Remote- Systems Engineering -

Frustrated by the lack of trustworthy Internet intelligence, we set out to create the industry’s most comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date map of the Internet. Today, Censys delivers real-time Internet intelligence and actionable threat insights to global governments, over 50% of the Fortune 500, and leading threat intelligence providers worldwide.

The Systems Engineer will be a part of the Censys ARC (Advanced Research Collective) and will build and operate the pipelines and platforms that power Censys's threat detection and intelligence capabilities. This role will own the engineering behind static and dynamic file analysis at scale, and the graph-based systems that connect indicators, infrastructure, and actors into actionable threat intelligence. For a systems engineer who's spent years wiring together detection pipelines and threat intel platforms, this role is the rare chance to build that infrastructure at the actual source of the data rather than downstream of it. Censys's internet-wide scan visibility means the enrichment and graph systems you're building aren't consuming someone else's feed, they're powering primary intelligence on global infrastructure and actors. You'd own meaningful technical surface end-to-end: static/dynamic analysis pipelines, YARA tooling, sandboxing, and threat graph modeling connecting indicators to actors, rather than being one contributor on a sprawling platform team. The ARC structure — sitting between engineering and research — means your systems get shaped directly by what threat researchers actually need next, not by a backlog several layers removed from the analysts using it. And for someone who wants to work at the edge of the field rather than behind it, the expectation of using LLM-based coding harnesses to move fast signals a team that’s building for how security engineering actually works now, not clinging to legacy velocity.

Design, build, and maintain static and dynamic file analysis pipelines capable of processing artifacts at scale

Maintain, and optimize YARA rule sets, including tooling for rule testing, performance, and false-positive management

Operate and extend threat indicator enrichment systems for real-time file metadata extraction, scanning, and enrichment

Build and grow threat graph intelligence systems, modeling relationships between indicators, malware, infrastructure, and actors

Design and maintain dynamic analysis (sandboxing/detonation) capability, including behavioral telemetry collection and safe execution environments

Build ingestion and normalization pipelines connecting internal Censys scan data with external threat intel feeds

Instrument pipelines for reliability and observability (logging, monitoring, alerting, SLAs)

Partner with threat research and detection engineering teams to translate analytical needs into scalable systems

Document architecture, runbooks, and operational procedures for the systems you own

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

• 6+ years building security data pipelines, detection engineering systems, or threat intelligence platforms
• Experience with Synapse or other graph-based threat intel platforms (e.g., Maltego, Neo4j), including graph data modeling
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or Go
• Working knowledge of static and dynamic malware analysis (disassemblers, sandboxes such as Cuckoo/CAPE, debuggers) tooling and pipelines
• Experience with distributed data pipelines and message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ) and data stores (Elasticsearch, S3, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure) designing and operating highly-available systems for critical, production-grade applications
• Demonstrated use of LLM-based coding harnesses and agent-based development workflows (e.g., Experience with Synapse, MISP, OpenCTI, or other TIP platforms

Experience working with internet-wide scan data

CI/CD experience applied to detection content

Familiarity with SOC 2, ISO 27001, or similar security/compliance frameworks as they relate to handling sensitive data

Experience with Strelka or comparable file scanning frameworks (e.g., This position is located fully remote with no expectations to come into an office regularly.

For high cost of living areas in the US (San Francisco / Seattle / NYC), the expected salary range for this position is $190,000 - $240,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity. For all other locations in the US, the expected salary range for this position is $170,000 USD - $220,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity.

For candidates being considered outside of the US, location specific market data will be evaluated and discussed during the interview process.

For roles that are available to be filled remotely, the pay range is localized according to employee work location by a factor of between 83% and 100% of range. Censys offers a competitive benefits package to employees, including equity, health, dental & vision coverage, retirement with company contribution, parental leave, mental health & wellness benefits, flexible PTO, and a professional development stipend. Censys also offers sales incentive pay for most sales roles and an annual bonus plan for eligible non-sales roles. We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to apply for a role, participate in the interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. These modifications enable an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity not only to get a job, but successfully perform their job tasks to the same extent as people without disabilities.

To ensure the integrity of our hiring process and in attempt to facilitate a more personal connection, we require all candidates to keep their cameras on during video interviews. By applying for this job, the candidate acknowledges and agrees that any personal data contained in their application or supporting materials will be processed in accordance with our Censys Privacy Policy.

We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.