---
title: 'Staff Security Research Engineer at Harness'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-security-research-engineer-harness-bengaluru-3z4b7vzgrn6t'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-14'
---

# Staff Security Research Engineer at Harness 

- **Company:** Harness 
- **Location:** Bengaluru, India
- **Posted:** 2025-10-21
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-14
- **Apply:** https://www.harness.io/company/jobs/apply?gh_jid=4948399007&gh_jid=4948399007

## Job description

Harness is the AI Software Delivery Platform company, led by technologist and entrepreneur Jyoti Bansal (founder of AppDynamics, acquired by Cisco for $3.7B). Harness has raised approximately $570M in funding and is valued at $5.5B, backed by leading investors including Goldman Sachs, Menlo Ventures, IVP, Unusual Ventures, Citi Ventures, and more. As AI accelerates code creation, the real bottleneck has shifted to everything after the code – testing, deployments, application security, reliability, compliance, and cost optimization. Harness brings AI and automation to this “outer loop,” helping teams ship software faster while maintaining security and governance throughout the entire software delivery lifecycle.

Powered by Harness AI and the Software Delivery Knowledge Graph, the Harness Platform applies deep context and intelligent automation across the software delivery lifecycle with governance and policy-driven controls embedded throughout the platform.

Over the past year, Harness powered over 185M deployments, 82M builds, 18T flag evaluations, 8M security scans, 9.1B optimized tests, 3T protected API calls, and helped manage $2.8B in cloud spend — enabling customers like United Airlines, Morningstar, and Choice Hotels to accelerate releases by up to 75%, reduce cloud costs by up to 60%, and achieve 10x DevOps efficiency.

With a global team across 26 offices and 27 countries, Harness is shaping the future of AI software delivery — and we’re looking for exceptional talent to help us move even faster.

## Key Responsibilities

- Research and build AI-powered security capabilities that enhance early detection and prevention across SAST, SCA, DAST, and CI/CD pipelines.
- Research risks in AI-assisted development, including insecure code generation, dependency suggestions, and automated refactoring.
- Lead research into modern attack vectors targeting code, dependencies, build systems, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud environments.
- Develop AI-assisted detection and testing methods to improve accuracy, automation, and coverage across security tooling.
- Prototype and validate new detection methods that help developers prevent vulnerabilities before deployment.
- Collaborate with engineering and product teams to integrate research outcomes directly into developer workflows and platform features.
- Perform deep technical assessments of applications, APIs, source repositories, and build pipelines to uncover design flaws, dependency risks, and supply chain threats.
- Work with customers and internal teams to align research with real-world DevSecOps use cases and product improvements.
- Contribute to pre-sales and technical enablement through proof-of-concepts, demos, and solution design for code-to-cloud protection.
- Build internal tools and automation that accelerate vulnerability discovery, analysis, and AI-driven security research.
- Share insights and research outcomes through blogs, whitepapers, and conference talks to advance the field of Shift-Left and AI security.
- Continuously monitor emerging threats and apply learnings to improve product detection and protection capabilities.

## About You

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
- 8 - 10+ years of experience with special focus on security research and application security.
- Strong background in shift-left security tools (SAST, DAST, SCA) with experience building or customizing scanning rules, engines, or pipelines.
- Prior hands-on development experience with a solid understanding of modern programming languages, frameworks, and build systems.
- Understanding of AI and LLM models, their integration into developer workflows, and potential security risks.
- Deep understanding of OWASP Top 10, API Security Top 10, LLM Top 10, and CI/CD Security Top 10, with the ability to map real-world vulnerabilities to these risk categories.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and experience evaluating or mitigating risks from AI-generated code and dependency suggestions.
- Proficient in at least one modern programming language (Python, Go, Java, JavaScript, etc.)
- Familiarity with dependency management ecosystems (npm, PyPI, Maven, Go modules) and open-source risk analysis.
- Demonstrated experience in publishing security research, authoring technical blogs, or presenting at top security conferences (e.g., Black Hat, DEF CON, RSAC, BSides) is a strong plus.
- Relevant credentials such as OSCP, OSCE, CEH, or equivalent security certifications are a plus.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead complex research independently; from hypothesis to validation and implementation.
- Proven ability to work autonomously, drive large research efforts, and collaborate cross-functionally with product and engineering teams.
- Passion for research, security, and continuous learning, with a never-give-up attitude.

