Senior Software Engineer (Auth & Identity)
Clear Fracture · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $160,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Design and build core authorization and identity systems.
- Implement fine-grained access control and authentication.
- Work with distributed systems and AI integration.
- Develop secure, multi-tenant application security.
- Collaborate on next-gen AI platform security architecture.
About the role
Senior Software Engineer Auth & Identity
Clear Fracture is inventing a new class of AI-driven data integration platforms, enabling organizations to securely connect and operationalize data across complex environments. Our platform uses multi-agent systems to automate data integration, analysis, and operational workflows for mission-critical government and enterprise applications.
We are seeking a backend focused Senior Software Engineer to design and build the authorization and identity systems embedded directly within our product. This is a hands-on engineering role focused on implementing fine-grained access control, authentication flows, and tenant-aware security mechanisms across our platform. You won't just be managing an identity provider; you’ll be designing and coding the high-performance authorization middleware and SDKs that allow autonomous agents to navigate sensitive data pipelines securely. If you enjoy solving complex distributed systems problems where 'standard' cloud-based solutions don't work, this is your role.
You will work closely with backend, platform, and DevOps engineers to integrate authorization into core application workflows, APIs, and agent systems. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy building security-critical systems in production code, not just configuring or operating infrastructure.
Note: This is not a DevOps or infrastructure security role. It focuses on building application-layer authorization and identity systems.
Key Responsibilities
- Authorization Systems: Design and implement fine-grained authorization systems within the product, including role-based and policy-based access control models for users, organizations, APIs, and agent workflows.
- Application Integration: Write production-level backend code to enforce authorization across APIs, services, and agent execution paths. Partner with other engineers to embed access control directly into core product functionality.
- Identity & Authentication: Implement authentication flows and integrate with enterprise identity providers (OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, Active Directory), ensuring seamless and secure user and service authentication.
- Multi-Tenant Design: Design and enforce tenant-aware access control and isolation across application services, data layers, and compute workloads.
- Security Architecture (Application Layer): Contribute to the design of authorization and identity architecture, including policy models, enforcement patterns, and system boundaries.
- Secure System Design: Participate in threat modeling and design reviews, with a focus on authorization boundaries, privilege escalation risks, and least-privilege enforcement.
- Agentic Security: Defining and monitoring operational constraints to mitigate the risk of prompt injection or goal-misalignment.
- Distributed Systems Integration: Design authorization approaches that function reliably across distributed systems, including cloud-connected and air-gapped environments.
- Developer Experience: Create clear abstractions, APIs, and documentation that make it easy for other engineers to correctly implement and extend authorization logic.
Required Qualifications
- 4+ years of experience building authorization, identity, or authentication systems in application code.
- Strong backend software engineering experience (e.g., Python, Go, Java), including: Designing APIs, Implementing authentication flows, Enforcing authorization in service logic.
- Deep understanding of: RBAC, ABAC, and/or policy-based access control models, OAuth2, OpenID Connect (OIDC), SAML, and enterprise SSO.
- Experience designing or implementing fine-grained permissions in complex or distributed systems.
- Experience working on multi-tenant applications or systems with strong isolation requirements.
- Familiarity with threat modeling and secure system design, especially around access control and trust boundaries.
- Comfortable working in a collaborative engineering environment and integrating security into shared codebases.
- Experience building or deploying systems in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
- Strong communication skills and ability to explain technical concepts clearly.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
- Due to the nature of the work, U.S. Citizenship and the ability to obtain a Secret Clearance are required.
Desired Qualifications (Plus Factors)
- Experience building or integrating authorization frameworks or policy engines (e.g., OPA, Cedar, Zanzibar-inspired systems).
- Experience designing authorization for dynamic systems (e.g., agent-based systems, workflow engines, or plugin architectures).
- Experience implementing relationship-based or context-aware access control models.
- Experience supporting on-prem or air-gapped deployments.
- Experience with enterprise identity integrations in complex environments.
- Experience working in high-assurance or regulated environments.
- Familiarity with secrets management tools (e.g., Vault).
- Exposure to compliance frameworks (SOC2, FedRAMP, etc.).
- Advanced degree in Computer Science or related field.
- Active security clearance.
Why Clear Fracture?
- Be part of a dynamic and rapidly growing team at the forefront of AI and data integration.
- Build core authorization systems for a next-generation AI platform.
- Work on technically challenging problems at the intersection of distributed systems, security, and agentic workflows.
- Have direct ownership over how access control is designed and implemented across the platform.
