At Instructure, we believe in the power of people to grow and succeed throughout their lives. Our goal is to amplify that power by creating intuitive products that simplify learning and personal development, facilitate meaningful relationships, and inspire people to go further in their education and careers.
We do this by giving smart, creative, passionate people opportunities to create awesome. And that's where you come in:
Job Description
The Director, Security Engineering owns how Instructure builds and runs securely. The role leads three core functions: product security, embedded in R&D teams, cloud and infrastructure security across AWS, and AI security. It also owns security architecture standards, vulnerability management, and edge security. Reports to the CISO.
Responsibilities:
Product security
Lead product security: threat modeling, design review, and the release gate. The team works inside R&D teams on a dotted line.
Approve standard product launches and own pen test and bug bounty intake.
Cloud and infrastructure security
Lead cloud and infrastructure security: IAM, AWS guardrails, infrastructure as code, patch policy, secrets rotation, and privileged and non-human access.
Own the WAF standard and approve WAF rule changes and patch window changes
AI security
Lead AI security: set security standards for AI features, agents, and AI services that Instructure builds or integrates.
Define controls for prompt injection, excessive agent permissions and tool abuse, data leakage, and unauthorized access through RAG and connectors.
Set intake and risk review for third-party AI services, and manage shadow AI risk with GRC.
Include AI-specific risks in threat modeling, design review, and the release gate.
Work with the Security Architect on AI reference patterns, and with GRC on AI governance and risk.
Architecture, vulnerability management, and delivery
Set security architecture and design standards, working through the Security Architect.
Own vulnerability management: Wiz across code and cloud, SLAs by team, exceptions, and disputes.
Set secure SDLC standards and release criteria, including code scanning gates, with the Security Platform and Vulnerability Management Lead.Support customer security reviews as the technical expert, working with GRC.
Deliver the Security Engineering commitments in the plan, and track Engineering commitments with the VP of Engineering.
Hire, lead, and grow the team, and write job descriptions for the team's roles.
Success measures
New in-scope features, including AI features, get a security design review before release.
Vulnerability SLA performance reported to Engineering leaders monthly, with overdue items escalated to the owning VP.
Security Engineering commitments delivered on the committed date.
Open Security Engineering roles filled on planned dates.
Security Engineering spend managed to budget.
Product security coverage, remediation speed, and escaped defects reported quarterly.
Every team member has a written development plan, reviewed quarterly.
Qualifications
10+ years in security engineering, including 5+ years leading security teams.
Has led product security and cloud security teams, with hands-on depth in cloud environments.
Practical knowledge of AI and LLM security risks, such as prompt injection, agent abuse, and data leakage, and of frameworks such as OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications and NIST AI RMF.
Has influenced senior Engineering leaders on design and risk trade-offs.
Experience in SaaS, ideally handling regulated data such as education records (FERPA, COPPA).
Get in on all the awesome at Instructure!
We offer competitive, meaningful benefits in every country where we operate. While they vary by location, here's a general idea of what you can expect:
Competitive compensation, plus all full-time employees participate in our ownership program - because everyone should have a stake in our success.
Flexible work culture. Our remote, hybrid and in-office collaboration spaces vary by role, team and location.
Generous time off, including local holidays and our annual “Dim the Lights” period in late December, when teams are encouraged to step back and recharge based on departmental needs.
Comprehensive wellness programs and mental health support
Learning and development resources, including professional development tools and tuition reimbursement, to support your growth
The technology and tools you need to do your best work
Motivosity employee recognition program
A culture rooted in inclusivity, support, and meaningful connection
We believe in hiring great people and treating them right. The more diverse we are, the better our ideas and outcomes.
Instructure is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We comply with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws in every country where we operate.
All employees must pass a background check as part of the hiring process. To help protect our teams and systems, we’ve implemented identity verification measures. Candidates may be asked to verify their legal name, current physical location, and provide a valid contact number and residential address, in accordance with local data privacy laws.
Any attempt to misrepresent personal or professional information will result in disqualification.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of experience in security engineering
- 5+ years of experience leading security teams
- Experience leading product security and cloud security teams
- Hands-on depth in cloud environments
- Practical knowledge of AI and LLM security risks, including prompt injection, agent abuse, and data leakage
- Knowledge of OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications and NIST AI RMF
- Experience influencing senior Engineering leaders on design and risk trade-offs
- Experience in SaaS
- Experience handling regulated data such as education records under FERPA and COPPA
Instructure Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Instructure and has not been reviewed or approved by Instructure.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered market-competitive for many engineering, product, and quota-carrying roles, especially when factoring base, variable, and equity. In these tracks, total rewards are often characterized as fair-to-strong for the role and location.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as comprehensive, including medical, dental, vision, mental-health support, and HSA/FSA options. Employer contributions are often portrayed as strong, and core medical benefits receive consistently positive marks.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off offerings include flexible or “unlimited” PTO, paid holidays, and paid sick time, paired with widespread remote/hybrid flexibility. This breadth of time off and work flexibility is often viewed as a meaningful perk that enhances overall value.
Instructure Insights
What We Do
Instructure is helping people grow from the first day of school to the last day of work. More than 30 million people use its Canvas and Bridge platforms for learning management and employee development.
