Staff Security Engineer

Lightspark is building open payments for the Internet—always-on payment solutions powered by Bitcoin, the only open, neutral network for moving value. With enterprise tools like Connect, UMA, and Spark, businesses can send and receive money instantly, securely, and at a fraction of the cost, anytime, anywhere. Lightspark is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, but serves the world.

We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Staff Security Engineer to help secure our platform and systems at Lightspark. In this role, you’ll shape and drive security strategy across both crypto/blockchain domains and general security disciplines (application, infrastructure, and product). You will design and build secure frameworks and tools, perform security reviews and audits, and work on detection and response capabilities.

As a Staff Engineer, you’ll be a hands-on partner with engineering and product teams to proactively prevent vulnerabilities and mitigate threats across our ecosystem. This role requires breadth across modern infrastructure, application security practices, and crypto knowledge to build the future of scalable, secured, decentralized payments.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:

• Lead technical security strategy: Shape the security vision across application, infrastructure, and crypto domains, balancing innovation and a fast development culture with pragmatic risk management.

• Build secure-by-default frameworks: Design and implement tools, libraries, and systems that embed security into products and infrastructure from the ground up.

• Perform deep technical reviews: Audit designs and codebases (with emphasis on blockchain/crypto components), identify vulnerabilities, and guide teams in secure design and development.

• Mentor and guide teams: Provide technical leadership and mentorship on secure development practices, encryption, authentication, access control, and crypto-specific security.

• Strengthen detection & response: Partner with operations teams to enhance monitoring, incident investigation, and response—particularly around blockchain and code-level threats.

• Champion security culture: Lead training and awareness programs to up-level security knowledge across engineering, with a focus on blockchain and secure coding.

• Stay ahead of threats: Track emerging risks, attack vectors, and technologies in both traditional and crypto ecosystems, recommending strategies for continuous improvement.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

• 8+ years of security engineering experience spanning application security, infrastructure/cloud security, and secure software development.

• Strong background in software engineering with proficiency in at least one programming/scripting language (e.g., Python, Go, Java, C/C++).

• Deep knowledge of security fundamentals: secure coding, encryption, authentication, access control, and vulnerability management.

• Experience leading technical application and infrastructure security initiatives, blockchain/crypto security is a plus

• Familiarity with industry standards/frameworks (e.g., OWASP, NIST, ISO 27001) and their application in blockchain/financial ecosystems.

• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills; able to operate as both a hands-on engineer and a technical leader.

• A CS degree or equivalent background is welcome, but we value diverse paths—especially from non-traditional or crypto-native security backgrounds.

Lightspark is on a mission to build an open payment protocol for the Internet at scale and therefore we’re committed to creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace to reflect the customers we serve. We welcome interest from individuals of all backgrounds and levels of experience who share our mission. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the State of California Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.