Senior Security Engineer at Handshake

ABOUT HANDSHAKE Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. 20 million knowledge workers, 1,600 educational institutions, 1 million employers (including 100% of the Fortune 50), and every foundational AI lab trust Handshake to power career discovery, hiring, and upskilling, from freelance AI training gigs to first internships to full-time careers and beyond. This unique value is leading to unparalleled growth; in 2025, we tripled our ARR at scale. Why join Handshake now: - Shape how every career evolves in the AI economy, at global scale, with impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel - Work hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions - Join a team with leadership from Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, among others - Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue ABOUT THE ROLE Handshake is seeking a Senior Security Engineer to own the architecture, design, and implementation of our enterprise identity automation and governance ecosystem. You’ll define the long-term IAM automation strategy, build resilient and scalable lifecycle workflows, and enable secure-by-default identity operations across SaaS, cloud, and internal platforms. You’ll partner closely with Security, IT Engineering, People Operations, and Product/Platform Engineering to deliver highly automated, auditable, and reliable identity solutions. IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL: - Architect, build, and own automated onboarding, offboarding, and access-change workflows across Okta, Workday, SCIM, and event-driven systems. - Engineer integration layers between identity platforms and internal applications using Python, REST APIs, Webhooks, and Terraform. - Implement error-handling, reconciliation logic, telemetry, and monitoring to ensure reliability and determinism in identity lifecycle events. - Modernize existing provisioning logic and replace manual processes with scalable automation frameworks. - Develop tooling and pipelines enabling version-controlled, testable, observable IAM automation. - Act as a technical owner for Handshake’s IAM ecosystem, including Okta, Google Workspace, GCP, AWS IAM, and internal access systems. - Engineer and optimize authentication & authorization protocols (OIDC, OAuth2, SAML, JWT), fine-grained access policies, and scalable RBAC/ABAC models. - Build custom automation using Okta Workflows or API-driven orchestration. - Design SOC2-compliant access controls, approvals, attestations, and auditability mechanisms. - Build automated access certification systems with full data lineage. - Conduct identity-related incident forensics and implement preventative automation. - Provide cross-functional leadership, setting standards, best practices, and reference architectures for identity automation. - Serve as service owner for IAM automation platforms with accountability for uptime, consistency, and continuous improvement. DESIRED CAPABILITIES - 4–7+ years of hands-on IAM engineering, identity automation, or identity governance experience. - Strong scripting/automation skills in Python, Node.js, and REST-based integrations. - Experience with IAM platforms such as Okta, Google Workspace/GCP, Azure AD, or similar. - Deep understanding of identity protocols, token flows, SCIM, and distributed lifecycle orchestration. - Experience with Terraform or other infrastructure-as-code frameworks. - Ability to diagnose complex identity issues across SaaS, cloud, and distributed systems. - Strong understanding of DevOps practices, observability, and secure engineering principles. - Demonstrated ownership mindset across architecture, implementation, monitoring, and iterative improvement. EXTRA CREDIT - Advanced experience with GCP IAM, Google Workspace IAM, AWS IAM, cross-account access patterns, and policy automation. - Experience with Okta Workflows, SailPoint/IGA, or Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions. - Experience designing scalable authorization models for high-growth or distributed organizations. - Certifications such as Okta Architect, Azure Identity Engineer, CISSP. - Prior experience in SaaS, high-growth, or distributed engineering environments. PERKS Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported—and thrive at work and in life. The below benefits are for full-time US employees. 🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company 💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching 🍼 Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching 💝 Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, wellness stipend 📚 Growth: Learning stipend, ongoing development 💻 Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office 🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days 🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses Explore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers [Upgrade to PRO to see link]