Work Location

This role will be out of our Bengaluru, India office on a Hybrid capacity.

Harness in the news:

- [Accelerating Our Mission to Bring AI to Everything After Code](https://www.harness.io/blog/240m-financing-to-bring-ai-to-everything-after-code)
- [Goldman Sachs leads investment in software delivery startup Harness at $5.5 billion valuation](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/11/harness-is-worth-5point5-billion-in-round-led-by-goldman-sachs.html)
- [How Harness runs 16 “startups within a startup” at scale | Jyoti Bansal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvOYXKAyAqs)
- [Harness Research Shows AI Visibility Crisis Fueling Security Nightmare](https://www.digit.fyi/ai-visibility-crisis-fuelling-security-nightmare/)
- [Harness has been named to the Inc. Power Partner list for software delivery success](https://www.harness.io/blog/we-made-inc-s-2025-power-partners-list-again---heres-why-it-matters)

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

At Harness, we care about your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. For additional information on this topic, you can visit our privacy Portal: https://harness-privacy.relyance.ai/

Note on Fraudulent Recruiting/Offers

We have become aware that there may be fraudulent recruiting attempts being made by people posing as representatives of Harness. These scams may involve fake job postings, unsolicited emails, or messages claiming to be from our recruiters or hiring managers.

Please note, we do not ask for sensitive or financial information via chat, text, or social media, and any email communications will come from the domain @harness.io. Additionally, Harness will never ask for any payment, fee to be paid, or purchases to be made by a job applicant. All applicants are encouraged to apply directly to our open jobs via our website. Interviews are generally conducted via Zoom video conference unless the candidate requests other accommodations.

If you believe that you have been the target of an interview/offer scam by someone posing as a representative of Harness, please do not provide any personal or financial information and contact us immediately at security@harness.io. You can also find additional information about this type of scam and report any fraudulent employment offers via the Federal Trade Commission’s website (https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams), or you can contact your local law enforcement agency.

## About Harness 

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Harness provides an AI-native, end-to-end software delivery platform that automates the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC) using purpose-built AI agents.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C, $775M total funding)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: Jyoti Bansal (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Software Development / DevOps / AI-Native Software Delivery
- **Target Customers**: B2B, primarily mid-market to large enterprises in technology, finance, e-commerce, and other sectors with complex software delivery needs.
- **Mission/Purpose**: “To enable the 30 million software developers in the world to deliver code to their users quickly, reliably and efficiently.” [harness.io](https://www.harness.io/company/careers)

