---
title: 'Physical Security Lead, Manufacturing Operations at Cerebras Systems'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/physical-security-lead-manufacturing-operations-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-s741d6wava3v'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Physical Security Lead, Manufacturing Operations at Cerebras Systems

- **Company:** [Cerebras Systems](https://feeny.ai/companies/cerebras-systems)
- **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/cerebras/099d8b10-9bf1-4287-88ab-f9a3274f45e1

## Job description

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services.

This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.

Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership https://openai.com/index/cerebras-partnership/ with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.

Cerebras is seeking an experienced Physical Security Lead, Manufacturing Operations to establish and govern physical security across all current and future contract manufacturing locations. Although Remote, the incumbent must be based in the San Francisco Bay, CA area. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role that reports to the Director, Global Physical Security and provides functional leadership without direct reports.

This role will help set and maintain minimum standards, assess risk, drive corrective actions, and oversee controls for sensitive-area entry, intellectual property protection, cleanroom-compatible operations, contract security services, security technology, and cargo and logistics security practices. The role is required to provide regular site visits and incident-based response.

## Responsibilities

- Serve as the primary Global Physical Security partner for current and future contract manufacturing locations; develop and govern minimum standards, site requirements, exceptions, and risk acceptance.
- Conduct initial, recurring, and event-driven site assessments; prioritize findings, establish corrective actions, and verify closure.
- Design and govern sensitive-area entry controls, including clean-in/clean-out (CICO), personal property and data bearing device (DBD) restrictions, visitor and contractor access, escorting, and exceptions, while aligning with cleanroom, ESD, life-safety, and production requirements.
- Protect intellectual property, proprietary processes, prototypes, components, test equipment, finished products, and controlled materials through security zoning, access governance, visitor controls, and photography restrictions.
- Act as the client security representative for partner-managed guard services; where Cerebras contracts directly, manage scope, post orders, training, service levels, performance metrics, and corrective actions.
- Collaborate on Cerebras-managed access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, and alarm-monitoring systems, including design reviews, commissioning, and operational validation.
- In partnership with internal stakeholders, define physical security requirements for new manufacturing partners, production lines, facility expansions, contracts, and statements of work.
- Govern cargo and logistics security requirements, including chain of custody, secure staging, shipping and receiving, high-risk shipments, carrier handoffs, and third-party performance.
- Respond to manufacturing-related security incidents, preserve relevant evidence, coordinate fact-finding, identify root causes, and track corrective actions.
- Maintain regular site presence, security metrics, risk reporting, procedures, training, and concise updates for security and business leadership.

## Skills and Qualifications

## Minimum

- Five or more years of progressively responsible physical security experience directly supporting manufacturing, industrial, semiconductor, electronics, computing hardware, or a comparable operational environment.
- Demonstrated experience implementing security controls in active manufacturing operations while balancing production, safety, quality, cleanroom or ESD requirements, and continuity.
- Experience supporting contract manufacturers, suppliers, or partner-operated facilities through standards, assessments, governance, and stakeholder influence.
- Experience protecting intellectual property, proprietary processes, prototypes, high-value components, products, or sensitive technical information, including CICO or comparable sensitive-area entry controls.
- Working knowledge of access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, alarm monitoring, and contract security service oversight.
- Familiarity with cargo security, chain-of-custody controls, secure shipping and receiving, logistics-provider governance, and manufacturing incident response.
- Strong risk-assessment, project-management, written-communication, analytical, and stakeholder-influence skills.

## Preferred

- Physical security experience in semiconductor, advanced electronics, computing hardware, or another intellectual-property-intensive manufacturing sector, including cleanrooms, new-product introduction, or production ramps.
- Experience with Genetec or a comparable enterprise physical security platform.
- Familiarity with relevant security and supply-chain frameworks, such as CTPAT, TAPA, ISO 28000, ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002, NIST SP 800-53 and SP 800-171, as applicable.
- Bachelor's degree in relevant discipline or an equivalent combination of education and directly related experience.
- ASIS CPP, PSP, or PCI certification.

Location and Travel

It requires regular site presence at current and future contract manufacturing locations in and around Sunnyvale, CA, approximately 30-40% travel, and occasional evening, weekend, or short-notice support for significant incidents or operational requirements.

## Why Join Cerebras

People who are serious about software make their own hardware. At Cerebras, we have built a breakthrough architecture that is unlocking new opportunities for the AI industry. With dozens of model releases and rapid growth, we’ve reached an inflection point in our business. Members of our team tell us there are five main reasons they joined Cerebras:

1. Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.
2. Publish and open source their cutting-edge AI research.
3. Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.
4. Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.
5. Our simple, non-corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.

Find out more about what it's like to work at Cerebras here https://www.cerebras.ai/join-us!

Apply today and become part of the forefront of groundbreaking advancements in AI!

Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them.

