Senior Security Engineer (Software & Platform)
Neara · Australia
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $150,000 / year
- Australia
Job highlights
- Lead security for software and platform at Neara.
- Build secure systems, code, and environments.
- Champion security culture and practical practices.
- Collaborate on product design for security.
- Improve security maturity and compliance.
About the role
About Neara
Imagine having the power to stress-test an entire power grid against a hurricane or thunderstorm before the clouds even gather. That is the reality we are creating at Neara. We use advanced machine learning to create engineering-grade, physics enabled digital twins of electricity grids across four continents, this helps asset owners understand their biggest challenges and bring the most viable solutions to life across millions of kilometres of infrastructure. By simulating extreme weather and structural stress at a network-wide scale, we empower the world’s largest utilities to pinpoint risks, optimise investments and build a more resilient global energy future.
Our team is a collection of brilliant minds who are fanatical about making a tangible difference in the real world, utilising AI and machine learning to accelerate everything from data classification to complex scenario analysis. We have built a special culture where innovation thrives because everyone owns the mission and we need smart, creative people to help us scale this impact to every corner of the globe.
Building practical security into our systems (and not just on paper) is of paramount importance across the company, and we’re looking for our first in-house, Senior Security Engineer to own and elevate security as a deeply practical, engineering-led discipline. This is not a compliance checkbox role. You’ll be in the code, you’ll be shaping how we design and operate secure systems in practice, and you’ll help make security the path of least resistance for everyone at Neara.
What You Will Do
Engineering & Product Security
- Ensure that our code, architecture and environments are secure, through automated mechanisms and manual processes that you set up and maintain.
- Use and tune static, dynamic, dependency, and runtime analysis tools (commercial, open-source, and AI-assisted).
- Implement verification technology in-process to identify security issues after deployment.
- Help design and improve defense-in-depth across technical and people systems and processes.
- Be involved early in product design, helping prevent issues rather than reacting to them.
Security Culture & Real-World Practices
- Ensure security practices reflect what teams actually do — not just what’s written down.
- Identify gaps between policy and reality and fix the system, not just the docs.
- Reduce friction so engineers do the right thing by default.
- Be a visible, pragmatic security champion across the company, and train others to do as you do in areas such as secure development, threat modelling, and real-world attack vectors.
Compliance (With Engineering Context)
- Ensure controls are technically sound, defensible, and aligned with real systems and workflows.
- Prepare for audits in a way that adds value — not bureaucracy.
- Collaborate with engineering, operations, and leadership to continuously improve security maturity.
Who You Are
- Strong software engineering background, ideally backend or platform engineering.
- Proven experience reviewing and reasoning about real production code.
- Deep understanding of common vulnerabilities (e.g., auth, crypto misuse, injection, cloud misconfigurations).
- Practical experience securing modern systems (APIs, cloud, CI/CD, containers, IAM).
- Ability to threat-model systems and reason about attacker trade-offs.
- Comfortable using both automated tools and manual analysis.
- Excellent communicator — able to explain risks clearly and pragmatically to engineers and non-engineers alike.
Nice-to-Haves
- Previous first or early security hire experience at a startup or scale-up.
- Hands-on pentesting or red-team experience.
- Experience building internal security tools or automation.
- Familiarity with modern cloud platforms and infrastructure-as-code.
- Experience with AI-assisted security or code analysis tools — with the right level of skepticism.
- Experience owning or contributing to ISO 27001 and/or SOC 2 in an engineering-first way.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary & meaningful ESOP
- Fully flexible working arrangements with a well-stocked office in Redfern
- Regular office events
- The real benefit is working on a genuinely complex, innovative and industry-leading product, making a genuine difference in the world around us.
Diversity & Inclusion
Neara values diversity, belonging and equal employment opportunities. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.
Please note that you will require current and unrestricted working rights to be considered for the role. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to offer visa sponsorship at this time. No agencies or third-party service providers, please.
Key skills/competency
- Senior Security Engineer
- Software Engineering
- Platform Security
- AI Security
- Machine Learning Security
- Threat Modeling
- Vulnerability Analysis
- Cloud Security
- Secure Development
- CI/CD Security
Skills & topics
- Senior Security Engineer
- Software Security
- Platform Security
- AI Security
- Machine Learning Security
- Threat Modeling
- Vulnerability Analysis
- Cloud Security
- Secure Development
- CI/CD Security
- Backend Engineering
- Startup Security
- Red Team
- Penetration Testing
- ISO 27001
- SOC 2
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your backend/platform engineering, code review, and vulnerability assessment experience.
- Showcase practical security: Emphasize experience securing modern systems like APIs, cloud, CI/CD, and containers.
- Demonstrate communication skills: Provide examples of explaining complex security risks clearly to diverse audiences.
- Prepare for technical questions: Be ready to discuss threat modeling, common vulnerabilities, and secure design principles.
- Highlight startup experience: If applicable, mention prior roles in early-stage security teams.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary focus for the Senior Security Engineer at Neara?
- The Senior Security Engineer at Neara will focus on embedding practical, engineering-led security into the company's software and platform, rather than just compliance. This involves working directly with code, shaping secure system design and operation, and reducing friction for engineers in adopting secure practices.
- What kind of technical background is Neara looking for in a Senior Security Engineer?
- Neara seeks candidates with a strong software engineering background, particularly in backend or platform engineering. Essential experience includes reviewing production code, understanding common vulnerabilities, securing modern systems (APIs, cloud, CI/CD, containers, IAM), and threat modeling.
- How does Neara approach security culture and practices for this role?
- Neara emphasizes ensuring security practices are practical and reflect what teams actually do. The Senior Security Engineer will identify gaps, fix systems (not just docs), reduce friction for engineers, and act as a pragmatic security champion, training others in secure development and threat modeling.
- What are the key responsibilities regarding compliance for this Senior Security Engineer position?
- The role involves ensuring security controls are technically sound, defensible, and aligned with real systems and workflows. The engineer will also prepare for audits in a value-adding way and collaborate with teams to continuously improve security maturity.
- What are the 'nice-to-haves' for the Senior Security Engineer role at Neara?
- Nice-to-haves include previous experience as an early security hire at a startup/scale-up, hands-on pentesting or red-team experience, building internal security tools, familiarity with cloud platforms and IaC, experience with AI-assisted security tools, and contributing to ISO 27001 or SOC 2 from an engineering perspective.
- What makes this Senior Security Engineer role unique at Neara?
- This is Neara's first in-house Senior Security Engineer role, offering the unique opportunity to own and shape security as a deeply practical, engineering-led discipline from the ground up. You will be instrumental in building and scaling security practices within an innovative AI/ML company focused on critical infrastructure.
- Can I work remotely as a Senior Security Engineer at Neara?