Lead Security Engineer

About Neurophos

The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpasing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.

Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.

We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.

Join us and shape the future of computing!

Location: Austin, TX or Sunnyvale, CA. Full-time onsite position.

Reports To : SVP of Engineering

FLSA Status : Exempt

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Security Lead to design, build, and defend Neurophos's core cloud, network, and system infrastructure against external threats. In this role, you will own the architectural integrity of our security posture, implement zero-trust network boundaries, manage vulnerability and threat detection programs, and serve as the face of Neurophos's security posture. You will balance deep technical execution with strategic governance to ensure our infrastructure withstands scrutiny from sophisticated adversaries and Tier-1 commercial customers.

Key Responsibilities

Infrastructure & Perimeter Defense

• Deploy zero-trust network access, secure cloud perimeters, and infrastructure access controls across cloud and physical lab/office environments. Experience with Azure is a major plus.

• Safeguard high-value engineering compute environments, CAD/EDA tools, and proprietary chip design repositories against external exfiltration and unauthorized access.

• Implement robust Identity & Access Management policies, fine-grained Role-Based Access Control, Multi-Factor Authentication, and automated access review cycles.

Threat Detection, Vulnerability Management & Incident Response

• Design and execute end-to-end vulnerability management processes, covering continuous asset scanning, prioritization, and coordinated remediation tracking with engineering teams.

• Build, maintain, and test the incident response runbook; serve as the primary incident commander during security events, conducting forensic analysis and root-cause post-mortems.

• Establish SIEM/EDR tooling, intrusion detection, and continuous logging across endpoints, servers, and cloud infrastructure to detect unauthorized access attempts in real time.

Customer & Vendor Security Assurance

• Support technical defense discussions and security assessments with customers and investors.

• Conduct vendor risk management assessments for third-party SaaS and infrastructure tools entering the company’s software stack.

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)

• Own the security compliance library, authoring and enforcing acceptable use, data classification, network segmentation, and disaster recovery policies.

• Support our SOC 2 Type II certification program (utilizing platforms such as Vanta or Drata) in coordination with engineering, General Counsel, and external auditors.

• Collaborate with the General Counsel to establish secure data handling, export control safeguards, and access controls.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of combined experience in infrastructure security, security engineering, or cybersecurity management, including 3+ years leading a security program at a hardware, semiconductor, or high-growth tech company.

• Deep hands-on expertise in cloud security, network defense, IAM infrastructure, and endpoint protection.

• Direct experience leading incident response runbooks, threat hunting, and containment in production/cloud environments.

• Exceptional ability to articulate complex security concepts to executive leadership, core engineering teams, and enterprise security auditors.

• Ability to manage external vendors to support the IT needs of the organization until we hire a dedicated IT leader, or to manage IT and security together.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with GRC automation platforms and Infrastructure as Code security analysis tools.

• Experience securing semiconductor EDA/CAD workflows, Linux compute clusters, or physical R&D lab environments.

• Proven track record of guiding a company through SOC 2 Type II audits and operationalizing frameworks such as NIST CSF or ISO 27001.

• Practical understanding of export control compliance requirements as applied to IT infrastructure and source data management.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.

Benefits

Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:

• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.

• Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.

• 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.

• Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.

• Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.