Founding Senior Application Engineer — Cybersecurity SaaS

Compensation: $45k – $60k • 0.25% – 0.5%

Founding Senior Application Engineer — Cybersecurity SaaS Part-Time | Approximately 10 Hours/Week | Remote | Equity Incentive | Potential Full-Time Opportunity About Kodaowl Kodaowl, Inc. is an early-stage cybersecurity technology startup developing an AI-native platform for Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM), vulnerability management, exposure intelligence, risk prioritization, remediation, and security assurance. Our mission is to help organizations move beyond identifying vulnerabilities to understanding business risk, making evidence-driven security decisions, and verifying remediation outcomes. Kodaowl is building a unified platform that combines asset discovery, security scanning, vulnerability intelligence, application and API security, AI-powered risk analysis, and continuous exposure management. Our philosophy: Decide with Evidence. Act with Confidence. We are assembling a small, experienced founding engineering team to build and commercialize the platform. The Opportunity We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Founding Senior Application Engineer to help design, develop, integrate, and mature Kodaowl's cloud-hosted cybersecurity SaaS application. This is an initial part-time opportunity requiring approximately 10 hours per week, with the potential to transition into a larger commitment or full-time position as the company grows and business conditions permit. The engineer will work closely with our Platform/Cloud Engineer, AI Engineer, and founding team to deliver a secure, scalable, multi-tenant cybersecurity application. Because we are operating as a lean startup, responsibilities will naturally overlap across application development, infrastructure integration, security engineering, data processing, and AI-enabled capabilities. We value engineers who can take ownership, make sound architectural decisions, collaborate effectively, and deliver production-quality solutions with limited supervision. This is not an entry-level position or a learning opportunity. We are looking for an accomplished engineer who brings substantial technical experience, sound judgment, and the ability to contribute meaningfully from the outset. Key Responsibilities Application Engineering & Architecture • Design, develop, and enhance backend services, APIs, and application functionality using Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, and related technologies. • Contribute to frontend application development and integration as needed. • Build secure, scalable, maintainable application components for a cloud-hosted, multi-tenant SaaS platform. • Develop and optimize database schemas, queries, data models, and application workflows. • Implement secure authentication, authorization, tenant isolation, and API integrations. • Participate in architecture decisions, code reviews, testing, troubleshooting, and performance optimization. Cybersecurity & Exposure Management • Develop and enhance capabilities for asset discovery, vulnerability assessment, exposure management, and risk prioritization. • Integrate security scanning engines, open-source tools, and external security APIs into application workflows. • Support vulnerability intelligence processing, including CVE, CVSS, CISA KEV, EPSS, and related security data. • Develop functionality supporting application and API security assessments, including OWASP Top 10 vulnerability categories. • Contribute to security findings normalization, evidence correlation, risk scoring, remediation tracking, and validation. • Ensure scanning and assessment workflows are reliable, secure, and appropriately controlled. AI & Security Intelligence Integration • Collaborate with the AI Engineer to integrate AI/LLM-enabled security intelligence capabilities into the application. • Develop APIs, data pipelines, and application services supporting AI-assisted analysis, investigation, and recommendations. • Help ensure AI-generated outputs are grounded in reliable security evidence. • Contribute to the integration of AI security capabilities, including AI application and agent exposure management, as the platform evolves. Cloud & Cross-Functional Collaboration • Work closely with the Platform/Cloud Engineer to integrate application services into the cloud-hosted environment. • Collaborate on deployment readiness, containerization, observability, security, performance, and reliability. • Coordinate application, database, scanning, and AI-related development activities. • Participate in technical planning, design reviews, and problem-solving across overlapping engineering responsibilities. • Maintain clear documentation and communicate technical progress, dependencies, and blockers. Required Qualifications • 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, preferably involving backend systems, SaaS applications, or cybersecurity platforms. • Strong hands-on experience with Python, FastAPI, REST APIs, and PostgreSQL. • Experience designing, developing, and maintaining production-grade applications. • Solid