Forward Financing is a financial technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work, Forward is investing in its employees, technology, and customer experience – with long-term success in mind every step of the way.
As a Staff Security Engineer, you’ll own the technical architecture of Forward’s security program at a pivotal moment in our growth. Rather than running a single tool or living inside one team, you’ll be the connective technical layer across our Application Security (AppSec), Security Operations (SecOps), and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) functions – making sure our security technology works together, scales, and fits naturally into how the rest of the company builds and operates. Reporting directly to the Head of Security, you’ll set the technical direction for how we design, evaluate, and integrate security platforms, and you’ll mentor engineers across all three functions along the way.
In this role you will:
Own the end-to-end architecture of Forward’s security technology stack – the platforms, tooling, data pipelines, and integrations that power AppSec, SecOps, and GRC – and make sure it works cleanly with the broader Engineering, IT, and Infrastructure ecosystem.
Set the technical direction for how we evaluate, integrate, standardize, and retire security tools, defining the reference architectures and standards the department builds on.
Act as the shared technical foundation for all three security functions: helping developers build security testing into how software ships, giving the operations team clean and reliable data to detect and investigate threats, and giving the compliance team the evidence and reporting they need to prove that controls are working.
Partner with Engineering, IT, and Infrastructure to build security into shared platforms – cloud (AWS), identity, CI/CD, endpoints, and SaaS – so security is native rather than bolted on.
Lead the evaluation, proof-of-concept, and rollout of new security technologies; consolidate overlapping tools and reduce operational toil with defensible build-versus-buy recommendations.
Use infrastructure-as-code and detection-as-code to make security configurations, platform hardening, and cloud-native controls automated, versioned, and repeatable.
Architect our centralized logging and detection data foundation (SIEM and supporting pipelines) so a single high-quality data source serves detection, investigation, and audit needs.
Architect the technical underpinnings of our identity governance and role-based access control programs, plus the automation that keeps access defensible as we grow.
Keep the security architecture aligned to frameworks like CIS Controls, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and NIST, so it stays defensible and auditable.
Provide senior technical support during major incidents, and turn lessons learned into lasting architectural improvements.
Grow the bar for the whole department – mentoring and technically guiding engineers across AppSec, SecOps, and GRC on design quality, secure defaults, and engineering practices.
Why you should apply:
Own the architecture: This is a high-visibility, high-impact role at a pivotal moment for Forward’s security program. You’ll have the mandate and support to shape the tools, standards, and technical direction that the entire department is built on.
Mission driven company: Forward is a trusted source of fast, flexible funding for small businesses that have often been underserved by traditional financing options. When you join the team, you will help ensure all small businesses have access to the financial support they need to succeed.
Flexibility is a top priority: Our employees are empowered to choose where they want to work (whether that’s from home, in the office, or a combination of both) with flexible hours.
Typically 7 or more years in security engineering, security architecture, detection engineering, or security operations, including designing systems that span multiple security domains.
Demonstrated experience owning or heavily shaping the architecture of a security technology stack – how platforms, data, and controls fit together – not just operating a single tool.
Deep, hands-on cloud security expertise (AWS required; GCP or Azure a plus), including control plane monitoring, IAM, network architecture, and infrastructure log analysis.
A track record of integrating security tooling and controls into broader Engineering and IT ecosystems (CI/CD, identity, endpoints, and SaaS).
Fluency across at least two of the three domains this role serves – AppSec, SecOps, and GRC – with enough literacy in the third to design for it.
Experience with infrastructure-as-code and/or detection-as-code (e.g., Terraform and CI/CD pipelines for security configurations and detection logic).
Working knowledge of security frameworks such as CIS Controls, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and NIST, and how architecture maps to control and audit requirements.
Experience with modern programming languages such as Ruby, Python, or Go, sufficient to build automation and integrations.
Ability to communicate risk and technical direction crisply to engineers and executives alike.
Typically has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Physics, or an equivalent technical degree, or equivalent industry experience.
Prior DevOps or software engineering experience.
Experience securing containerized and microservices workloads deployed in production on orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes.
Hands-on experience managing multiple AWS environments (VPCs, firewalls, IAM, GuardDuty, CloudTrail, WAF).
A history of running proof-of-concept evaluations and leading tool consolidation efforts.
Experience with SIEM and detection platforms such as Chronicle, Splunk, Panther, or open-source equivalents.
A red-plus-blue-team mindset and familiarity with adversary TTPs (MITRE ATT&CK).
Background in fintech or another regulated environment
Compensation:
Annual Targeted Salary: $160,000-$200,000 CAD
Annual Target Bonus: 12%
At Forward Financing, we're committed to fair and transparent compensation. We believe in providing a compensation package that recognizes your skills, experience, and the unique value you bring to our team. We take a market-based approach to pay, regularly reviewing benchmark data to ensure our compensation remains competitive, equitable, and aligned with our performance-driven culture.
Final offers are determined by a variety of factors, including the candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, specific skills, and internal equity. This approach ensures that our compensation is competitive and equitable. Your recruiter will provide specific details on the expected base and variable earnings as it pertains to this specific role. This position is to fill an existing vacancy.
Additionally, we offer a comprehensive total rewards package, including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, a flexible time-off policy, paid parental leave, RRSP match, wellness reimbursement, volunteering days, annual professional development budget, and charitable donation match.
Forward is proud to be a remote-first company, keeping workplace flexibility a top priority for our employees. As a business, we are focused on impact; we are more concerned with your contributions to the success of the company than where you get your work done. To help facilitate in-person collaboration, employees are welcome to work from one of our premiere office locations.
When we aren’t collaborating to drive business and support our customers, we’re finding virtual and in-person ways to get to know our colleagues, celebrate team wins, and have fun together!
Our Culture: The Forward Compass
The Forward Compass is the standard we hold for ourselves and one another—guiding how we lead, collaborate, and show up every day to move in the same direction.
Back the Builders: We are wired to fuel customer progress, not just provide support.
Rooted in People: We create an environment that balances deep connection with the extreme ownership and honesty required to reach our highest potential.
Flying V: We move through coordinated effort with speed and urgency to achieve what no individual could do alone.
Always Forward, Never Finished: We pursue growth with a relentless drive that keeps us ahead of the competition.
About Us:
Forward Financing is a fintech company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Whether facing challenges accessing traditional financing or simply needing a convenient, flexible solution, Forward is committed to funding more of the millions of small businesses nationwide. By simplifying the requirements, streamlining the process, and using advanced proprietary technology, Forward is often able to deliver approvals within hours and funds that same day – giving more businesses the financial opportunity they need to thrive. Plus, with their dedicated teams and award-winning service, customers get personalized support when they need it most.
Since 2012, Forward has expanded access to capital by providing over $4.8 billion in funding to more than 92,000 small businesses. The company is A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau with an Excellent / 4.7 stars rating on Trustpilot.com. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work, Forward is dedicated to empowering both its team and the customers they serve, helping them succeed and thrive.
It is the policy of Forward Financing to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, religion, national origin, status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Please let us know should you require any accommodations. As part of our commitment to a streamlined and equitable hiring experience, we use AI tools to assist with candidate screening and assessment.
Compensation Range: CA$160K - CA$200K
