Software Engineer, Product & Platform

• Build end-to-end systems across backend services, detection pipelines, product infrastructure, and user experiences
• Drive execution and product strategy by evaluating customer problems and collaborating on solutions
• Ship high-quality production software with focus on simplicity, maintainability, and reliability
• Mentor team members and help raise engineering standards through thoughtful code review and knowledge sharing
• Own customer-facing workflows, design simulation capabilities, scale infrastructure, or launch new products

About Adaptive Adaptive Security is building the next-generation security platform for the AI age. Attackers can now use AI to generate deepfakes and orchestrate highly personalized attacks at massive scale against anyone in an organization. We help companies prepare for that reality by simulating modern attacks, educating employees, detecting malicious emails, preventing risky behavior, and giving security teams the visibility they need to keep their organizations safe. We are early, moving quickly, and already emerging as a leader in one of the fastest-growing areas of security. We have raised over $146M to solve a problem that is getting more serious every month. Most recently, we announced our $81M Series B led by Bain Capital Ventures, with participation from NVIDIA’s NVentures, Capital One Ventures, Citi Ventures, and continued support from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the OpenAI Startup Fund, and Abstract Ventures. Adaptive was founded by Brian Long and Andrew Jones, repeat entrepreneurs who have built and scaled category-defining companies. They previously co-founded Attentive, which grew to more than $500M in annual revenue and a $10B+ valuation, and TapCommerce, which was acquired by Twitter. Together, they bring deep experience building high-growth, product-led businesses at massive scale as Adaptive builds the security layer for the AI era.

Software Engineer, Product & Platform We’re looking for an experienced full-stack engineer who is eager to build core product and platform systems across Adaptive. As we scale to 1,200+ customers and millions of employees on our platform, there is no shortage of meaningful problems to solve. You might own a customer-facing workflow end-to-end, design a new simulation capability, scale product infrastructure, improve our detection systems, or help launch a new greenfield product into market. Our engineers build with a taste for simplicity, extensibility, and maintainability. We keep our systems and codebase approachable so engineers can stay close to the full product, move quickly, and contribute without any domain boundaries. You’ll help us refine problem statements, define solutions, ship the first version, learn from customers, and raise the bar for the team around you. This is a role for engineers who want the autonomy and ownership that come from being close to the product, close to customers, and close to the technical decisions that shape the company’s future.

What You’ll Do

• Build end-to-end systems. You’ll work with a top-tier engineering team and close cross-functional partners to ship products that prevent AI-powered social engineering. You’ll work across backend services, detection pipelines, product infrastructure, and delightful user experiences.

• Drive execution and product strategy. You’ll take ambiguous customer problems, evaluate tradeoffs, and collaborate in-person with product, design, and engineering on the right path forward.

• Ship high-quality production software. You’ll work on a fast-paced team alongside a group of DX-obsessed engineers who optimize for no-maintenance products. You’ll build for speed without creating chaos: simple designs, thoughtful abstractions, reliable systems, and products that are easy to operate.

• Help the team get better. You’ll share context, review thoughtfully, mentor where you have depth, and keep learning from engineers with different strengths.

What You’ll Bring

• You have built and operated production software. You have 3+ years of hands-on experience shipping products that real users depend on.

• You are hungry for more ownership and autonomy. Our engineers thrive when they are trusted to make decisions and own their outcomes.

• You care about craft and balance it with pragmatism. You know when to prototype, when to harden, and when to simplify.

• You communicate clearly and empathetically. You can explain nuanced ideas and tradeoffs at the right level of abstraction for different audiences.

You’ll stand out if

• You have built enterprise SaaS products in either security, AI, or data-intensive environments.

• You have led teams, founded a company, or worked in a high-growth startup environment.

• You have existing expertise with our stack: Java, Spring Boot, TypeScript, React, PostgreSQL, and AWS.

• Competitive cash compensation and meaningful stock.

• Several medical plans to choose from, most covered at 100% by Adaptive.

• 401k through Vestwell.

• Unlimited PTO, including winter break from Dec 24 - Jan 1.

• A fantastic office atmosphere including coffee, espresso, lounge, snacks, whiteboards, and tons of conference space.

• Rotating choice of 4 free lunch options from local restaurants every day.

• Expense dinner if you’re in the office past 7pm. Expense Uber if you happen to stay past 9pm.

Environment This role is located in New York City, and requires the candidate to work from our office in New York City five days a week. If you are eager to apply your skills in a dynamic, collaborative environment, and are passionate about building systems that are both powerful and accessible, we would love to hear from you.

Sourced from the a16z Speedrun talent network — apply on Speedrun.