Principal Security Engineer

About Altruist

Altruist is transforming the multi-trillion dollar wealth management industry by building an AI platform for wealth professionals. We partner with financial advisors nationwide, empowering them to grow, optimize time and resources, and deliver superior outcomes for their clients.

We're looking for exceptional talent to help us achieve our mission of making financial advice better, more affordable, and accessible to all. If you're passionate about challenging the status quo and want to do the most important work of your life, we'd love to meet you!

But first, our values

Kindness - Kindness doesn’t just equal niceness. We listen to understand. We embrace, and encourage healthy debate and diverse perspectives. We approach conflict openly, honestly, and respectfully.

Brilliance - Humility is the skill we’re most proud of and possessing a growth mindset is always top of mind. We take ownership in everything we touch; regularly using our unique superpowers to reach a common goal as a team. We succeed and fail as one.

Grit - When challenges arise, we stay laser focused on achieving our mission and finding a way forward, even when it’s hard. We are nimble and maintain a sense of urgency, swiftly adapting to change and overcoming obstacles.

About the position

Altruist is in the midst of an exciting phase and we’re excited to hire a Principal Security Engineering / Security Architect to define secure-by-design architecture across our cloud, applications, and identity platforms. You’ll set the patterns and standards that let us scale a self-clearing broker-dealer safely.

This role follows a hybrid schedule, with three days per week onsite in our San Francisco FiDi or Culver City office.

What you’ll do

Own security architecture and reusable reference patterns across our AWS environment, Kubernetes (EKS), and Java/Spring platform.

Lead security design reviews and threat modeling for new products and services

Define standards for encryption and key management, identity and zero trust, network segmentation, and service-to-service authentication/authorization.

Drive our encryption strengthening program and cloud guardrails

Partner with Engineering, Cloud, and IT to embed security into the SDLC and infrastructure by default.

Advise on security architecture for strategic initiatives, integrations, and framework alignment.

What you’ll bring

Experience - 10+ years in security with significant time in a security architecture or senior engineering role:

Deep experience securing AWS and Kubernetes at scale

Strong application security and secure-design / threat-modeling background

Working knowledge of cryptography and key management

Experience defining zero-trust and identity architecture

Education - A B.A. / B.S. degree in relevant fields such as Computer Science or Computer Engineering or Information Security or relevant experience

Technical aptitude - You’re technologically savvy and fluent across modern tech stacks (i.e., Java, Spring, Terraform, Kubernetes, AWS, etc.)

Ownership - The pride you put into every aspect of your work is unparalleled and undeniable

Superb communication - Intentional dialogue is a superpower. You listen as well as you share your perspective with others.

Resilience - We’re inspired by your unwavering determination to achieve success, no matter the adversity you face along the way.

Assurance - Your confidence is brilliant, yet ego-less. You possess a strong knowledge base, the ability to discover the unknown, and are open to differing perspectives.

Creative problem solving - Identifying the problem is simply not enough. You’re instinctually creative with your approach in finding solutions to roadblocks.

Bonus points if you bring

Experience working in regulated environments (SEC/FINRA, fintech, or clearing/broker-dealer)

Experience with cryptographic isolation / envelope encryption or searchable encryption

Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, CCSP, SABSA)

San Francisco, CA salary range $226,000 — $300,000 USD

What we bring

Attracting and retaining top-tier talent is a priority. We are proud of the culture we’ve built and are cognizant of the ever-changing professional landscape. Our dynamic offering of perks and benefits are tailored for you to feel your best while doing your best.

Stunning, amenity-filled office spaces in Culver City, CA, San Francisco, CA, and Dallas, TX. Our offices are intentionally designed for comfort, collaboration, and productivity.

Competitive total compensation.

Premium healthcare, dental, and vision insurance plans (HMO and PPO).

401k savings plan with a 4% match and immediate vesting.

16 week paid parental leave after one year of employment.

Professional growth and development opportunities including an employee mobility program and an annual L&D budget allocation for each employee.

Company perks program (includes discounts on pet insurance, fitness, cell phone plans, and travel, etc.).

Financial guidance program (includes counseling on navigating debt, tracking personal spend, saving and planning goals, home-purchasing preparedness, etc.).

Total compensation includes a competitive benefits package, along with a bonus program for eligible roles. For salaried positions, a salary offer will be determined by a number of factors including experience, skill level, internal pay equity, geographic location, and other relevant business considerations. We review all employee pay and compensation programs regularly to ensure fair, equitable, and competitive pay. At Altruist, we are committed to providing fair, equitable, and competitive compensation by leveraging market data to inform our pay bands. Base salaries will be reviewed at regular intervals throughout the year, typically in conjunction with performance review cycles. By evaluating compensation on a regular basis, we are able to reward high performance and ensure all employees have opportunities for growth.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Altruist we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.