Engineering Lead - Security

About the role

We are seeking an experienced security engineering leader to oversee all security-related aspects of the Somnia L1 network. In this pivotal position, you will be responsible for formulating security strategies, implementing robust controls, and engaging in hands-on security operations to safeguard the protocol and its users. Your expertise will ensure that our security measures are not only effective but also aligned with our organizational goals. You will drive the evolution of the security program while maintaining a sharp focus on risk reduction and operational resilience. This role demands a proactive mindset capable of anticipating emerging threats before they materialize. You will act as the central authority on security posture for the L1 ecosystem.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and maintain the comprehensive security framework governing the L1 infrastructure, including validator operations, RPC nodes, and signing services.
• Author, implement, and iterate on security policies that regulate access control, secrets management, and secure development methodologies across the engineering organization.
• Drive application security and supply chain risk management initiatives for all Somnia products, with special attention to the integrity of agentic workflows.
• Design, deploy, and supervise multisig governance structures, signing protocols, and the full lifecycle management of cryptographic keys for critical protocol assets.
• Build, lead, and refine the security incident response team, orchestrating detection capabilities, triage procedures, and exhaustive post-incident analyses.
• Conduct threat modeling sessions and security assessments while coordinating external audits and bug bounty programs to continuously strengthen defenses.
• Embed security best practices into the software development lifecycle, ensuring that security considerations are integral to product design from inception.
• Monitor the threat landscape and trends specific to blockchain infrastructure, adjusting security strategies and controls to address evolving risks.
• Develop and mentor junior security engineers, cultivating a pervasive culture of security awareness and rigorous thinking across the company.
• Serve as the primary liaison with stakeholders, articulating security risks, trade-offs, and mitigation plans in clear alignment with business objectives.
• Represent Somnia in industry forums and conferences, sharing insights on security practices and innovations that influence the broader blockchain ecosystem.
• Define metrics and reporting mechanisms to quantify security effectiveness and demonstrate impact to executive leadership.
• Partner with DevOps and platform teams to ensure security tooling integrates seamlessly into production environments without impeding velocity.
• Evaluate emerging cryptographic techniques and consensus mechanisms to advise on future security enhancements for the L1.

Requirements

• Bring extensive experience as a security engineer focused on infrastructure security and SecOps at a large scale within complex systems.
• Demonstrate a proven track record of securing and operating production environments, with mastery over Linux, networking, containers, and infrastructure as code.
• Show a successful history of creating and rolling out security policies that are adopted and followed by multiple engineering teams.
• Exhibit in-depth knowledge of key management practices, including signing workflows, hardware security modules (HSMs), secrets management, and robust key rotation and recovery processes.
• Display strong leadership in incident response, covering detection, containment, forensic analysis, and thorough post-incident reviews.
• Possess a solid foundational understanding of cryptography, especially as it applies to blockchain technology and key management schemes.
• Communicate complex security concepts with exceptional clarity to influence stakeholders across technical and non-technical domains.
• Thrive in high-pressure situations, particularly those involving financial systems where mistakes can lead to significant consequences.
• Show an authentic passion for cryptocurrency and on-chain systems, with demonstrable commitment to tracking industry developments.
• Maintain meticulous attention to detail and strong ethical judgment when handling sensitive security issues and vulnerabilities.

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience securing blockchain L1 and L2 node and validator infrastructure, enhancing the security posture of decentralized networks.
• Practical exposure to multisig governance and treasury management in a live production environment.
• Familiarity with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), smart contract security, and common vulnerabilities in decentralized finance (DeFi) systems.
• Background in coordinating external security audits, running bug bounty initiatives, and managing responsible disclosure workflows.
• Experience in red teaming, offensive security, or detection engineering to support a proactive and resilient security model.
• Knowledge of high-throughput or low-latency systems where security controls must be carefully balanced with performance requirements.
• Engagement with open source security projects or contributions to the broader blockchain security community.

Practical notes

• Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• Minimal travel is expected for this role.
• We offer competitive compensation along with token incentives as part of our benefits package.
• Interested candidates should apply through our standard application process to be considered for this exciting opportunity.