Senior Software Engineer at TENEX.AI (San Jose, CA)
TENEX.AI· San Jose, CA·
Role details
Job description
Company Overview
TENEX is an AI-native, automation-first, built-for-scale Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider. We are a force multiplier for defenders, helping organizations enhance their cybersecurity posture through advanced threat detection, rapid response, and continuous protection. Our team is composed of industry experts with deep experience in cybersecurity, automation and AI-driven solutions. Backed by leading investors, we are rapidly growing and seeking top talent to join our mission of revolutionizing the AI-Native MDR landscape.
We're a fast growing startup backed by industry experts and top tier investors led by Crosspoint Capital Partners and also backed by Shield Capital, DTCP (formerly Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners), Deepwork Capital, and the Florida Opportunity Fund. Seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). As an early employee, you'll play a meaningful role in defining and building our culture. Get in on the ground floor. We're a small but well-funded team that just raised a substantial round – joining now comes with limited risk and unlimited upside.
We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our core engineering team. You will take ownership of major product and infrastructure initiatives, working across the stack to build scalable, reliable, and secure systems. In this role, you’ll balance being a strong individual contributor with providing technical guidance to peers, ensuring high standards in code quality, design, and execution.
You’ll collaborate closely with product and design teams, making key technical decisions and helping define how our platform evolves. This is an opportunity to work on challenging engineering problems in security, AI, and distributed systems, while growing into a leadership position as the company scales.
Location: This role will require Monday - Thursday onsite in any of our locations. WFH Friday.
Job Responsibilities:
- Design, develop, and deploy scalable backend services and APIs.
- Build and maintain intuitive and performant frontend applications.
- Take ownership of projects end-to-end, from architecture through deployment and monitoring.
- Collaborate with product, design, and other engineers to define and implement new features.
- Write clean, maintainable, and testable code.
- Participate in design reviews and code reviews, raising the bar for engineering quality.
- Troubleshoot complex issues across the stack and ensure system reliability.
- Contribute to improving engineering processes, tools, and team practices.
- Stay current with emerging technologies and bring new ideas to the team.
Qualifications
Required:
- 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
- Strong understanding of software engineering principles and best practices.
- Proficiency in at least one backend language such as Go, Python, or equivalent.
- Experience with at least one modern frontend framework (React, Next.js, TypeScript, or similar).
- Strong experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or equivalent).
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as GCP or AWS.
- Proven ability to take ownership of complex projects and deliver them end-to-end.
- Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.
Desired (While experience in all is not required, any of the following would be a plus):
- Experience with containerization technologies like Docker and orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines.
- Exposure to AI/ML concepts and technologies, such as:
- Prompt Engineering
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
- Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT)
- Vector Databases
- Experience working in an early-stage startup environment.
Education & Certifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- GCP certifications such as Professional Cloud Developer or Professional Data Engineer are a plus.
Why Join Us?
- Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI-driven cybersecurity technologies and Google SecOps solutions.
- Collaborate with a talented and innovative team focused on continuously improving security operations.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- A culture of growth and development, with opportunities to expand your knowledge in AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.
If you're passionate about combining cybersecurity expertise with artificial intelligence and have experience with Google SecOps and Chronicle, we encourage you to apply!
We practice pay transparency and reward performance. Offers reflect equity, experience, skills, education, and certifications. Base salary for this position in San Jose: $120,000 - $170,000
Why work at TENEX.AI
- Culture: “AI-native, human-led” – the company values elite human expertise alongside advanced AI. “We’re AI-native, born AI, built AI, think AI, and actively searching for the best human minds in cybersecurity.”
- Work model: On-site-first in three locations: Sarasota, FL (HQ); Overland Park, KS; San Jose, CA. Aggressive relocation packages including moving expense reimbursement, temporary housing, family transition support.
- Benefits: Comprehensive health (Medical, Dental, Vision); 100% 401k match up to 6%; long-term incentives; professional development opportunities; continuous learning culture.
- Growth trajectory: Rapidly scaling (505% YoY headcount growth) with 108 open positions across engineering, product, sales, and security operations. Opportunity to shape the future of AI-driven security.
- Team: 72% of employees in the US, with a strong technical base (39% in technical roles). Executives hail from Google, Microsoft, Cyderes, ReliaQuest, and other top security firms.