--- title: 'Principal Security Engineer at Ethos Life' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-security-engineer-ethos-life-bengaluru-15dg6hff5jzg' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Principal Security Engineer at Ethos Life - **Company:** Ethos Life - **Location:** Bengaluru, India - **Posted:** 2026-06-22 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ethoslife/jobs/8570932002 ## Job description ## About Ethos Ethos is a leading life insurance technology company on a mission to protect families by democratizing access to life insurance and empowering agents at scale. With its robust three-sided technology platform, Ethos is transforming the life insurance experience for consumers, agents, and carriers alike. Ethos offers instant, accessible products and a seamless online process that requires no medical exams and just a few health questions; it eliminates traditional barriers, making it easier than ever for everyone to protect their families. Ethos is redefining how life insurance is bought, sold, and underwritten. ## About the Role We’re seeking a Principal Security Engineer with deep expertise in application security, AI security, and security architecture to join our growing security team. This role reports directly to the CISO. You’ll lead the design and implementation of scalable, secure systems across cloud platforms and modern application stacks — including AI-powered tooling — guiding both strategic security initiatives and day-to-day security engineering operations. This is a high-impact role that will shape the security posture of our platforms and development practices, working across engineering, DevOps, architecture, and compliance teams. ## Responsibilities Core Security Engineering - Design and implement secure architectures for applications, APIs, microservices, and containerized workloads. - Develop and enforce application security best practices across SDLC; partner with DevOps and engineering teams to integrate security into CI/CD pipelines. - Conduct threat modeling, security design reviews, and risk assessments for new and existing systems. - Evaluate and implement security tools, controls, and frameworks - Provide technical leadership and mentorship to security engineers, software developers, and DevOps personnel. - Lead response to complex security incidents or architectural flaws; conduct root cause analysis and recommend strategic remediations. - Contribute to and influence security policies, standards, and governance. - Stay current with emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and security technologies, advising stakeholders on evolving risks and mitigations. AI Security - Own the AI security program, including risk frameworks, threat models, and governance policies for AI/ML systems and LLM integrations. - Review new AI tool features and model updates for security risks prior to adoption, covering prompt injection, data leakage, model poisoning, and supply chain threats. - Track and apply industry guidance from NIST AI RMF, OWASP LLM Top 10, MITRE ATLAS, and CISA; translate standards into actionable internal controls and secure configuration baselines. - Embed AI security reviews into the feature development lifecycle, including pre-deployment red-teaming and adversarial testing of AI-powered features. - Monitor AI regulatory developments and advise on security and compliance implications for the organisation. ## Requirements Required Qualifications - 10+ years of experience in security engineering or architecture roles. - Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field from a reputable institution. - Deep expertise in cloud platforms (particularly AWS), including infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation). - Strong experience in secure software development and application security (e.g., OWASP Top 10, SAST, DAST, threat modeling). - Experience designing and implementing zero-trust architectures, secure API gateways, and identity/access controls. - Proficient in scripting or development languages (e.g., Python, Go, JavaScript) and secure coding practices. - Demonstrated leadership in cross-functional security initiatives and technical mentorship. - Hands-on experience assessing security risks of AI/ML systems, including familiarity with OWASP LLM Top 10, MITRE ATLAS, or NIST AI RMF. - Demonstrated ability to evaluate new AI tool features and vendor releases for security implications, and to produce clear risk assessments and secure configuration guidance. - Experience researching and applying industry security guidance, translating standards and frameworks into organisational controls and policies. ## Preferred Qualifications - Certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, AWS Security Specialty, GIAC (GCSA, GWEB, GDSA). - Familiarity with Kubernetes security, service mesh, and cloud-native security tooling. - Experience in regulated industries (e.g., fintech, healthcare, SaaS at scale). - Experience with AI red-teaming, adversarial ML, or LLM security assessment tooling. - Familiarity with secure configuration benchmarks for AI/ML platforms (e.g., AWS Bedrock). - Knowledge of emerging AI regulatory frameworks (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF) and their security and compliance implications. #LI-Hybrid ## #LI-SP1 Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. At Ethos we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Pursuant to the SF Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrests and conviction records. To learn more about what information we collect and how it may be used, please refer to our [California Candidate Privacy Notice](https://res.cloudinary.com/getethos/image/upload/v1684458868/00_CMS/CURRENT_CRPA_Privacy_Notice_for_Job_Applicants_05-23.docx_-_Google_Docs_lr4j43.pdf). Recruitment Notice: Please be aware of recruitment scams. All legitimate communication from our team will only come from email addresses ending in @ethos.com or @getethos.com. We will never ask for payment, banking details, or sensitive personal information during the hiring process. If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent us from a different email address, please treat it as fraudulent. ## About Ethos Life ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Ethos is a technology company that simplifies and accelerates the process of buying life insurance using AI-driven underwriting and a fully digital, vertically integrated platform. - **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: LIFE) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Peter Colis (CEO), Lingke Wang ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Insurance (Insurtech / Life Insurance) - **Target customers**: B2C (consumers seeking life insurance), B2B (independent agents and brokers), and B2B (carrier partners). - **Mission or purpose statement**: "To protect families by democratizing access to life insurance and empowering agents at scale." [sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1788451/000119312526029993/d901135d424b4.htm) ## Products & Services - **Term Life Insurance**: Digital-first, fully online application and underwriting, with instant decisions