[Remote] Security Research Engineering Technical Leader

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Cisco is hiring a Security Research Engineering Technical Leader to guide security across its product portfolio. The role leads portfolio risk management, secure architecture and threat modeling, AI security integration, and security engineering metrics while influencing product and engineering priorities.

Responsibilities

• You will be responsible for the full arc of portfolio risk, maintaining a current, data-backed view of security posture
• You will translate threat trends, architectural shifts, and security debt into priorities that product and engineering leadership can act on, while advising and influencing across Product Management, Engineering, IT/Enterprise Operations, and Business Information Security Officer partners to align security priorities with business objectives
• You will set the architecture bar, reviewing and approving secure designs across the portfolio, adapting "security by design" and "security by default" to each context, and making architecture trade-off calls
• You will lead threat modeling portfolio-wide, adjusting depth and technique to the system at hand, ensuring every model is defensible, evidence-based, and tied directly to design decisions
• AI adds a new frontier, and you will meet it head-on by integrating AI securely into in-scope platforms, applying Software Security AI frameworks, and advocating for AI capabilities that strengthen security outcomes
• You will threat-model and think like an attacker, coordinating Security SMEs in areas like cryptography and identity, and presenting prioritized lists of unmitigated security risks at release or delivery
• Finally, you will define and lead all aspects of the security engineering metrics that drive the portfolio, including risk reduction, mean time to remediate, security debt, and developer adoption, turning data into sharper decisions

Skills

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience
• Proven experience leading threat modeling and secure design/architecture reviews for complex software systems, including AI- and LLM-enabled features
• Demonstrated experience interpreting SAST, DAST, and SCA results and translating findings into risk-based, evidence-backed remediation guidance
• Extensive experience integrating security controls into modern CI/CD pipelines and cloud-native environments, including Kubernetes and containers
• Validated ability to influence engineering and product leadership and drive security outcomes across teams without direct authority
• Depth in one or more specialized areas: identity and access management, cryptography, data security, application security, or software supply chain security (including SBOM generation, artifact signing, and SLSA-aligned practices)
• Experience partnering with internal information technology, operations, or platform engineering teams on applications and workflow/automation platforms
• Experience defining and using security metrics to influence roadmap and investment decisions
• Advanced knowledge of emerging security threats, vulnerability research, and industry-standard security frameworks
• Relevant industry certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, CCSP, or GIAC

Benefits

• Remote role; work may be performed anywhere in the contiguous United States.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules: medical, dental and vision insurance.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules: a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules: paid parental leave.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules: short- and long-term disability coverage.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules: basic life insurance.
• Employees may be eligible to receive Cisco restricted stock unit grants, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s policies: 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s policies: 1 paid day off for the employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco.
• Non-exempt employees: 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees.
• Exempt employees: Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, with no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, subject to availability and some business limitations.
• U.S. employees, subject to Cisco’s policies: 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next.
• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members.
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer.
• For non-sales roles, employees are eligible to earn annual bonuses, subject to Cisco’s policies.

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