At Critical Start, we’re on a mission to make everyone a valued member of a winning team, united by an inspiring purpose: shaping the future of cybersecurity. Since 2012, we’ve been dedicated to safeguarding organizations from cyberattacks, preparing for evolving threats, and earning recognition for our innovative contributions to the industry.

We thrive in an agile, collaborative environment that fosters creativity and action. At Critical Start, innovation drives everything we do. We pioneered the first MOBILESOC app for on-the-go threat detection and response, automated alert resolutions to maximize efficiency, and cut alert investigation time by 99.3% - transforming the way cybersecurity teams work. Our team and customers genuinely value the impact we make every day.

Want to hear more from our team? Watch this video to gain insights into life at Critical Start or check out our Glassdoor reviews for an inside look.

What can we offer you?

• A chance to make an impact every day—whether protecting customers or contributing to a greater mission.
• Collaboration with talented, supportive teammates who value accountability and growth.
• A commitment to continuous improvement, striving for excellence, and breaking past mediocrity.
• A culture of learning, innovation, and inclusivity, where every idea matters.
• Recognition for being at the forefront of the industry—we’ve received accolades that prove we’re doing something right.
• A supportive environment where you belong and your contributions truly matter, as one team member put it: “Every day presents new challenges and opportunities for growth, and the culture is unlike any other.

We are seeking an exceptional Senior Engineering leader to join the Critical Start Technologies Private Ltd. team, operating under the Critical Start umbrella, for our India operations. This role will report directly to the VP of Engineering and Site Leader at our Center of Excellence (CoE) in Pune, India. This role provides technical leadership for our web and mobile End User Experiences, DevOps, and AI/ML (in the future)  initiatives.This position will play a key role in advancing our engineering capabilities, fostering operational excellence, and accelerating innovation within our India operations.

Engineering and Operational Leadership

• Lead and build one or more teams of engineers building Cybersecurity Detection & Response software offerings, with a focus on backend systems, Cloud engineering and AI/ML engineering / operations.
• Manage organizational structure and workload, project resourcing & coordination in a fast-paced, highly distributed environment with rapid iteration cycles. 
• Inspire and guide engineering teams to drive innovation and maintain high performance. 
• Champion Agile best practices and contribute to technical engineering designs. 
• Oversee technical training programs and uphold high coding standards. 
• Develop and track key engineering performance metrics to ensure project success and team growth. 
• Contribute to technical architecture decisions for cloud-based SaaS solutions. 
• Participate in team activities, such as release and technical roadmap planning, to prioritize engineering work based on availability of people to do the work and business objectives that need to be met. 

Partnership & Collaboration

• Effectively collaborate with leaders within and outside organization to deliver on product roadmap and delight customers. 
• Foster strong cross-functional and cross-regional collaboration.
• Ensure seamless integration between India and global operations.

Talent & Culture

• Attract, retain, and develop top talent across all functions.
• Actively engage in recruitment, mentorship, and leadership development initiatives.
• Foster a culture of creativity, agility, and continuous innovation.
• Promote and uphold the company’s values to create an inclusive and collaborative workplace.
• Build and nurture a high-performing, globally integrated team.
• Have fun solving difficult problems at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. 

Required Qualifications:

• 12-15 years of experience in Product based software, SaaS or similar companies including 5+ years management experience in managing 15+ member engineering team(s); preferably experience in Cybersecurity product engineering.  

• Strong engineering track-record and deep technical knowledge, distributed systems, or cloud-native architectures. 

• Experience with cloud-native technologies - Python, NoSQL databases, Elastic Search, Kafka, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS. 

• Understanding of modern software development practices including microservices, cloud platforms, and agile methodologies. 

• Experience mentoring & supporting people and teams with empathy & professionalism, particularly in fast-paced, innovation-driven environments. 

• Experience planning, tracking, delivering and managing multiple projects in startup-like environments. 

• Experience leading through others and hiring & setting up multiple teams for success in rapid iteration cycles. 

• Experience working with Product Managers and UX Designers for requirement analysis and driving the engineering team to come up with solution approach and design for delivering AI-powered requirements. 

• Track record of shaping product roadmaps in the short and medium term, particularly for customer-facing products. 

Desired Qualifications:

• Cybersecurity Experience in Endpoint Detection and Response, Security Analyst workflows. 

• Experience and knowledge in the areas of AI/ML engineering, Large Language Models (LLMs), and generative AI technologies. 

• Knowledge of and experience with technical teams, cybersecurity, and AI/ML startups strongly preferred. 

• Experience in working and collaborating with global teams. 

• Familiarity with data pipelines, vector databases, and AI model training and deployment. 

• Understanding of cybersecurity domain knowledge and security operations. 

Imagine a dynamic, enjoyable, and rewarding work environment. We are professionals, and the work we do holds immense significance, like saving our customers from potential disasters. However, we believe in not taking ourselves too seriously. 

Prefer a casual dress code every day? No problem, as we find comfort enhances our thinking. 

What does our Compensation and Benefits package entail? 

• Competitive salary  
• Statuary PTO (Paid Time Off) policy 
• Depending on the role, you may work in the office, remotely, or adopt a hybrid work model.  

We prioritize your privacy and security. Please note that Critical Start will never request financial information or sensitive personal data during the interview process. If you encounter any suspicious requests, do not respond and contact us directly at recruiting@criticalstart.com. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and trustworthy hiring experience.

Critical Start welcomes people from all backgrounds and walks of life. One of our core values is to “Do what’s best for our employees,” and that starts with the hiring process by finding the best candidates and providing an environment that upholds equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants, strictly prohibiting any form of discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. 

This policy encompasses all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. 

Mental and Physical Requirements 

It's important to note that specific physical and mental requirements may vary depending on the nature of the office job, organization, and individual responsibilities. 

Physical:  

• Stationary position for extended periods of time. 
• Constantly operate a computer.  
• Occasionally you may be required to move equipment or other items up to 20 lbs. 
• The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. 

Mental:  

• Must be able to apply established protocols in a timely manner. 
• Make timely decisions in the context of workflow. 
• Ability to complete tasks and perform in situations requiring speed deadlines, or productivity quota. 
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently in high stress situations. 
• Ability to simultaneously address multiple complex problems. 

How to Apply:  

Interested candidates are invited to visit our career site and apply for the position: https://www.criticalstart.com/careers/