---
title: 'Principal Software Engineer, Agentic Data Platform at Horizon3 AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-software-engineer-agentic-data-platform-horizon3-ai-united-states-wk68a8aa1kg7'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-07'
---

# Principal Software Engineer, Agentic Data Platform at Horizon3 AI

- **Company:** [Horizon3 AI](https://feeny.ai/companies/horizon3-ai)
- **Location:** United States
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/horizon3ai/61bab297-9f6c-40d8-a7af-99ff61066943

## Job description

Get to Know Us [Horizon3.ai](http://Horizon3.ai) is a fast-growing, remote cybersecurity company dedicated to the mission of enabling organizations to proactively find, fix and verify exploitable attack vectors before criminals exploit them. Our flagship product, the NodeZero™ platform, delivers production-safe autonomous pentests and other key assessment operations that scale across the largest internal, external, cloud, and hybrid cloud environments. NodeZero has been adopted by organizations of all sizes, from small educational institutions to government agencies and Global 100 enterprises. It is used by IT Ops/SecOps teams, consulting pentesters, and MSSPs and MSPs. We are a fusion of former U.S. Special Operations cyber operators, startup engineers & operators, and formerly frustrated cybersecurity practitioners. We're committed to helping solve our common security problems: ineffective security tools and false positives, resulting in alert fatigue, blind spots, "checkbox" security culture, cybersecurity skills shortage, and the long lead time and expense of hiring outside consultants. Collectively, we are a team of learn-it-alls, committed to a culture of respect, collaboration, ownership, and results. As a remote first company, we require minimum 25Mbps consumer grade broadband connection.

## What You'll Do

The Principal Engineer for Database Platform is the technical anchor of NodeZero's data infrastructure. This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports — your influence is through technical leadership, architecture ownership, and raising the engineering bar across the team. You own the most consequential database architecture decisions, define the standards that govern how NodeZero stores, queries, and migrates data at scale, and ensure the data layer can support NodeZero's growth — more customers, larger environments, more pentest data — without requiring proportional operational effort. This is a deeply hands-on role: you will write code, author design documents, and set the technical direction that every engineer on the Database Platform team builds toward. NodeZero's data layer is not simple. We store millions of discovered assets, graph-structured attack paths, time-series vulnerability data, and audit-critical pentest results — across a multi-tenant architecture where correctness and data isolation are non-negotiable. You will be the person who makes the hardest data architecture calls and ensures the team has the technical foundations to build reliably on.

- Technical Strategy: Define and drive the technical roadmap for the Database Platform in partnership with the Senior Engineering Manager and the broader Pentest Platform organization.
- Architecture Leadership: Own the most complex database architecture decisions — schema design, partitioning strategies, migration patterns, and scalability approaches. Produce design documents that become the shared technical model for the team.
- PostgreSQL Excellence: Be NodeZero's definitive expert on PostgreSQL at scale — query optimization, indexing, partitioning, replication, and connection pooling. Set the standards the team follows and catch the problems others miss.
- Graph & Multi-model Data: Architect and guide the evolution of NodeZero's graph-based asset model — the data structure that represents how discovered hosts, services, credentials, and vulnerabilities relate to each other across pentests.
- Schema Governance: Own schema design review processes. Ensure every migration is safe, reversible, and zero-downtime. Build the tooling and culture that treats schema changes with the same rigor as production code changes.
- Mentorship & Bar Raising: Mentor P5 and P4 engineers through code review, design review, and pairing. Be the person on the team that raises everyone else's ceiling.
- Cross-functional Influence: Partner with Data Ingestion, Asset Inventory, API Platform, and Security Research to define data contracts, query performance standards, and architectural guardrails that span the full data pipeline.

