Senior Security Research Engineer

WP Cloud powers Word Press at scale, and security is a critical part of that foundation. We’re expanding our security team to support WP Cloud, while also contributing to the protection and intelligence provided by WPScan and Jetpack Protect. As a Security Researcher, you will analyze vulnerable and malicious code, track emerging threats, and help build the tools and processes that detect, prevent, and remediate malware and other security issues across the Word Press ecosystem.

If you have a knack for solving puzzles and a passion for documenting and operationalizing solutions, this is a great opportunity to make a broad impact.

• Enjoy securing and protecting websites and applications.
• Have at least 3 years of experience as a security researcher, or equivalent experience investigating vulnerabilities, malware, or other threats.
• Understand threat models, security threats, vulnerabilities, and common attack vectors such as XSS, injection, hijacking, social engineering, and so on, along with how to mitigate them.
• Have experience with PHP and some exposure to software engineering.
• Are highly collaborative, and love participating in code reviews and discussions about architecture or design.
• Have a strong ability to use AI tools effectively to accelerate your work, improve analysis, and enhance the quality of your solutions.
• Are open, and able, to travel 2-3 weeks per year to meet up with your teammates in person.
• Experience with penetration testing and associated tools.
• Previous experience with malware detection systems.
• Reported vulnerabilities in the past.
• Know your way around Word Press and its file and database structures.
• Have experience writing and debugging Word Press plugins and themes.

• Leadership – we offer a variety of leadership options to those who have an interest, including becoming a team lead and managing releases.
• Learning and development – we have a generous personal development budget and encourage you to grow your skills through courses, books, and conferences.
• Architecture – we encourage developers to build expertise in the systems they work with, guide their evolution, and mentor other developers working on them.
• Engineering effectiveness – we believe in helping other developers become more effective through tools, practices, cross-team collaborations, and process.

Salary range
: $70,000 - $170,000 USD. Please note that salary ranges are global, regardless of location, and we pay in local currency.

We are searching for high-caliber candidates with the skills and qualities to have a net positive for Automattic. Pay will reflect the potential contribution and the impact you can bring, which may, in some cases, go beyond the range stated.

Equal Employment Opportunity – All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.