Security Software Engineer at Tailscale

This role is ideal for a security-minded developer who thrives in the intersection of coding and system defense. Since Tailscale uses Go, you should be a profic

Work type: remote

Location: Remote (United States)

Salary: $163,000 – $204,000/yr

Type: Full-time

Summary

This role is ideal for a security-minded developer who thrives in the intersection of coding and system defense. Since Tailscale uses Go, you should be a proficient programmer who understands low-level networking and cryptography. This isn't a "check-the-box" compliance role; you’ll spend at least 50% of your time writing and auditing code to harden a product used by everyone from hobbyists to major enterprises. The compensation is highly competitive ($163k–$204k), but the real draw is the remote-first culture and engineering-heavy environment. Beyond the standard benefits, you’ll get a $1,000 home office budget, a $1,500 annual professional development stipend, and 26 weeks of parental leave from day one. It’s a distributed startup backed by top-tier VCs, offering both stability and the high-impact work typical of a scaling company. **You might be a good fit if you...** * Have professional experience in Go (or are willing to master it) and feel at home in the OWASP Top 10. * Enjoy performing deep-dive audits and threat modeling on complex networking protocols. * Prefer building secure-by-default features over writing policy documents. * Value asynchronous work and can communicate complex technical risks clearly to other engineers.

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 privacy, 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

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

• Audit Tailscale features 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 at least 50% of your time in this role writing software vs purely operational or governance security responsibilities.

Technical

• Proficiency developing in at least one programming language (Tailscale uses Go)

• Proficiency developing for at least one application platform (e.g. iOS, Android, web, Windows, macOS, Linux)

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

• application security or application platform security

• penetration testing

• threat modeling and prioritization

• user experience design or research

• digital forensics and incident response

• Deep understanding of web application vulnerabilities (e.g., OWASP Top 10), client-side security, and common API security flaws

• Collaborate with engineering teams to promote secure coding practices and provide targeted security guidance and training

• Knowledge of cryptographic primitives and protocols

• Knowledge of common networking protocols

• 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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