## What You'll Bring

Technical Depth

- Deep, production-proven PostgreSQL expertise: query planner internals, advanced indexing (partial, expression, GiST/GIN), partitioning strategies, logical replication, vacuuming at scale, and connection pool tuning.
- Experience architecting multi-tenant databases at scale: row-level security, tenant isolation, schema-per-tenant vs. shared-schema tradeoffs.
- Experience with schema migration at scale in production systems: zero-downtime migrations, backwards-compatible schema evolution, and migration tooling (Flyway, golang-migrate, or equivalent).
- Familiarity with graph data models and graph databases (Neo4j, AWS Neptune) or graph-like query patterns in relational systems (recursive CTEs, ltree, adjacency list).
- Proficient in Go or Python — able to write production application code, not just SQL.

Architecture & Design

- Demonstrated track record of defining database architecture at scale — from design doc to production — across multiple companies or teams.
- Strong opinions on data architecture tradeoffs: normalization vs. denormalization, consistency vs. availability, OLTP vs. OLAP workload separation, and schema-first vs. schema-last design.
- Able to reason about long-horizon schema design: what does this schema look like in two years, at 10× the current data volume, with three new feature teams writing to it?
- Able to communicate complex database decisions clearly in writing — for design docs, ADRs, and cross-team reviews — so engineers without deep DB expertise can understand and apply the reasoning.

Leadership Without Authority

- Proven ability to drive database standards across multiple teams without direct reporting authority — including teams that are not the Database Platform team.
- Experience establishing database engineering culture: schema review norms, migration safety standards, and query performance review processes.
- Track record of growing engineers through code review, pair programming, and architectural mentorship — especially engineers who are strong in application code but earlier in their database expertise.

Nice to Haves

- Background in cybersecurity data: vulnerability databases, network scan schemas, or attack surface management data models.
- Experience with time-series databases (TimescaleDB, InfluxDB) in addition to relational.
- Familiarity with data platform compliance requirements: SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP data handling, or GDPR/CCPA.
- Experience with analytical query patterns or BI/reporting workloads on operational data.
- Contributions to open-source database tooling or PostgreSQL ecosystem projects.

Travel Required We are a fully remote company, and this job may require up to 5% of travel to be successful.

## Compensation and Values

At Horizon3, we believe that our people are our greatest asset, and our compensation philosophy reflects this core value. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and rewarded for their contributions. Our compensation structure is designed to be fair, competitive, and transparent, ensuring that every team member is recognized and compensated equitably across roles, levels, and locations. In accordance with various State's transparency regulations, we provide the following salary range information for this position:

- Base salary range: $255,000 - $290,000 annually. The exact salary will be determined based on the selected candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and relevant skills.
- Additional compensation: This role may also be eligible for an equity package (in the form of stock options). If any other compensation benefits apply, they will be discussed during the interview process.

Perks of [Horizon3.ai](http://Horizon3.ai)

- Inclusive Team: We value diversity and promote an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
- Growth Opportunities: Be part of a dynamic and growing team with numerous career development opportunities.
- Innovative Culture: Work in a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
- Remote Work: We are a 100% remote company. Enjoy the flexibility to work in the way that supports you and brings out your best.
- Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive salary and benefits which includes health, vision & dental care for you and your family, a flexible vacation policy, and generous parental leave.

You Belong Here Horizon3 is not just an equal opportunity employer - we are a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental principles of our culture and success. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, or any other legally protected status by law. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means we strive to attract, develop, and retain a workforce that reflects the varied communities we serve. We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation and strengthen our ability to create cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. At Horizon3, every team member is valued and supported in an environment that encourages personal and professional growth. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences, and we encourage all qualified individuals to apply. Come be a part of Horizon3, where your unique contributions are recognized, and your potential is limitless.

Other Duties Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Application Note In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

## About Horizon3 AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Horizon3.ai provides an autonomous penetration testing platform (NodeZero) that safely hacks production environments to identify and fix exploitable attack paths using AI.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series D – latest funding round in 2026, led by Prosperity7 Ventures)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States (447 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111)
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Snehal Antani (Co-Founder & CEO); founded by a mix of US Special Operations, US National Security, and cybersecurity industry veterans

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Cybersecurity (autonomous penetration testing, vulnerability management, continuous security validation)
- **Target customers**: B2B – large enterprises, Fortune 100, government agencies (NSA, CISA), healthcare providers, financial services, manufacturing, education, public sector
- **Mission**: “Turn the map around” – using the attacker’s perspective to help enterprises prioritize defensive efforts. The company aims to shift the advantage from attackers to defenders by fighting AI with AI.

