Staff Cloud Security Engineer at Aurora Innovation

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

17 Mar, 26

Salary

280000.0

Posted On

17 Dec, 25

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Cloud Security, AWS, Kubernetes, IAM, Network Security, Security Automation, Terraform, Threat Modeling, Security Best Practices, Identity Management, Programming, DevSecOps, Compliance, Infrastructure as Code, Microservices, Security Design Reviews

Industry

Software Development

Description

Who we are Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. The Aurora Driver will create a new era in mobility and logistics, one that will bring a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future to everyone. At Aurora, you will tackle massively complex problems alongside other passionate, intelligent individuals, growing as an expert while expanding your knowledge. For the latest news from Aurora, visit aurora.tech or follow us on LinkedIn. Aurora’s Cloud Security team’s mission is to design and build security capabilities for Aurora infrastructure and services. Aurora makes extensive use of public cloud infrastructure (AWS), Kubernetes and infrastructure-as-code technologies. This role requires a deep, hands-on understanding of cloud security principles and architecture, particularly within AWS and Kubernetes (EKS). As a Staff Engineer, you will help drive the vision, design, and implementation of security infrastructure, serving as a technical leader and mentor within the security team and across engineering. You can read more about our approach to security on our blog: Aurora's approach to cybersecurity for autonomous trucking. This role is expected to take ownership of and drive projects in one or more of these critical areas, depending on team needs and your specific expertise: Lead the design and implementation of core security infrastructure services, including certificate management (PKI), secrets management, and centralized authentication/authorization services leveraging standards like OIDC and SAML. Deep AWS Security Specialization: Architect and manage security boundaries and access controls for the entire AWS environment, including but not limited to: IAM Governance: Define and enforce least-privilege IAM roles and policies, establish strong IAM Access Boundaries using Service Control Policies (SCPs), and govern inter-service communication. Network Segmentation: Design and implement robust network security controls within VPCs, including Security Groups, Network ACLs, and private connectivity (VPC Endpoints, Transit Gateway). Design and implement security best practices and tooling within AWS and EKS, including controls such as admission controllers, image scanning/signing, pod security standards, and runtime security enforcement. Develop and manage systems for continuous security control monitoring, reporting, and automated remediation (e.g., using AWS Config, GuardDuty, or custom tools). Develop threat models independently, or jointly with system owners. Translate identified threats into tangible security requirements, ensuring controls are strategically deployed to strengthen the security posture of core platforms and services. Serve as a principal security consultant to product and platform engineering teams, conducting in-depth security design reviews for new systems and features, and proposing actionable security control implementations In this role, you will: Elevate Security Architecture: Design, implement, and maintain the next generation of security infrastructure, controls, and primitives natively within AWS and across our Kubernetes (EKS) platform. Define Security as Code: Drive the adoption of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles (e.g., Terraform) to codify, deploy, and continuously monitor security controls and policies in an auditable and scalable manner. Strategic Threat Modeling: Lead advanced threat modeling exercises for critical systems and architectures, translating risks into prioritized security requirements and verifiable controls. Architectural Guidance: Act as a security consultant for product and platform engineering teams, conducting in-depth security design reviews and providing pragmatic, hands-on recommendations for securing complex microservice architectures. Automate Remediation: Identify systemic security weaknesses and create robust, scalable automation (e.g., Python/Go-based tools, Lambda functions, EKS controllers) to eliminate classes of vulnerabilities at the source. Required Qualifications: 7+ years of progressive experience in software, platform, or security engineering, with a minimum of 3+ years focusing exclusively on public cloud security (AWS required). Experience in identifying and managing security risk, and the ability to navigate the organizational friction to manage these risks Expert-level, hands-on experience securing and operating complex environments in AWS, including expertise with IAM, VPC Networking, Security Hub, Config, GuardDuty, and KMS. Proven ability to design and implement security controls for Kubernetes (EKS), including strong knowledge of authorization models, admission controllers, and security best practices. Expertise in one or more Identity and Access Management (IAM) standards and technologies: PKI, OAuth2/OIDC, SAML, and commercial solutions like Okta. Strong proficiency in at least one modern programming/scripting language (e.g., Python or Go) for building security automation, tools, and remediation services. Experience writing, reviewing, and scaling infrastructure with Terraform. Desirable Qualifications: Deep fundamental understanding of enterprise-level network security, operating system security (Linux), and application security principles. Experience implementing DevSecOps practices, including integration of security testing (SAST/DAST/SCA) into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab, Jenkins). Familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.g., SOX, SOC 2, ISO 27001). The base salary range for this position is $198,000 - $280,000 per year. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits. Working at Aurora At Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together — all without any jerks. Our Careers page provides insight into what it is like to work at Aurora, and you can find all the latest updates in our Newsroom. Commitment to inclusion Aurora considers candidates without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, parent or caregiver status, ancestry, political affiliation, veteran and/or military status, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by federal or state law. Aurora considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at careersiteaccommodations@aurora.tech. For California applicants, information collected and processed as part of your application and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Aurora’s California Employment Privacy Policy.

Responsibilities

The Staff Cloud Security Engineer will lead the design and implementation of security infrastructure services and serve as a technical leader within the security team. This role involves architecting security boundaries in AWS and Kubernetes, developing security controls, and automating remediation processes.