Senior Research Engineer, Systems Engineering Team

Senior Research Engineer, Systems Engineering Team

Tenable® is the Exposure Management company. 44,000 organizations around the globe rely on Tenable to understand and reduce cyber risk. Our global employees support 65 percent of the Fortune 500, 45 percent of the Global 2000, and large government agencies. Come be part of our journey!

Tenable is looking for a highly motivated Senior Research Engineer to join our Research Solutions Engineering Team.

This team serves as the critical bridge between our Research organization and Product teams, driving technology transfer and productization of cutting-edge security innovations. You'll transform novel research concepts into tangible MVPs, PoCs, and production-ready systems that directly impact how Tenable customers manage their exposure.

We need a proactive problem-solver—someone who recognizes that the initial request isn't always the whole story. You will be expected to listen to the goal, ask the tough questions, and suggest creative alternatives if you see a better way. You are the type of engineer who pauses to ensure we're solving the right problem before building the solution.

This is a highly autonomous role operating at the intersection of innovation and execution. You'll work on ambiguous, dynamic projects at the forefront of security research. You'll serve as both designer/architect and implementer, with your work ranging from rapid PoCs to full-production implementations, depending on project needs.

Drive technology transfer between organizations by building MVPs, PoCs, and production-ready implementations of novel security capabilities

Design and architect solutions that bridge the gap between prototypes and scalable product systems that serve Tenable customers at scale

Partner cross-functionally with researchers to deeply understand their innovations and with product teams to understand customer needs and technical constraints

Operate autonomously on cutting-edge projects—translating strategic goals into concrete plans and execution with minimal direction

Prototype rapidly to validate research concepts, then iterate toward production quality based on feedback and evolving requirements

Navigate technical breadth across technical domains, picking up new technologies and concepts quickly as projects demand

Make critical architecture decisions about what to build, how to build it, and when to pivot based on evolving understanding

Communicate effectively across diverse audiences—explaining research concepts to product teams and product constraints to researchers

Take ownership of projects end-to-end, from initial conception through delivery and handoff

Collaborate with a small, high-impact team (3 ICs, 1 senior manager, 1 director/research architect) while engaging with the broader Research and Product organizations

5+ years of professional software engineering or security research experience

B.S. degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related field, or equivalent work experience

Deep expertise in at least one relevant security domain (e.g., Application Security, Vulnerability Management, Cloud Security, Container Security, Threat Intelligence, Software Supply Chain, Network Security, Cryptography), combined with broad general knowledge across security and engineering

Demonstrably strong programming skills in multiple languages; comfortable picking up new technologies and tech stacks as projects require

Proven track record of working autonomously—taking strategic direction and independently charting the technical path from architecture through implementation

Experience designing systems that balance innovation with production constraints (reliability, scalability, maintainability)

Experience building both rapid PoCs and production-grade systems; understanding when each approach is appropriate

Strong cross-functional collaboration skills—ability to work effectively with both research-oriented and product-oriented teams

Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences

Comfort with ambiguity and rapid context-switching; thrives in dynamic environments where requirements evolve

Extreme curiosity and learning agility—genuine drive to understand how things work and explore new domains

Pragmatic decision-making skills; knows when to prototype vs. polish, when to pivot vs. persist

Experience with vulnerability management platforms, particularly Tenable products (Nessus, Tenable One, Security Center)

Familiarity with NASL (Nessus Attack Scripting Language) or willingness to learn

Experience working in both research and product organizations; understanding of the different mindsets and priorities

Background in security research or novel capability development

Experience with AI/ML systems or emerging security technologies

Open source contributions or published security research

Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and container technologies

Skilled in presentation on complex topics at conferences, in blogs, or through technical papers