Senior Distributed Systems Engineer

About the role

Censys is seeking a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer to join our Internet Map Connections team. You will be instrumental in developing highly available and scalable data-driven services that serve both our customers and internal operations. This role involves going beyond surface-level data to understand and attribute internet assets and their interrelationships.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Construct large-scale, real-time services and applications that utilize extensive datasets to power internal APIs and external products.
• Create tools, libraries, frameworks, and services to support security, research, and data platform initiatives.
• Transform prototypes into dependable internal tools, services, or platform components.
• Contribute to planning and technical discussions with engineering and product teams to shape effective solutions.
• Build and maintain systems including data pipelines, messaging systems, databases, caching layers, and cloud or on-premise services.
• Collaborate with Machine Learning Engineers and Security Researchers to implement solutions that enhance security outcomes.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years of software engineering experience focused on building distributed systems, such as data ingestion pipelines, databases, or services.
• Proficiency in object-oriented programming, with experience in Go.
• Experience with at least one major cloud provider: AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Familiarity with message queue technologies like AWS Kinesis, Google Pub/Sub, Kafka, or similar.
• Experience working with databases such as BigTable, Cloud Spanner, HBase, Cassandra, or comparable systems.
• A solid understanding of fundamental distributed systems concepts including scalability, fault tolerance, and reliability.
• Experience or familiarity with AI tools and applications.
• The ability to write clear, testable, and maintainable code.
• Strong communication skills and the capacity to collaborate effectively with engineers and product managers.
• An open mindset towards using AI to enhance skills and work output, demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in its responsible application.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with gRPC or REST.
• Familiarity with data serialization technologies like Protobuf or MessagePack.
• Experience building, deploying, or maintaining containerized services within Kubernetes.
• An understanding of fundamental Internet protocols and how machines and services communicate.
• Any experience within the security domain.

Skills & tools

• Go
• AWS, Azure, or GCP
• AWS Kinesis, Google Pub/Sub, Kafka
• BigTable, Cloud Spanner, HBase, Cassandra
• Kubernetes (preferred)
• gRPC or REST (preferred)
• Protobuf, MessagePack (preferred)

Practical notes

• Salary range for high cost of living areas (San Francisco Bay, New York City, Seattle): $174,000 - $206,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity.
• Salary range for all other locations: $151,000 - $191,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity.
• Compensation will be determined by objective factors assessed during the interview process, market demands, and work location.
• Benefits include equity, health, dental & vision coverage, retirement with company contribution, parental leave, mental health & wellness benefits, flexible PTO, and a professional development stipend.
• Annual bonus plan for eligible non-sales roles.
• Candidates are required to keep cameras on during video interviews.
• In-person onboarding at HQ in Ann Arbor is required if hired.
• Censys processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy.
• Censys is an equal opportunity employer.

About the company

Censys is a security company that provides internet intelligence through continuous scanning of the global internet. The technology originated from research conducted at the University of Michigan. The founding team developed the initial scanning infrastructure in 2015. The company was established to commercialize this approach to asset discovery and risk management. The platform maps and monitors hosts, services, and certificates across the public attack surface. Security teams use this data to identify unknown assets, track vulnerability exposure, and respond to emerging threats. The scanning engine updates its view of the internet on a frequent basis. This persistence allows customers to detect changes in their external footprint quickly. As of 2023 the service supported 350,000 registered users. The community includes researchers, analysts, and enterprise security programs. The data is accessible through a search interface, an API, and integrated workflow tools. The company focuses on making internet-wide visibility practical for defensive operations. Its datasets are cited in industry reports and academic studies. The team continues to expand collection coverage and analysis capabilities. The goal remains helping organizations understand what is exposed to the internet at any given moment.