintainable, and performant code."} - {"name":"Security Domain Discussion","description":"Conversation with information security leadership exploring security mindset, threat modeling approaches, and philosophy on building resilient security infrastructure."} - {"name":"Team and Culture Fit Meeting","description":"Interview with information security team members and leadership assessing communication style, curiosity, collaboration approach, and fit with Airwallex's culture of autonomous builders and first-principles thinking."} - {"name":"Executive or Leadership Alignment","description":"Final meeting with hiring manager or security leadership to discuss role expectations, team roadmap, growth opportunities, and mutual fit for Staff-level contributions."} ## Full description ## **About Airwallex** Airwallex is the AI-native financial operating system for a real-time, intelligent economy. More than 675,000 businesses, including McLaren Racing, Qantas, SHEIN, and TikTok, use us, directly or through our platform partners, to run their financial operations or build and monetize financial products of their own. We started in Melbourne in 2015 to build the infrastructure global commerce runs on. We're the regulated backbone behind global payments: not by accident, but by design. A decade plus, 85+ licenses, and a financial infrastructure spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We're co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore, with more than 2,300 people across 27 offices. We hire builders with founder-level energy, people who move fast with good judgment, dig in with real curiosity, and make calls from first principles rather than waiting to be told what to do. Read our[ operating principles](https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/operating-principles) to see it in full. ## How you'll make impact You’ll lead the development of AI tools and applications that improve how Airwallex protects its systems, data, and employees. You’ll build, monitor, and maintain the infrastructure behind internal tooling, including Kubernetes clusters, serverless workloads, ETL pipelines, and terabyte-scale log pipelines. * **Lead** the development of AI tools and applications from inception through implementation. * **Build** infrastructure that supports reliable internal tooling, including Kubernetes clusters, serverless workloads, ETL pipelines, and terabyte-scale log pipelines. * **Support** incident response by developing tools for threat hunting, remediation, and security scanning. * **Partner** with engineers and product engineering teams to identify automation opportunities and deliver security outcomes, including patching automation, gateways, and other services that reduce risk. * **Mentor** Software Engineers and help raise the engineering bar across the team. You'll work from our Sydney or Melbourne office three days a week. ## What we're looking for ### Essentials * A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field. * At least 7 years of relevant software engineering experience. * Experience working with production codebases. * Experience with at least one scripting language, such as Python, and one systems programming language, such as Go or C/C++. * Experience with modern cloud infrastructure, including data pipelines, serverless workloads, and Kubernetes. * A track record of working autonomously and delivering high-quality projects on time. * Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders. * The ability to investigate deeply and find the best solution to a problem. * Obsessive curiosity, with a willingness to ask questions, gather context, and keep learning. ### Preferred * Experience working in a high-growth technology company. * Hands-on experience leveraging AI to build applications. * Experience maintaining Linux operating systems. ## You'll thrive here if * You're comfortable owning the roadmap yourself. * You own the outcome and you don't wait for permission to fix what's broken. * You're comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and moving quickly anyway. * You communicate clearly and directly across cultures, and you're thoughtful about how context shifts meaning across borders. ## Learn more about your team InfoSec at Airwallex runs one of the most modern security teams in the world, protecting hundreds of thousands of customers and hundreds of billions of dollars. Our scale, funding, and industry make us a real target, so we skip the standard playbook of off-the-shelf tools and tiered SOC analysts and build almost everything ourselves, often with AI ahead of the rest of the industry. You'll go back to first principles constantly, because the off-the-shelf answer is rarely right for us, and we can build better than what already exists. If you want to build security from the ground up, against a real adversary, with people who are actually good at this, this is the team for you. ## **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_](http://airwallex.com) _email address. Please apply only through_ [_careers.airwallex.com_](http://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.