Head of Security

Skills

About the Role

Own security across Foundation operations, protocol development, infrastructure, tooling, access, custody interfaces, vendors, and incident readiness. Lead security strategy and hands-on execution across smart-contract security, infrastructure, incident response, vendor management, and operational security while supporting the broader ecosystem.

Requirements

• 8+ years of security experience with hands-on security engineering, application security, or infrastructure security experience.
• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of a security function.
• Direct crypto, DeFi, smart-contract, blockchain infrastructure, or protocol security experience.
• Strong understanding of smart-contract audits, vulnerability management, bug bounties, and secure deployment practices.
• Experience hardening cloud, GitHub, CI/CD, identity, access, secrets management, and endpoint environments.
• Experience leading incident response for high-severity technical or security events.
• Ability to operate as both a security strategist and hands-on builder in a small team.
• Strong judgment, communication, autonomy, and precision in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
• Experience with formal verification, threat modeling, bug-bounty programs, or on-chain exploit response is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the Foundation security program across protocol, infrastructure, applications, internal tools, vendors, and access controls.
• Coordinate secure development practices, audits, vulnerability handling, contributor guidance, and incident response readiness.
• Manage security service providers, audit firms, formal verification specialists, and incident response providers.
• Partner with engineering leadership on secure architecture, secure SDLC, code review, and deployment practices.
• Implement incident-response procedures for vulnerabilities, exploits, access compromise, vendor compromise, and operational security events.
• Harden identity, access, secrets, GitHub, cloud, CI/CD, endpoint, and offboarding practices.
• Support wallet, multisig, key-management, and custody security standards.
• Evaluate security vendors, auditors, bug-bounty platforms, and external experts.
• Produce decision-ready security updates for leadership and escalate material issues or launch blockers.