Senior Security Engineer

About the role

Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. We need a Senior Security Engineer to design robust security frameworks that enable rapid scaling while meeting the most demanding compliance requirements in the industry.

Responsibilities

• Build security from the ground up - Design security architectures for brand-new ground station infrastructure and space communication protocols that don't exist anywhere else.
• Secure the impossible - Design and implement security controls for distributed systems that span continents and operate where a single failure could impact national security missions.
• Own the whole stack - From RF protocols to Kubernetes clusters. Deploy enterprise SIEM solutions that can handle terabytes of satellite communications data while maintaining detailed audit trails for the most stringent compliance requirements.
• Pioneer security for space communications - Write security playbooks for infrastructure that doesn't exist yet while serving as primary security liaison for Space Force and other government customers.
• Lead incident response and threat hunting across a globally distributed ground station network, coordinating with engineering, network operations, and compliance teams.
• Create automated compliance pipelines that satisfy FedRAMP and NIST 800-171 requirements without breaking engineering velocity.

Requirements

• 5+ years of production experience with infrastructure as code (Terraform, AWS CDK).
• Ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI clearance.
• Experience conducting security architecture reviews in regulated environments.
• Strong knowledge of NIST 800-171, CUI, and FedRAMP frameworks.
• Familiarity with government cloud environments (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government) and CI/CD deployment pipelines that work across air-gapped networks.
• Proficiency in one or more general-purpose languages (Python, Go, Rust, etc.).
• Experience implementing defensive controls for endpoints, SaaS apps, and infrastructure in non-traditional environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building large-scale log ingestion and storage pipelines for distributed ground stations.
• Hands-on experience with SIEM (Splunk, QRadar, Sentinel, Panther) and endpoint security solutions (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne).
• Strong Linux experience in production environments.
• Knowledge of DFARS compliance and government contracting security requirements.
• Familiarity with EMASS or similar government assessment tools.
• Demonstrated ability to own complex security projects impacting national security missions.

Additional Requirements

This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. You must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State to conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).