Founding Security Enginee
Imagine building the secure digital infrastructure that empowers families to choose the best education for their children. At Odyssey, we're not just imagining it – we're doing it. We operate at the critical intersection of GovTech, EdTech, and FinTech, delivering civic infrastructure that directly impacts lives.
About Odyssey
K-12 education is a foundational determinant of a child’s future. Education Savings Account (ESA) programs are transforming this landscape by putting education funding directly into the hands of families, allowing them to choose learning experiences – from schools and tutors to therapy, curriculum, and technology – that best fit their child's needs.
These policies, once enacted, create immense operational challenges for states: standing up new programs, managing the secure and compliant flow of public funds, approving thousands of vendors, supporting families at scale, and preventing fraud – all while delivering a high-quality user experience.
That’s where Odyssey comes in. We partner with state agencies to design, launch, and operate ESA and grant programs, providing the technology, program operations, vendor ecosystem, and family experience that make these vital programs work in the real world.
Today, we operate across 6 states, and our platform powers programs serving over 200,000 students and managing more than $1 billion in education funding. We’re just getting started.
Most recently, we launched the Texas Education Savings Account (EFA) program – the biggest day-one ESA launch in the country – which has already received nearly 200,000 applications. This monumental achievement exemplifies our mission: building programs that work at scale, from day one, when it matters most.
We're backed by respected investors, including a16z and Tusk Venture Partners, and we're rapidly expanding our team to meet the growing demand for our impactful work.
The Opportunity: Founding Security Engineer
This isn't just a security role; it's a chance to build, shape, and own the entire security posture of a rapidly scaling, mission-critical platform. As Odyssey's Founding Security Engineer, you will have full ownership of our security strategy, building programs from the ground up, and embedding best practices across our entire technology stack and product suite. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role where your strategic decisions will directly safeguard vital public funds, sensitive family data, and critical operations.
You'll partner closely with cross-functional teams to embed security into everything we build and ship, champion innovative solutions to emerging security challenges, and ensure we stay ahead of an evolving threat landscape. You're someone who embraces cutting-edge tools, leveraging AI to work smarter – whether accelerating threat detection, streamlining vulnerability analysis, or enhancing incident response capabilities.
Why This Work Is Different
We are deeply embedded with state partners and our internal product teams, translating ambiguous policy into robust, real-world systems that families depend on. This means building a highly configurable platform that meets diverse state needs, rather than bespoke software.
If you thrive on ownership, speed, and solving complex problems that truly matter, you’ll find yourself right at home. If you seek a highly structured, pre-defined environment, this might feel uncomfortable. We offer autonomy and the chance to make a tangible difference.
What You’ll Do
Lead the charge in identifying, assessing, and mitigating security risks across Odyssey's products and infrastructure, proactively proposing enhanced controls and process improvements.
Drive comprehensive static and dynamic vulnerability assessments, overseeing remediation efforts through to resolution.
Pioneer the evaluation of security risks in AI systems and data pipelines, strategically leveraging AI-assisted tooling to enhance threat detection, vulnerability analysis, and security operations.
Champion and mature Odyssey's SOC 2 Type II program, ensuring a robust and secure environment for vendors, customers, end-users, and employees.
Architect and implement robust security controls across Odyssey's full technology stack – from the application layer to cloud infrastructure.
Translate complex security findings into clear, actionable remediation steps for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Continuously audit policies, controls, and procedures, evolving our security practices to stay ahead of an ever-changing threat landscape.
Integrate security seamlessly into the developer workflow – including CI/CD pipelines, code review processes, and internal tooling – without compromising velocity.
What You’ll Bring
6+ years of Software Engineering experience with a dedicated focus on application security, cloud security, DevOps, network security, or similar critical domains.
Solid understanding of industry standards and compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, etc.) with hands-on experience driving organizational adherence.
Proven experience applying AI-assisted tooling to accelerate threat detection, code review, and vulnerability analysis.
Demonstrated experience deploying and operating SAST, DAST, and SCA tools across the software development lifecycle.
Strong track record managing security projects end-to-end – from meticulous planning through successful delivery – within established timelines and budgets.
Expertise with penetration testing tools, techniques, and methodologies, coupled with a clear understanding of common vulnerabilities and effective remediation strategies.
Additional Details
This role is available as fully remote (US-based) or hybrid out of our NYC office in Tribeca. The full team gathers once a year for an inspiring offsite.
We will be asking candidates to fly to our NYC office (if not already based in NYC) for an in-person interview.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
We believe in fair compensation. The salary range for this role is $180,000 - $220,000 + generous equity, depending on experience and location.
Odyssey benefits include comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision plan(s), health services, short-term disability, unlimited PTO, and more.
Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity Employment
Odyssey is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.