Security Infrastructure Engineer at Tailscale

This role is ideal for a mid-level Security Engineer who prefers building over just auditing. Since it is a **25–50% coding role**, you should be a strong softw

Work type: remote

Location: Remote (United States)

Salary: $163,000 – $204,000/yr

Type: Full-time

Summary

This role is ideal for a mid-level Security Engineer who prefers building over just auditing. Since it is a **25–50% coding role**, you should be a strong software developer (specifically in Go) who understands how to bake security into cloud-native infrastructure rather than treating it as an afterthought. Experience with AWS, Kubernetes, and Infrastructure as Code is essential. The compensation is highly competitive ($163k–$204k) for a mid-level remote position. Standout perks include a "remote-first" culture with meaningful IRL connections (annual retreats), $1,500 for professional development, and a generous $1,000 home office stipend. Notably, they offer 26 weeks of parental leave from day one, which is rare in the startup space. **You might be a good fit if you:** * Want to write production code (Go) and design security controls instead of just filling out compliance spreadsheets. * Have deep experience securing AWS environments, CI/CD pipelines, and container orchestration. * Effectively manage your own time in a fully distributed, asynchronous work environment. * Take a pragmatic, risk-based approach to security—balancing "perfect" safety with "usable" product features.

Job Description

About Tailscale

Tailscale is building the new Internet by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.

Job Description

We’re seeking a talented software engineer, specializing in security and infrastructure, to help grow our product security team. We’re looking for people who can move Tailscale forward while making it safer to use. The abilities to think on your feet, collaborate with highly technical teams, and be comfortable working asynchronously are essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build security controls across diverse layers (e.g., cloud platforms, OS, Kubernetes, networks, CI/CD) to defend against sophisticated adversaries and insider threats.

• Improve the security properties of Tailscale by identifying opportunities for security and privacy features, bug fixes, defense-in-depth, and implementing them across our codebase.

• Audit Tailscale infrastructure for technical security weaknesses, identifying mitigations or solutions, and driving them towards resolution.

• Support engineering decisions with threat modeling and security analysis and expertise.

• You will spend 25-50% of your time in this role writing software vs purely operational or governance security responsibilities.

• Expertise in the security of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS), especially securing multi-cloud networks and infrastructure, and designing cloud agnostic systems

• Familiarity with container security, orchestration security, and authentication/authorization

• Familiarity with internet/web security fundamentals: WAF’s, TLS, PKI, DNS security, etc.

• Proficiency developing in at least one programming language (Tailscale uses Go) and Infrastructure as Code tooling (e.g. Terraform, Ansible)

• Prior experience in a safety-related technical role, e.g.:

• infrastructure security

• security operations

• threat modeling and prioritization

• digital forensics and incident response

• Knowledge of operating system internals and security mechanisms

• Knowledge of common networking protocols

• Act as a Subject Matter Expert during security incidents, focusing on infrastructure-level containment and remediation

• Ability to give and process constructive feedback

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

• Flexibility to adjust to the dynamic nature of a startup

• Take a risk-based approach to building security controls, balancing your security expertise and broad technical skillsets with practical, usable solutions

US Pay Range
$163,000—$204,000 USD

Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications.We encourage you to help us break that statistic!What We Offer

• An inclusive, flexible environment where you can be your authentic self. We recognize the impact of diverse voices and backgrounds on the growth of our people, product, and company. And that flexibility in how and when you work empowers our team to integrate work and life.

• A competitive total compensation package. This includes a base salary, an equity incentive plan and variable commission (for quota-based roles).

• Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period.Take advantage of coverage for health, vision, dental, and more for you and your family!

• Remote first company—most of our teams work fully remotely. Enjoy a change of scenery wherever you can get wifi, participate in virtual and in-person social events, and leverage our corporate co-working program to visit WeWork (or other similar spaces near you). Some roles require in-office collaboration depending on team needs, which will be clearly noted in the job description.

• Connect with other Tailscalars IRL.Attend our annual company retreat, participate in team off-sites, and collaborate in person with teammates across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. We support intentional in-person connection through team travel and distributed collaboration.

• Support for your personal and professional development. Grow your career thoughtfully with $1500 USD annually for professional development, or take advantage of mentorship, coaching, and internal promotion opportunities.

• Paid time off and a healthy work-life integration.Our flexible, paid time off program supports you for any situation life throws your way, whether moving homes or travelling the world!

• A build-your-own home office setup.You choose your own company-owned laptop (Mac or PC), receive a monthly home internet reimbursement, and $1000 USD to customize your workstation to make it your own.

• Generous parental leave program from your first day.We care about your life outside of work and encourage new parents to take advantage of parental leave top-ups for up to 26 weeks.

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