Security Software Engineer

Product Security Engineer | AI Startup | £100k–£140k + | East London

Build security into the future of AI.

I'm working with a leading AI startup looking for a technically strong Product Security Engineer to help secure a rapidly scaling, AI-native product.

This isn't a traditional security role focused on policies, compliance or ticking boxes. You'll work directly alongside software engineers, get hands-on in the codebase and help shape how security is designed, built and delivered as the product scales.

The ideal person combines a strong software engineering foundation with a security-first mindset, enjoys solving complex technical problems and thrives in fast-paced startup environments.

The opportunity

You'll join a small, high-calibre engineering team at a rapidly growing AI company, helping build security into the product from the ground up.

You'll have real ownership, work closely with engineering and security leadership, and influence technical decisions across the product, infrastructure and development lifecycle.

What you'll be doing

• Work directly within a Node.js and TypeScript codebase to identify, assess and remediate security vulnerabilities.
• Partner with software engineers to embed security best practices into day-to-day development.
• Conduct code reviews, threat assessments and vulnerability analysis, recommending practical solutions.
• Help secure cloud infrastructure and contribute to security across AWS, DevOps and site reliability engineering practices.
• Bridge the gap between product engineering and security, enabling teams to build quickly without compromising security.
• Take ownership of security challenges in a fast-moving environment where priorities evolve and no two days look the same.
• Explore modern, AI-first approaches to engineering and security, using AI tools to improve how you work.

What we're looking for

• Strong software engineering and coding experience, ideally with a background in full-stack or product engineering.
• Hands-on product security, application security or security engineering experience, with the ability to work directly in a codebase.
• Experience with Node.js, TypeScript, React and AWS , or a closely related technology stack.
• A strong understanding of application security, secure coding, vulnerability identification and remediation.
• Previous experience in a startup or scale-up environment , where you've had to take ownership, switch between priorities and work across multiple areas.
• An AI-first mindset, with genuine enthusiasm for using AI tools and modern engineering practices to solve problems.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with engineers, influencing security decisions without slowing delivery.

Backgrounds that could be a great fit

You might be a software engineer who has moved into security, an engineer from a security-focused technology company, or a product security engineer who still loves getting hands-on with code.

Experience with bug bounty programmes, Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions, hackathons, security research, side projects or founding a startup would be particularly interesting.

Experience securing high-traffic products or systems at scale is also valuable.

What's on offer?

• Salary: £100,000–£140,000, with flexibility up to approximately £160,000 for exceptional principal-level candidates.
• Location: East London.
• Working model: Office-based, five days per week, with some flexibility in practice.
• Environment: A fast-growing, AI-native company with a high engineering bar and genuine opportunities to influence the product.
• Start date: Ideally ASAP, with notice periods of one to three months considered.

Interview process

1. Technical security interview: A live, collaborative review of Node.js/TypeScript code to identify vulnerabilities and discuss solutions.
2. System design interview: Explore your approach to designing secure, scalable systems.
3. Team session: Spend time with the team in the Shoreditch office, working through real-world problems.

If you're a software engineer with a security-first mindset, or a security engineer who still wants to get hands-on in the code, I'd love to hear from you.

Apply directly or message me for a confidential conversation.