for 95% of applicants. No medical exam required for many policies. - **Whole Life Insurance**: Permanent life insurance product with a cash value component, offered fully online. - **Indexed Universal Life (IUL) Insurance**: Flexible premium, permanent life insurance with growth potential tied to a market index. - **Accumulation IUL**: An IUL product focused on cash value accumulation. - **Supplemental Health Insurance**: Including Cancer Insurance and other health-related products. - **Wills & Estate Planning**: A digital service to create wills and estate plans, extending the company's role in long-term family financial planning. [ethos.com](https://www.ethos.com/) - **Agent OS**: An all-in-one operating system for independent agents that streamlines quoting, application submission, and policy management, enabling them to sell more policies efficiently. [sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1788451/000119312526029993/d901135d424b4.htm) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Market Cap at IPO price (late 2025) was approximately $1.6B. Currently a public company; market cap fluctuates. Total funding prior to IPO was $606.5M. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethoslife) - **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue was **$387.6M** in the latest fiscal year. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethoslife) - **Key Metric**: **Over 500,000 policies activated** since inception. As of Sept 30, 2025, over **10,000 active selling agents** on the platform. [sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1788451/000119312526029993/d901135d424b4.htm) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, Google Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund, Jay-Z, Kevin Durant, Robert Downey Jr. [job-boards.greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ethoslife) - **Growth Signals**: Revenue grew **60%** (from $160M to $255M) from FY2023 to FY2024. Headcount grew **35.5%** YoY. Expanded product lineup from 1 product in 2019 to 10 by end of 2024. Achieved GAAP profitability in 2023 and has maintained positive net income. Named to CB Insights' Global Insurtech 50 list and BuiltIn's Top 100 Midsize Companies in San Francisco. [sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1788451/000119312526029993/d901135d424b4.htm) ## Competitive Advantages - **Proprietary AI Underwriting Engine**: Ingests up to 250,000 data points per application (prescription history, credit scores, MVRs) to assess risk instantly and individually, leading to 95% of applicants getting a decision in minutes vs. weeks for traditional insurers. [sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1788451/000119312526029993/d901135d424b4.htm) - **Asset-Light, Scalable Model**: Does not take balance sheet risk; partners with carriers for underwriting. This allows rapid scaling and high gross margins (97-98%). - **Vertically Integrated Tech Stack**: Full-stack, cloud-native platform handles everything from distribution to underwriting, activation, and administration, creating a seamless experience and durable network effects across consumers, agents, and carriers. - **Strong Network Effects**: As the platform scales and collects more data, the underwriting engine improves, which improves conversion and attracts more agents and carriers, creating a self-reinforcing flywheel. ## Strategic Focus - **Product Expansion**: Rapidly adding new life insurance and adjacent financial products (IUL, estate planning, supplemental health). - **Agent & Channel Growth**: Scaling the independent agent channel via Agent OS, while maintaining a strong direct-to-consumer channel. - **International Expansion**: Operating in 10 countries (including India, Singapore, Canada, Lithuania), with significant engineering and operations hubs in Bangalore, India. - **Continued AI & Data Science Moat**: Deepening the proprietary underwriting engine's capabilities to further improve conversion, pricing, and risk selection. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Described as having "intellectual rigor," a "bias for impact," and a "one-team, one-dream mentality." Employees are empowered to dream big and execute quickly with minimal red tape. Values include "speak your mind" and "serve our families." [ethos.com](https://www.ethos.com/careers/) - **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: "Digital-first" company. Over half of the team is remote across the US. Has offices in San Francisco, Bangalore, and Singapore. Many roles are "Remote US." [ethos.com](https://www.ethos.com/careers/) - **Compensation & Benefits**: - Top-tier medical, dental, vision insurance. - 401(k) plan with company contributions. - Generous paid time off + full company holiday schedule. - **100% wage replacement** for new parents during parental leave; coverage for family planning and fertility. - **Company equity** for all employees. [ethos.com](https://www.ethos.com/careers/) - **Impact**: Employees report having "outsized impact and true ownership" over successes, with the chance to "revitalize an industry for good." [ethos.com](https://www.ethos.com/careers/) - **Growth Trajectory**: Rapidly growing (35%+ headcount growth), with recent IPO strength and a clear, well-funded path to market leadership in a massive, legacy industry. ## Sources 1. [ethos.com](https://www.ethos.com/) 2. [ethos.com/careers/](https://www.ethos.com/careers/) 3. [job-boards.greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ethoslife) 4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethoslife) 5. [sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1788451/000119312526029993/d901135d424b4.htm) ## Other roles at Ethos Life - [Senior Life Underwriter](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-life-underwriter-ethos-life-bengaluru-5c5yknpqadpb) — Bengaluru, India - [Customer Operations Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-operations-associate-ethos-life-bengaluru-fbzzkx6b2fvn) — Bengaluru, India - [Partnership Support Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/partnership-support-manager-ethos-life-bengaluru-6r3731cmtna8) — Bengaluru, India - [Customer Operations Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-operations-associate-ethos-life-bengaluru-stsfv6n4sxr2) — Bengaluru, India - [Staff Business Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-business-analyst-ethos-life-united-states-qht5q4jv3p5p) — United States - [Principal Data Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-data-analyst-ethos-life-bengaluru-988kvdbwtwzb) — Bengaluru, India - [Sales Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/sales-manager-ethos-life-united-states-pbn7m6mysx9m) — United States - [Senior Product Manager, Life Insurance Products](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-manager-life-insurance-products-ethos-life-united-states-apkmxmx941ma) — United States - [Recruiting Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/recruiting-coordinator-ethos-life-bengaluru-rrspcnh9v3pk) — Bengaluru, India - [Principal Product Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-product-analyst-ethos-life-united-states-pw49405e3ery) — United States