This website or its third-party tools process personal data. For more details, click here https://www.cerebras.net/privacy/ to review our CCPA disclosure notice.

## About Cerebras Systems

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Cerebras builds wafer-scale AI chips (the largest semiconductors ever made) and supercomputers that deliver up to 15x faster inference than GPUs, offered both on-premises and via cloud APIs.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: CBRS) — filed for IPO and now listed on the Nasdaq.
- **Headquarters**: Sunnyvale, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Andrew Feldman, Gary Lauterbach, Michael James, Sean Lie, Jean-Philippe Fricker

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Semiconductor manufacturing, AI computing hardware and software, cloud AI services.
- **Target customers**: B2B – enterprises, government research labs, cloud service providers, and AI developers.
- **Mission**: “Building impossible technologies so you can too” – accelerating AI through wafer-scale computing.

## Products & Services
- **Wafer-Scale Engine (WSE-3)**: The world’s largest AI chip (215 mm²), 58x larger than a typical GPU, built for ultra‑fast AI training and inference. Manufactured by TSMC.
- **CS-3 Supercomputer**: A single system powered by the WSE-3, delivering record-breaking AI performance for on-premises deployment.
- **Cerebras AI Inference Cloud & Training Cloud**: Pay-as-you‑go APIs that provide drop‑in OpenAI‑compatible access to Cerebras’ hardware for serving, fine‑tuning, and pre‑training models.
- **Condor Galaxy Network**: A series of supercomputers (e.g., CG‑1 with 4 exaFLOPs) built in partnership with G42 for high‑performance AI.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (recently public; market cap data not available in provided sources).
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of $78.7 M (latest); total funding of $2.7 B across 15 rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: G42, OpenAI (signed in 2026), Amazon Web Services (signed in 2026), Meta (Llama API), Perplexity, Mistral, Hugging Face, OpenRouter.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - 34.3% YoY headcount growth (701 employees).
  - Rapid data center expansion across North America and Europe.
  - Won the HPCwire Readers’ & Editors’ Choice 2025 for Best AI Product/Technology.
  - Named to Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers 2026 and Fast Company Most Innovative Companies 2026 (AI).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Wafer‑scale architecture**: Eliminates interconnect bottlenecks, reducing latency and delivering up to 15x faster inference than GPU clusters.
- **Largest AI chip ever built**: 58x larger than any GPU, enabling massive on‑chip memory (SRAM) and compute density.
- **Full‑stack offering**: Hardware + cloud APIs + on‑prem systems, giving customers deployment flexibility.
- **Strong customer relationships**: Key contracts with OpenAI, AWS, G42, and Mayo Clinic (2024 Gordon Bell Prize work).

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale inference capacity**: Building out data centers to become the world’s #1 provider of high‑speed AI inference.
- **Deepen cloud partnerships**: Expanding pay‑as‑you‑go cloud access and enterprise deployments.
- **Advance wafer‑scale technology**: Continuous R&D on WSE‑3 successors and software stack (compiler, ML workflows).
- **Broaden model support**: Already serving Llama, Gemma, Qwen, Mistral, and more; integrating with Hugging Face and OpenRouter.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Extraordinary people, breakthrough innovation, global impact” – the company highlights collaborative, low‑overhead teams with little bureaucracy.
- **Work environment**: Hybrid/office with locations in Sunnyvale, San Diego, Toronto, and Bangalore. Inclusive and flexible policy.
- **Perks**: Premium medical/dental/vision, life insurance, generous vacation, 401(k) and Group RRSP retirement plans, daily catered meals, healthy snacks, family‑friendly events (including CEO’s famous BBQ).
- **Engineering focus**: Tackling fundamental challenges in chip design, system software, compiler technology, and ML workflows. Positions range from hardware (Design Verification, Manufacturing) to software (SRE, Compiler, Cloud).
- **Philanthrophy**: Supports local communities and hosts students from around the world for Q&A.

## Sources
1. [cerebras.ai/company](https://www.cerebras.ai/company)
2. [cerebras.ai](https://www.cerebras.ai/)
3. [cerebras.ai/join-us](https://www.cerebras.ai/join-us)
4. [linkedin.com/company/cerebras-systems](https://www.linkedin.com/company/cerebras-systems)

## Other roles at Cerebras Systems

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- [Distributed Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/distributed-software-engineer-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-2y0byqqxk57d) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [AI Inference Core - Infrastructure SW Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-inference-core-infrastructure-sw-engineer-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-nbqee273jncn) — Sunnyvale, CA
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- [AI Inference Core - SDET Technical Lead, Release Integration Testing](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-inference-core-sdet-technical-lead-release-integration-testing-cerebras-fvqxmj75wav1) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [ML Systems Integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/ml-systems-integration-engineer-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-edvsd91tqp93) — Sunnyvale, CA
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- [PCB Layout Engineering Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/pcb-layout-engineering-lead-cerebras-systems-united-states-em00ewnccr6z) — United States
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