- Collaborate with a highly technical team building complex, high-impact systems.
This is an ideal opportunity to be part of inventing a whole new class of software products. At Clear Fracture, we are driven by wanting to remove friction from data handling and analysis, and we thrive vicariously through our customer’s success. We know that our employees play the largest role in our continual success. That is why we foster an environment of growth and development, with an emphasis on opportunity, recognition, and work-life balance. We give the same high level of commitment to our employees that we give to our clients. If Clear Fracture sounds like the place where you want to be, we'd enjoy speaking with you.
Key skills/competency
- Senior Software Engineer
- Authorization Systems
- Identity & Authentication
- Backend Development
- Distributed Systems
- RBAC/ABAC
- OAuth2/OIDC/SAML
- Multi-Tenant Design
- Secure System Design
- Python/Go/Java
Skills & topics
- Senior Software Engineer
- Auth & Identity
- Backend Development
- Authorization Systems
- Identity Management
- Authentication
- Distributed Systems
- API Design
- Security Engineering
- Python
- Go
- Java
- RBAC
- ABAC
- OAuth2
- OIDC
- SAML
- Multi-Tenant
- Cloud Security
- Clear Fracture
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight 4+ years of experience in authorization, identity, or authentication systems. Emphasize backend development skills in Python, Go, or Java, and specific knowledge of OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, and RBAC/ABAC models.
- Showcase relevant projects: Detail experience with multi-tenant applications, distributed systems, and secure system design, especially in complex or air-gapped environments. Mention any experience with authorization frameworks like OPA or Zanzibar.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss design patterns for authorization, authentication flows, and how to implement fine-grained permissions in production code. Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly.
- Highlight security mindset: Demonstrate understanding of threat modeling, least-privilege principles, and experience integrating security into shared codebases. Mention any experience with cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) and compliance frameworks.
- Address clearance requirements: Be prepared to confirm U.S. Citizenship and your ability to obtain a Secret Clearance, as this is a mandatory requirement for the role.
Technical preparation
Practice designing secure authentication flows.,Implement RBAC/ABAC policies in code.,Build secure APIs for sensitive data.,Simulate multi-tenant system interactions.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex authorization problem solved.,How do you ensure security in code reviews?,Explain a security architecture decision.,How do you balance security and developer experience?
Frequently asked questions
- What specific technical skills are most critical for the Senior Software Engineer Auth & Identity role at Clear Fracture?
- The Senior Software Engineer Auth & Identity role at Clear Fracture prioritizes strong backend software engineering experience (Python, Go, Java) with a deep focus on designing and implementing authorization systems. Key technical skills include deep understanding of RBAC, ABAC, and policy-based access control models, as well as proficiency with OAuth2, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and SAML for authentication flows. Experience with multi-tenant design and implementing fine-grained permissions in distributed systems is also highly critical.
- Does Clear Fracture offer opportunities for professional growth in security architecture for this Senior Software Engineer position?
- Yes, Clear Fracture emphasizes growth and development. The Senior Software Engineer Auth & Identity role offers significant opportunities to contribute to the design of authorization and identity architecture, including policy models and enforcement patterns. You'll work on technically challenging problems at the intersection of distributed systems, security, and agentic workflows, providing ample room for professional growth in security architecture.
- What is the expected level of collaboration for a Senior Software Engineer Auth & Identity at Clear Fracture?
- Collaboration is a key aspect of this role. The Senior Software Engineer Auth & Identity will work closely with backend, platform, and DevOps engineers to integrate authorization into core application workflows, APIs, and agent systems. You'll also partner with other engineers to embed access control directly into core product functionality, and participate in threat modeling and design reviews.
- How does Clear Fracture handle security in its AI-driven data integration platform, and how does this role contribute?
- Clear Fracture's AI-driven data integration platform relies heavily on robust security. The Senior Software Engineer Auth & Identity plays a crucial role by designing and implementing the application-layer authorization and identity systems. This includes fine-grained access control, authentication flows, and tenant-aware security, ensuring that autonomous agents can navigate sensitive data pipelines securely within complex distributed environments.
- Is this Senior Software Engineer role suitable for someone looking to work on complex distributed systems beyond standard cloud solutions?
- Absolutely. This role is specifically designed for engineers who enjoy solving complex distributed systems problems where 'standard' cloud-based solutions may not suffice. You will be designing authorization approaches that function reliably across distributed systems, including challenging cloud-connected and air-gapped environments, making it ideal for those seeking advanced distributed systems challenges.
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