Senior Security Engineer

Senior Security Engineer

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At Magpie, we envision a world where every child, no matter their background, becomes a confident reader. Our nonprofit team combines research-backed instruction, joyful game design, and innovative technology to tackle America's reading crisis head-on — with the goal of eradicating illiteracy through a digital-first, student-centered approach.

We’re seeking an experienced Senior Security Engineer to join our small, mission-driven Platform team. You’ll work across boundaries, design and harden AWS-based infrastructure and services, and help embed secure‑by‑design principles into the systems powering joyful reading experiences.

• Design and build platform capabilities that deliver reliable, high-value features with safety, precision, and user focus.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and fellow engineers to create new features and improve existing ones.
• Approach the platform as a product: maintain a clear understanding of customer needs, identify friction points, and take ownership of outcomes with metrics-driven decision making (KPIs, OKRs, and North Star metrics).
• Use data to inform decisions, measure impact, and drive improvements through empirical evidence.
• Take ownership across all phases of development, from design to production, and monitor system performance in live environments.
• Continuously improve the flow of work from idea to production, using data to identify and remove friction.
• Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code following best practices.
• Build and maintain APIs, and integrate with third-party services.
• Ensure application performance, quality, and responsiveness across platforms.
• Participate in code reviews, testing, and debugging to maintain high-quality deliverables.
• Mentor other engineers and contribute to their growth.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and help define technical standards and best practices.
• Stay up to date with emerging technologies and suggest improvements to enhance development processes.

• 5+ years of experience in cloud security engineering, with deep expertise in cloud computing.
• Hands‑on experience with AWS security services (such as IAM, KMS, Guard Duty, Config, Security Hub) and infrastructure‑as‑code frameworks like Terraform or Cloud Formation.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, Go, or JavaScript, with the ability to build security automation, integrate APIs, and contribute to secure application and infrastructure tooling.
• Demonstrated capability to build or enhance security observability, including logging pipelines, SIEM integrations, and anomaly detection.
• Familiarity with modern application security practices, including container security, supply chain security, and CI/CD pipeline hardening.
• Ability to drive incident response processes, conduct root-cause analyses, and implement long-term corrective actions.

• Infrastructure / Backend: AWS, Terraform, SQL/No
  
  SQL, Kubernetes, Docker
• Programming
  
  Languages:
  
  Type Script, Python
• Security Tools: SIEM, SAST/DAST, Container scanning tools, Supply Chain
• Other Tools:
  Datadog, Git Hub, Miro, Sonar Cube, Notion, Slack, Jira

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of Magpie’s mission, OKRs, and learner-focused product strategy by mapping how platform security contributes to trust, reliability, and equitable access for students and educators.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of Magpie’s technical landscape by reviewing AWS architecture diagrams, data flows, service boundaries, IAM patterns, and CI/CD pipelines, and document key insights to inform future security work.
• Build effective cross-functional relationships with Platform Engineering, Product Engineering, Data, and Compliance stakeholders, and establish clear channels for collaboration on security-related decisions.
• Learn Magpie’s security tooling ecosystem—Cloud Trail, Guard Duty, KMS, Terraform patterns, monitoring stack—and demonstrate foundational proficiency through guided walkthroughs and hands‑on exploration.
• Engage in shadowing and pairing…