Lead Backend Software Engineer

About Us

Proofpoint is a global leader in human- and agent-centric cybersecurity. We protect how people, data, and AI agents connect across email, cloud, and collaboration tools. Our mission is to safeguard the digital world and empower people to work securely and confidently. Join us in defending data and protecting people.

At Proofpoint you’ll be part of a global team that breaks barriers to redefine cybersecurity guided by our BRAVE core values:

Bold in how we dream and innovate

Responsive to feedback, challenges and opportunities

Accountable for results and best in class outcomes

Visionary in future focused problem-solving

Exceptional in execution and impact

* This is a hybrid role based out of our Sunnyvale office. It is not a remote role.*

Proofpoint is a leading cybersecurity company protecting organizations’ greatest assets and biggest risks: vulnerabilities in people. With an integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, Proofpoint helps companies around the world stop targeted threats, safeguard their data, and make their users more resilient against cyber-attacks. Leading organizations rely on Proofpoint for people-centric security and compliance solutions across email, the cloud, social media, and the web.

We are devoted to helping our customers protect their greatest assets and biggest security risk: their people. That’s why we’re a leader in next-generation cybersecurity. Protection Starts with People.

We’re looking for an engineer who loves building from the ground up—someone who enjoys turning ideas into working systems, cares deeply about quality, thrives in a fast-moving, collaborative environment. You’ll join as an early team member and help shape both the product and culture from day one.

• Own problems end-to-end from design to deployment with a strong bias toward quality, automation, and continuous improvement.

• Introduce new techniques, architecture, and best practices to improve scalability, efficiency, and reliability.

• Build tooling and observability to monitor system health, identify bottlenecks, and proactively resolve instability.

• Balance rapid iteration on early-stage systems with long-term maintainability and architectural soundness.

• Contribute to a culture of engineering excellence, mentorship, and team-first collaboration.

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a focus on backend / distributed systems.

• Experience building and operating production-grade systems at scale in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).

• Experience with large-scale distributed systems ideally written in Python, Go or Rust

• Experience with micro service design using API gateways, event streaming (kafka / kinesis) and container orchestration (Kubernetes / Docker)

• Experience with Dev Ops workflows and CI/CD pipelines (familiarity with Cloud Bees / Harness is a plus)

• Strong debugging, instrumentation, and observability skills across distributed systems.

• Proven ability to take ownership of complex problems and learn quickly.

• Experience with AI-assisted development tools such as coding assistants, etc.

• Bonus - Experience building agentic AI applications leveraging LLM frameworks, MCP servers; AI engineering experience

• Startup experience — especially as a founder or early engineer who has built a product from scratch — is a strong plus.

As a customer-focused and driven-to-win organization with leading edge products, there are many exciting reasons to join the Proofpoint team. We believe in hiring the best and cultivating a culture of collaboration and appreciation. We are a multi-national company with locations in many countries, with each location contributing to Proofpoint’s culture. #LI-AN1

At Proofpoint, we offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Here are just a few reasons you’ll love working with us:

• Competitive compensation

• Comprehensive benefits

• Career success on your terms

• Flexible work environment

• Annual wellness and community outreach days

• Always on recognition for your contributions

• Global collaboration and networking opportunities

Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging,…