## Products & Services
Harness offers a unified platform with multiple product modules, all infused with AI/ML, including:
- **Continuous Integration (CI)**: Automated build and test pipelines.
- **Continuous Delivery (CD)**: Automated deployment and release orchestration.
- **Feature Flags**: Gradual feature rollouts and A/B testing.
- **Cloud Cost Management (CCM)**: Real-time cloud cost optimization and governance.
- **Service Reliability Management (SRM)**: SLO tracking and incident management.
- **Security Testing Orchestration (STO)**: Integrated security scans in CI/CD pipelines.
- **Chaos Engineering**: Proactive resilience testing.
- **Software Engineering Insights (SEI)**: Data-driven engineering productivity metrics.
- **Continuous Error Tracking (CET)**: Real-time error monitoring and debugging.
- **Code Repository**: Git-based source code management.
- **Internal Developer Portal (IDP)**: Self-service developer environments and resources.
- **Software Supply Chain Assurance (SSCA)**: Secure software supply chain management.
- **Infrastructure as Code Management (IaCM)**: Automated infrastructure provisioning.
- **AI Development Assistant (AIDA)**: An AI-powered assistant embedded across the platform to help developers write, debug, and deploy code faster.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed (last known Series C round was in 2021 at an undisclosed valuation).
- **Total Funding**: **$775M** (across 9 rounds, including $150M debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank in 2024 and $55M debt in 2022). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)
- **Annual Revenue**: **$150M** (as of latest available data). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)
- **Notable Investors**: Alkeon Capital (lead Series C), IVP, Google Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, and others. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)
- **Key Acquisitions**: Propelo (2023), Armory (2024), Drone.io, OverOps, Split.io. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)
- **Growth Signals**:
    - **Headcount**: 1,183 employees (+19.4% YoY, +278 people). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)
    - **Global Presence**: Operates in 32 countries with offices in the US, India, UK, Argentina, Canada, and Australia.
    - **Market Recognition**: Named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for DevSecOps Platforms for the third consecutive year. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/harness)
    - **Active Hiring**: 116 open job postings (up 107.1% YoY). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI-Native Platform**: Unlike legacy DevOps tools that bolt on AI, Harness was built from the ground up with AI agents (AIDA) embedded in every module, making it a true “AI-native” platform.
- **Unified End-to-End Solution**: Covers the entire SDLC (CI/CD, security, cost, reliability, error tracking, etc.) in one platform, reducing toolchain complexity for enterprises.
- **Strong Financial Backing**: Over $775M in funding from top-tier VCs provides significant runway and resources for aggressive growth and R&D.
- **Proven Enterprise Adoption**: $150M in annual revenue and a customer base that includes large technology, finance, and e-commerce companies.

## Strategic Focus
- **Deepening AI Capabilities**: Continuing to infuse AIDA across all modules to automate more of the software delivery lifecycle and improve developer productivity.
- **Expanding Enterprise Footprint**: Growing sales and engineering teams globally (especially in the US, India, and Europe) to capture more enterprise accounts.
- **Post-Acquisition Integration**: Integrating recent acquisitions (Propelo, Armory, Split) to enhance the platform’s capabilities in areas like internal developer portals and feature management.
- **Market Leadership**: Maintaining and expanding its position as a leader in the DevSecOps and AI-powered software delivery market.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: Harness promotes a culture of “Get Ship Done” (delivery-focused), “Be Bold,” “Stay Humble,” and “Build Trust through Transparency.” [harness.io](https://www.harness.io/company/careers)
- **DEI**: Strong emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, with dedicated employee resource groups like “Women at Harness” and “Pride in Tech at Harness.” [harness.io](https://www.harness.io/company/careers)
- **Work Environment**: Hybrid/remote-friendly. Employees can choose to work from the office, home, or anywhere they can set up a laptop. [harness.io](https://www.harness.io/company/careers)
- **Perks & Benefits**: Competitive salary, healthcare benefits, flexible time off (US), employee referral bonus, learning & development program, employee assistance program, paid parental leave, and a “TGIF Off” program. [harness.io](https://www.harness.io/company/careers)
- **Engineering Culture**: High technical bar with a focus on innovation (Hack Weeks), autonomy, and trust. Employee testimonials highlight being “trusted to use my own judgement, manage my own time and choose my own work space.” [harness.io](https://www.harness.io/company/careers)
- **Growth Opportunity**: Rapidly growing company (19.4% YoY headcount increase) with a mission-driven, high-impact environment. Employees report good career development opportunities (4.1/5.0 career rating on LinkedIn). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)

## Sources
1. [harness.io - Careers Page](https://www.harness.io/company/careers)
2. [harness.io - Job Openings](https://www.harness.io/company/jobs)
3. [linkedin.com - Harness Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harnessinc)
4. [cbinsights.com - Harness Company Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/harness)
5. [pitchbook.com - Harness Company Profile](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/187740-28)

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