---
title: 'Senior Security Engineer - Cloud Platform at Xero'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-security-engineer-cloud-platform-xero-wellington-cp7q76h402jr'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-05'
---

# Senior Security Engineer - Cloud Platform at Xero

- **Company:** [Xero](https://feeny.ai/companies/xero)
- **Location:** Wellington, New Zealand
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/xero/c886a547-918d-4df1-8c23-93dda08b8618

## Job description

## The role / impact

As a Senior Engineer in our Cloud Platform Access team, you'll design and operate identity and access controls at scale across AWS, GCP, and Azure. This is high-leverage platform security work where you'll shape secure access as a product rather than simply processing requests. You'll combine hands-on technical leadership with deep expertise to build guardrails that enable teams to ship quickly without creating excessive privilege or long-lived credentials.

You'll mentor engineers on the team, foster psychological safety, and role-model modern engineering practices. The work sits at the intersection of cloud infrastructure, security, developer experience, and automation - solving genuine problems that unlock productivity across the organisation.

The team / how they connect

The Cloud Platform Access team owns cloud-native identity, access management, and policy enforcement across our public cloud environments. We work collaboratively with platform, security, and product teams to integrate secure-by-default controls early in delivery. The team values psychological safety, thoughtful automation, and engineering excellence - we ship sustainably by removing toil and enabling others to succeed.

The team is currently working on

- Understanding the services, risks, and gaps in our current IAM setup across AWS, GCP, and Azure
- Closing critical identity handover gaps and taking ownership of bounded IAM, Workload Identity Federation, or self-service improvements
- Establishing KPI baselines and contributing to design reviews, operations, and mentoring within the team
- Evolving reusable Terraform modules, policy frameworks, and internal tooling to standardise secure access patterns.

Where and how you can work

This role can be based in Auckland or Wellington, offering a hybrid working model that balances local team presence with a global scope of work. You will have the flexibility to work from home while connecting with your colleagues in our modern office spaces during designated boost days.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

- You bring solid experience securing at least one public cloud environment - AWS, GCP, or Azure - with genuine willingness to learn the others. You understand Identity and Infrastructure as Code fundamentals.
- You've designed and maintained reusable Terraform modules and automation that codify IAM controls and policy guardrails at scale.
- Strong software engineering foundations run through your work: you think automation-first, have proficiency in at least one scripting language like Python, and follow modern delivery practices.
- You lead technical design conversations, make sound engineering trade-offs, and aren't afraid to mentor others. You can lift standards, improve reliability, and keep delivery quality high.
- You approach problems collaboratively, building trust across security, platform, and product teams to enable rapid, secure delivery.
- You're curious about thoughtful AI applications and open to exploring how it might accelerate engineering workflows or solve real problems for the team.

Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.

## About Xero

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Xero provides cloud-based accounting and financial management software for small businesses, serving over 4.9 million customers worldwide.
- **Entity Type**: Public (ASX: XRO, S&P/ASX 200 component)
- **Headquarters**: Wellington, New Zealand
- **Founded**: July 6, 2006
- **Founders**: Rod Drury, Hamish Edwards

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Cloud accounting software (SaaS)
- **Target customers**: Small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers (B2B)
- **Mission**: To make life better for small businesses globally by automating routine tasks and delivering actionable insights.