understanding of relational database design, data modeling, and performance optimization. • Experience with cloud-hosted applications, containerization, and modern development workflows. • Understanding of secure software development, authentication, authorization, and API security. • Experience integrating third-party APIs, services, or technical tools. • Familiarity with vulnerability management, security scanning, or cybersecurity assessment technologies. • Ability to independently troubleshoot complex technical problems and deliver maintainable solutions. • Strong communication skills and willingness to collaborate across engineering disciplines. • Ability to work effectively in an early-stage startup with evolving priorities and limited resources. Highly Desirable Experience Candidates with practical experience in the following areas will receive strong consideration: • Vulnerability Assessment and Management. • Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). • Attack Surface Management (ASM). • Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM). • CVE, CVSS, CISA KEV, and EPSS. • OWASP Top 10 and application/API security. • Security scanning tools such as Nmap, Nuclei, Trivy, OWASP ZAP, Semgrep, or similar technologies. • Security findings normalization, correlation, and prioritization. • Multi-tenant SaaS application architecture. • Docker, CI/CD, and cloud deployment. • AI, large language models (LLMs), and AI application integration. • LLM APIs, AI agents, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). • React, TypeScript, or comparable frontend technologies. Direct experience building vulnerability management, exposure management, or cybersecurity SaaS products would be particularly valuable. Who Will Succeed in This Role? We are looking for an engineer who: • Has substantial hands-on engineering experience and can contribute immediately. • Understands the difference between building a prototype and delivering a reliable production application. • Is comfortable taking ownership of complex engineering challenges. • Can work independently without extensive supervision. • Collaborates naturally with infrastructure, application, and AI engineers. • Is willing to work across technical boundaries when necessary. • Values clean architecture, security, maintainability, and practical execution. • Can balance engineering quality with the speed and resource constraints of an early-stage startup. • Is interested in helping shape a product and company from an early stage. We are particularly interested in engineers who have previously worked in startups, built SaaS platforms, or developed cybersecurity products. Time Commitment & Growth Opportunity • Initial commitment: Approximately 10 hours per week. • Work arrangement: Remote, with regular coordination across the engineering team. • Engagement: Part-time, with flexibility around scheduling and agreed deliverables. • Future opportunity: Potential expansion to a larger commitment or full-time position as Kodaowl grows, subject to business needs, funding, and mutual agreement. The initial workload will be focused on clearly defined engineering priorities, with an expectation of meaningful technical ownership and consistent progress. Compensation & Founding-Team Equity Kodaowl is an early-stage startup building its founding engineering team. Equity participation will be offered as an incentive, reflecting the opportunity to contribute to the company's early development and long-term success. The specific equity arrangement, vesting terms, and any cash compensation will be discussed with qualified candidates based on experience, responsibilities, commitment, and mutually agreed terms. Equity participation is subject to formal agreements and applicable company approvals. This opportunity is best suited to an experienced engineer who understands the risks and potential rewards of joining an early-stage company. Why Join Kodaowl? • Help build an AI-native cybersecurity platform from an early stage. • Work on meaningful engineering challenges spanning application development, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and AI. • Influence technical architecture and product capabilities. • Collaborate directly with a small founding engineering team. • Take ownership of important product components. • Participate in the company's potential long-term growth through equity. • Begin with a manageable part-time commitment and potentially transition to a larger role as the business develops. How to Apply Please submit your resume and a brief introduction describing:

1. Your experience developing production applications using Python, FastAPI, and PostgreSQL.
2. Your experience with vulnerability management, security scanning, application security, or related cybersecurity technologies.
3. Your familiarity with cloud-hosted SaaS applications and AI/LLM integration.
4. Your availability for approximately 10 hours per week.
5. Your interest in joining an early-stage startup as a founding engineer, including your expectations regarding equity and compensation.

Kodaowl, Inc. Decide with Evidence. Act with Confidence.