Senior Software Engineer, Security Foundations

Snowflake2 days ago

Location

US-WA-Bellevue

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500

Level

Senior

Role

Security Engineer

Posted

Jul 10, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Join Snowflake's Anti-Abuse and Security Foundations team as a Senior Software Engineer to design and build foundational security primitives protecting the platform from fraud, account takeovers, data exfiltration, and AI security threats across a multi-cloud environment. This role offers the opportunity to influence security strategy, lead complex technical initiatives, and work with AI/ML-driven detection and prevention systems while driving engineering excellence across one of the world's leading data and analytics platforms.

What you'll do

Design and Scale Security-by-Default Capabilities: Architect and implement security-by-default capabilities that protect Snowflake products across complex multi-cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure), ensuring security is embedded into the platform foundation rather than bolted on as an afterthought. Lead design reviews to establish security standards and ensure all components follow secure software development lifecycle principles.

Develop AI/ML-Powered Security Intelligence Platforms: Build intelligent security platforms and services that leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms combined with risk scoring mechanisms to identify, prioritize, and respond to emerging security threats and policy violations. Design and optimize detection models that continuously improve through data-driven insights and feedback loops.

Build Real-Time Detection and Prevention Systems: Engineer real-time threat detection and response systems to defend against account compromise attacks, AI abuse, and data exfiltration threats using adaptive enforcement mechanisms and granular policy controls. Implement distributed systems that process high-velocity security events with minimal latency to enable immediate mitigation.

Create Security Monitoring and Intelligence Capabilities: Develop comprehensive security monitoring infrastructure that detects suspicious account activity patterns, generates actionable insights for security analysts, and enables timely incident response. Build dashboards and alerting systems that surface critical security events while minimizing false positives through intelligent filtering.

Partner Across Security, Engineering, and Product Teams: Collaborate closely with Security teams, Engineering, and Product leadership to define comprehensive security strategy, influence product design decisions, and drive adoption of secure engineering practices across Snowflake. Serve as a security technical leader who bridges the gap between security requirements and product feasibility.

Set Technical Standards and Drive Engineering Excellence: Raise the engineering bar within the Security Foundations organization by establishing standards for system design, code quality, operational excellence, and scalable security architecture. Mentor engineers, conduct code reviews, and establish best practices that enhance the organization's engineering maturity and security posture.

What we look for

Technical

Multi-Cloud Architecture and InfrastructureDeep expertise designing and deploying systems across major cloud vendors (AWS, GCP, Azure), understanding their security models, networking capabilities, and how to build security controls that operate seamlessly across heterogeneous cloud environments.

Python and SQL for Security Data PipelinesAdvanced proficiency in Python and SQL to build data pipelines, implement security detections, perform threat analysis, and develop tools that process and correlate security telemetry at scale.

Software Security FundamentalsSolid understanding of security primitives including static code analysis, dynamic analysis techniques, authentication and authorization mechanisms, API security, DDoS mitigation, and security scanning tools used in modern development workflows.

Distributed Systems and ScalabilityExperience designing and building distributed systems that handle high throughput security events, maintain consistency across geographic regions, and scale elastically to accommodate Snowflake's hyper-growth trajectory.

Machine Learning and Risk Scoring SystemsFamiliarity with machine learning approaches for threat detection, anomaly detection algorithms, risk scoring methodologies, and the operational considerations of deploying ML models in security production systems.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related FieldBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Security, or related technical discipline, or equivalent practical software development experience demonstrating mastery of core computer science fundamentals.

Advanced Degree (Preferred)Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related technical field providing advanced theoretical knowledge and research experience in security domains, though not required with sufficient industry experience.

Experience

5+ Years of Software Development ExperienceMinimum five years of professional software development experience working with compiled and interpreted languages such as JavaScript, Java, Python, C, C++, or Go, with demonstrated ability to architect large-scale systems and mentor other engineers.

Security Software Development BackgroundProven experience designing, testing, and maintaining software solutions specifically focused on security including threat detection systems, vulnerability assessment tools, or security infrastructure platforms.

Technical Leadership and Project IndependenceDemonstrated ability to lead significant technical projects independently, set technical direction for complex initiatives, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and drive projects to completion with high engineering standards.

Cloud Infrastructure and DevOps ExperienceHands-on experience working with infrastructure from major cloud vendors (AWS, GCP, Azure), understanding containerization, orchestration, monitoring, and operational aspects of running production systems at scale.