## Products & Services
- **[NodeZero®](https://horizon3.ai/)**: Autonomous penetration testing SaaS platform. Safely runs real attack techniques in production environments (no agents, no disruption). Discovers and chains exploitable vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, harvested credentials, and dangerous defaults across external, identity, on-prem, cloud, and Kubernetes attack surfaces. Also includes Active Directory password auditing and phishing impact testing. Continuously validates fixes and repeats autonomously.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metrics**: 
  - Annual Revenue: **$35.5M** (per LinkedIn)
  - Total Funding: **$187M** (per LinkedIn) / **$181M** (per CB Insights – conflicting reports; both cited)
  - **225,000+** production-safe tests completed
  - **5,000+** customers
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: 
  - SignalFire (lead in Seed, Series A, Series B)
  - Craft Ventures (lead Series C)
  - Prosperity7 Ventures (lead Series D – 2026)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Ranked **#1 in Security** on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list
  - **#3 overall** on the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 500
  - Fast Company’s **Most Innovative Companies** (2026) – #1 in Security
  - Named to the **Fortune Cyber 60** (2023 & 2025)
  - Two-time **Black Unicorn Award** winner
  - Headcount grew **115.5% YoY** to 341 employees (LinkedIn)
  - Active job postings up **168.2% YoY**; operates in 14 countries

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI-driven autonomous testing** that learns from hundreds of thousands of tests and uses the right AI (ML, GenAI) for each problem – delivers evidence-based results with **zero hallucinations**.
- **Production-safe** – zero downtime across all production tests, trusted by the world’s most sensitive high-security environments (NSA, CISA, Fortune 10, major healthcare).
- **No agents required** – fully self-service SaaS, safe to run continuously.
- **Real attack techniques** – not a scanner; shows actual attacker paths and impact.
- **Rapid verification** – instantly confirms fixes and repeats the cycle, enabling a continuous validation loop.

## Strategic Focus
- **Continuous validation** – driving a loop of test-fix-verify-repeat autonomously.
- **Fighting AI with AI** – building NodeZero to operate at machine speed against AI-powered attacks.
- **Global expansion** – already in 14 countries, with active hiring in EMEA, APAC, and the Americas.
- **Scaling the team** – 59 active job postings (as of mid-2026), with emphasis on engineering, sales, and customer success roles.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Rated **5.0/5.0 on LinkedIn** (76 reviews) with perfect scores for Culture (5.0), Career (4.9), Compensation (4.7), and Work-Life (4.6). Described as a “kick-ass organization hell bent on disrupting an industry” with a team of “motivated learn-it-alls.”
- **Work Policy**: Remote-friendly (most roles listed as remote, HQ in San Francisco, CA). Offers flexibility across time zones.
- **Notable Perks** (from Built In and LinkedIn):
  - Comprehensive healthcare (medical, dental, vision, FSA)
  - Life insurance, disability insurance
  - 401(k) with company matching
  - Equity and employee stock purchase plan
  - Generous parental leave and family medical leave
  - Performance bonuses
  - Job training, conferences, and customized development tracks
  - Promotion policies and career growth support
- **Engineering Culture**: Built by US Special Operations and National Security veterans. Emphasis on high autonomy, real-world impact, and cutting-edge AI/security work. “If you want to be part of a kick-ass organization hell bent on disrupting an industry and keeping attackers at bay, let’s talk.”

## Sources
1. [horizon3.ai – Homepage](https://horizon3.ai/)
2. [horizon3.ai – About/Team](https://horizon3.ai/about-us/)
3. [LinkedIn – Horizon3.ai Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/horizon3ai)
4. [Built In – Horizon3.ai Careers & Perks](https://builtin.com/company/horizon3ai)
5. [CB Insights – Horizon3.ai Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/horizon-3-ai)

## Other roles at Horizon3 AI

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