Sr. Security Research 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. Over 80 of the Fortune 100, 10,000 large enterprises, and millions of smaller organizations trust Proofpoint to stop threats, prevent data loss, and build resilience across their people and AI workflows. Our mission is simple: safeguard the digital world and empower people to work securely and confidently. Join us in our pursuit to defend data and protect people.

How We Work:

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

Corporate Overview

In today’s cyber threat landscape, protection starts with people. At Proofpoint, that simple truth fuels our passion for protecting users, the data they create, and the systems they rely on from a uniquely people-centric perspective.

And we are just as passionate about finding the right people to help us in that mission. When you join Proofpoint, you are helping to:

• Build and enhance our proven security platform
• Blend innovation and speed in a constantly evolving cloud environment
• Analyze new threats and offer deep insight through data-driven intel
• Collaborate with customers to help solve their toughest security challenges

We are devoted to helping our customers protect their greatest assets and biggest security risk: their people. That is why we are a leader in next-generation cybersecurity—and why more than half of the Fortune 100 trust us as a security partner.

The Role

The Role As a Sr. Security Research Engineer on Proofpoint’s Threat Research team, you’ll be part of a highly-collaborative, industry-leading team focused on tracking threat actors and their associated tactics, techniques, and procedures. This role is designed to enable research and analysis activities by creating tooling to enhance or automate workflows and to facilitate tracking and data analysis processes.

If desired, this role will also have the opportunity to undertake research in pursuit of the Threat Research program’s mission to find and remediate malicious activity in Proofpoint datasets. This role has a direct impact on the efficacy of Proofpoint products, the quality of Proofpoint’s intelligence, and the protection of Proofpoint customers. Our priority is finding talented individuals who fit our mission and culture – If you believe your skills align with the requirements but feel that the ‘Senior’ title may not reflect your experience level, we still encourage you to apply. We’re open to discussing the right fit

Your day-to-day

• Stay abreast of a constantly evolving threat landscape and modern tech stacks needed to support research
• Work in partnership with threat researchers to design and implement tools and systems which enable their ability to track, contextualize, and report on malicious activity
• Liaison with other engineering units within Proofpoint to ensure stakeholder requirements are communicated and as a consultant to help those units understand the needs of a security-focused end-user constituency
• Work effectively as part of a remote team using chat, video chat, and conference calls

What you bring to the team

• Passion for threat research and a well-rounded understanding of the threat landscape
• Ability to understand the threat researcher's needs, transform them into consistent & efficient system requirements and implement them
• Experience developing tooling in a variety of programming languages, but predominantly Python Experience integrating existing tooling into comprehensive systems which are deployable to a distributed team (devOps, architecture)
• Experience working with large datasets and associated tools and libraries, such as relational databases, AWS, Splunk, Pandas, Jupyter, etc.
• Self-directed and accountable
• Outstanding communication skills and the ability to present complex technical topics to a variety of internal stakeholders

Nice to have

• Understanding of malware analysis fundamentals, for example interpreting the results of sandbox analysis
• Experience with LLM and agent/agentic framework development and support
• Prior experience tracking threat actors and/or malware families Experience performing the above in a fully remote environment Additional Information Travel: 10%
   

Why Proofpoint?

At Proofpoint, we believe that an exceptional career experience includes 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:

Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging, empower purpose and drive success-every day, for everyone.

We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please reach out to [email protected].

How to Apply

Interested? Submit your application along with any supporting information- we can’t wait to hear from you!

Consistent with Proofpoint values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets as set out below. Pay within these ranges varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate. The range provided may represent a candidate range and may not reflect the full range for an individual tenured employee. This role may be eligible for variable compensation and/or equity. We offer a competitive benefits package, including flexible time off, a comprehensive well-being program with two paid Wellbeing Days and two paid Volunteer Days per year, plus a three-week Work from Anywhere option.

Base Pay Ranges:

SF Bay Area, New York City Metro Area:

California (excludes SF Bay Area), Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Washington DC Metro, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, Virginia, and Alaska:

All other cities and states excluding those listed above: