Principal Engineer I

Menlo Security is seeking a Principal Software Engineer I for the R design and lead a seamless modernization of the architecture that eliminates technical debt and scales for the future — without impacting customers or altering enforcement behavior. Lead design reviews and gain consensus on architectural decisions within the Policy Team; keep module designs current and sign off on significant code and design changes. Champion AI‑assisted development practices (LLM‑based coding assistants, automated test generation) and identify opportunities to embed ML/AI into policy features such as intelligent policy recommendations or anomaly‑based threat detection. Own complex projects end‑to‑end — requirements through deployment and monitoring — breaking work into well‑scoped tasks for junior engineers and unblocking teammates to maintain velocity. Partner with Management, Security, and Operations to align on requirements and schedules; produce accurate estimates and surface risks early. Mentor engineers through code reviews and design discussions; contribute to documentation and knowledge transfer across teams.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 8+ years of hands‑on backend development in Python, Node.js, or Go; 5+ years with cloud platforms (AWS or GCP), including managed Kubernetes (EKS/GKE).
• Proven experience architecting distributed systems with strong reliability, scalability, and low‑latency requirements — ideally in a security, networking, or high‑throughput data path context.
• Hands‑on experience developing, debugging, and troubleshooting backend services in Linux environments; working knowledge of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, TLS, HTTP/2, DNS, proxying) relevant to policy enforcement work.
• Experience with policy or rules engines, configuration distribution systems, or real‑time traffic inspection is a strong plus.
• Demonstrated experience designing and executing large‑scale data or schema migrations in live production systems — ideally with multi‑tenant, zero‑downtime, and behavioral‑equivalence requirements.
• Proficiency with data storage and analytics technologies such as Redis, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Apache Druid or similar OLAP systems.
• Hands‑on experience with AI‑assisted development tools (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, Gemini, or similar) and familiarity with LLM APIs and responsible AI practices in production.
• Strong knowledge of HTTP security; experience with web security — URL classification, content filtering, or threat intelligence — is highly desirable.
• Experience with FedRAMP, SOC 2, or FIPS 140‑2/140‑3 compliance frameworks is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; proactive, self‑directed, and rigorous with documentation and detail.
• B.S. in Computer Science or related field required; M.S. preferred.

Why Menlo?

Our culture is collaborative, inclusive, and fun! We have five core values: Stay Aligned, Get It Done, Customer Empathy, Think Creatively and Help Each Other Out. We believe in open communication, supporting new ideas, and sharing a mutual mindset of what we’re aiming to achieve together. There are tremendous opportunities to take initiative, implement new ideas, and have a hand in building a legacy.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.