## Products & Services
- **Xero Accounting Software**: Cloud-based platform for invoicing, bank reconciliation, expense tracking, payroll, and financial reporting. Sold by subscription (Starter, Standard, Premium tiers).
- **JAX – AI Finance Partner**: An AI-powered assistant integrated into Xero that automates routine tasks and provides insights to help businesses grow.
- **Xero Ecosystem**: Over 1,000 third-party app integrations via the Xero App Store, covering payments, inventory, CRM, and more.
- **Xero for Nonprofits**: Discounted subscriptions (25% off) for eligible nonprofit and community organisations.
- **Xero for Purpose**: Social impact initiatives including financial literacy programmes (Unlock Your Numbers), sustainability tools (Sumday carbon app), and the Xero Beautiful Business Fund (NZ$750,000+ in funding annually).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed in provided sources (publicly traded with market cap available on ASX; latest data not included in search results).
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue NZ$2.103 billion (FY2025); Net income NZ$227.8 million (FY2025).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Board Chair David Thodey; CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy. In June 2025, Xero announced an agreement to acquire Melio, a New York-based payments provider, for $2.5 billion.
- **Growth Signals**: Achieved Rule of 40 outcomes of 41.0% (May 2024) and 43.9% (Nov 2024). Customer base grew to 4.9 million. Headcount of 4,610 employees (2025). Expanding globally with offices in New Zealand, Australia, UK, US, Canada, South Africa, and Singapore.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Market leader** in cloud accounting across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.
- **AI-first approach** with JAX, embedded directly into the core product to reduce manual work.
- **Extensive integration ecosystem** (1,000+ apps) creating high switching costs for customers.
- **Strong brand trust** built over 19 years with a focus on small business success.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI and automation**: Deepening AI capabilities (JAX) to deliver predictive insights and automate finance workflows.
- **Payments expansion**: Acquisition of Melio to strengthen payments capabilities for small businesses.
- **Sustainability**: Reducing carbon emissions (72% reduction in scope 1 & 2), offering free carbon accounting tools, and supporting small business sustainability.
- **Social impact**: Scaling programmes like the Beautiful Business Fund and financial literacy initiatives.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values-driven, human-centric organisation with a focus on making a tangible impact on small businesses globally.
- **Flexibility**: Emphasises a flexible environment and time for what matters most (remote/hybrid policy not explicitly stated but implied).
- **Perks & benefits**:
  - One paid day off per year for volunteering (Community Connect programme).
  - Free access to Sumday carbon accounting app for employees.
  - Financial literacy resources and mentorship programmes.
- **Engineering & innovation**: Dedicated Engineering and Data & AI teams (open roles visible on careers page). Global collaboration across 7+ countries.
- **Diversity & inclusion**: Indigenous inclusion initiatives (te ao Māori in NZ, Reconciliation Action Plan in Australia), support for Indigenous communities.
- **Sustainability focus**: Employees can contribute to environmental goals through company-wide initiatives.

## Sources
1. [Wikipedia – Xero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xero)
2. [Xero About Page](https://www.xero.com/au/about/)
3. [Xero Careers – Inside Xero](https://careers.xero.com/inside-xero/)
4. [Xero Careers – Teams](https://careers.xero.com/)
5. [Xero Homepage](https://www.xero.com/)

## Other roles at Xero

- [Senior Mobile Engineer – iOS / Android](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mobile-engineer-ios-android-xero-melbourne-mdxvb7gz77n9) — Melbourne, Australia
- [Senior Mobile Engineer – React Native](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mobile-engineer-react-native-xero-sydney-mveske2x9djw) — Sydney, Australia
- [Senior Mobile Engineer - iOS/Android](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mobile-engineer-ios-android-xero-sydney-kptpp7j9ekfa) — Sydney, Australia
- [Senior Mobile Engineer - React Native](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mobile-engineer-react-native-xero-melbourne-ascg2ez078kr) — Melbourne, Australia
- [Associate Security Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-security-engineer-xero-melbourne-mawp8hnc0tcc) — Melbourne, Australia
- [Lead Product Manager – Payments Risk](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-product-manager-payments-risk-xero-vancouver-n95mxmrchcb9) — Vancouver, Canada
- [Business Development Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-xero-denver-0r89a4awmjpv) — Denver, CO
- [Senior Engineer - AI Builder](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineer-ai-builder-xero-sydney-2rb7b59np7jf) — Sydney, Australia
- [Solutions Consultant](https://feeny.ai/job/solutions-consultant-xero-melbourne-n47m435fpyzz) — Melbourne, Australia
- [Senior Machine Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machine-learning-engineer-xero-ontario-1gbmfz62vsqp) — Ontario, Canada