Skills

Required skills

PythonExpert-level proficiency in Python for building security detections, data analysis scripts, and automation frameworks that process security telemetry.

SQLAdvanced SQL skills for querying security data, building detection queries, and constructing data pipelines that identify anomalous patterns in user behavior.

Software Security PrinciplesDeep understanding of application security, secure coding practices, common attack vectors, and defensive programming techniques to build inherently secure systems.

System Design and ArchitectureAbility to design scalable, fault-tolerant distributed systems with consideration for performance, reliability, and security properties at architectural level.

Threat Modeling and Risk AssessmentProficiency in identifying potential security threats, assessing risk levels, and designing appropriate mitigations through structured threat modeling approaches.

Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC)Practical experience implementing security throughout the software development lifecycle including code reviews, security testing, vulnerability management, and secure deployment practices.

Nice to have

Machine Learning and Anomaly DetectionExperience building or working with machine learning models for anomaly detection, behavioral analysis, and predictive threat identification in security contexts.

Multi-Cloud ArchitectureProven expertise designing systems that operate across AWS, GCP, and Azure, managing cloud-specific security controls and compliance requirements.

Account Security and Identity ManagementExperience with account authentication systems, account takeover prevention, identity and access management (IAM), and user behavior analytics.

Static and Dynamic Code AnalysisHands-on experience with SAST (static application security testing) and DAST (dynamic application security testing) tools, or building similar security scanning capabilities.

DDoS and Network SecurityBackground in distributed denial-of-service mitigation, network security controls, and defending against volumetric or application-layer attacks.

Data Pipeline EngineeringExperience building robust data pipelines using tools like Apache Spark, Kafka, or similar technologies to process high-volume security logs and events in real-time or near-real-time.

Communication and CollaborationStrong interpersonal and communication skills to articulate complex security concepts to non-security stakeholders, influence product decisions, and mentor engineering teams.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Comprehensive Health and Wellness Coverage

Full medical, dental, and vision insurance plans with competitive coverage for employees and dependents, plus mental health support and wellness programs.

Retirement and Financial Security

401(k) plan with company matching contributions to support long-term financial planning and retirement security.

Generous Paid Time Off

Flexible paid time off policy combined with paid holidays, sick leave, and company-wide closure days to ensure work-life balance and recovery time.

Equity Compensation

Stock options or RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) grants that align your financial success with Snowflake's growth as a leading cloud data platform company.

Professional Development and Learning

Opportunities for attending security conferences, obtaining industry certifications, and participating in training programs to stay current with evolving security threats and technologies.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Flexible and remote work options that allow you to balance professional responsibilities with personal commitments and preferences.

Parental and Family Support

Parental leave, fertility benefits, and adoption assistance programs to support employees at all life stages.

Commuter and Transportation Benefits

Pre-tax transportation benefits and commuter subsidies to reduce commuting costs and environmental impact.

Interview process

1
Initial Screening Call — Brief 30-minute call with a recruiting coordinator to discuss your background, confirm job requirements, and assess cultural fit with Snowflake's values of challenging ordinary thinking and driving innovation.
2
Technical Phone Interview — 45-minute conversation with a senior engineer or security expert to assess your technical depth in security architecture, system design thinking, and problem-solving approach. Expect questions about your experience building secure systems at scale and your approach to threat modeling.
3
Coding and System Design Assessment — 60-90 minute technical interview focusing on security-specific system design. You may be asked to design a detection system, discuss trade-offs in building scalable security infrastructure, or solve a security engineering problem using Python, SQL, or system design principles.
4
Security Domain Deep Dive — 45-60 minute conversation with the hiring manager or security team leadership to discuss your specific experience with threat detection, account security, or data exfiltration prevention. This session evaluates your ability to influence security strategy and lead complex technical initiatives.
5
Cross-Functional Collaboration Discussion — 30-45 minute discussion with engineers from related teams (Engineering, Product, or other Security sub-teams) to assess your ability to collaborate across organizational boundaries, influence stakeholders, and communicate complex security concepts effectively.
6
Executive or Senior Leadership Round — Optional final round conversation with a security leader or executive to discuss your vision for security architecture, career aspirations, and how you'd approach building security foundations at a hyper-growth company like Snowflake.