CAREERS

Partner 36, Cybersecurity Architecture & Engineering Lead

Founded in Silicon Valley in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz (known as "a16z") is a venture capital firm that backs bold entrepreneurs building the future through technology. We are stage agnostic: We invest in seed to venture to late-stage technology companies, across bio + healthcare, consumer, crypto, enterprise, fintech, games, and companies building toward American dynamism. a16z has $35B in assets under management across multiple funds.

We’ve established a team that is defined by respect for the entrepreneur and the company-building process; we know what it’s like to be in the founder’s shoes. We’ve invested in companies like Affirm, Airbnb, Coinbase, Databricks, Devoted Health, EQRx, Figma, GitHub, Instacart, OpenSea, Roblox, Stripe, and Substack. Our team is at the forefront of new technology, helping founders and their companies impact and change the world.

The Role

As the Partner, Cybersecurity Architecture & Engineering Lead, you will lead a specialized team responsible for developing and implementing robust cybersecurity infrastructure across a16z. This hands-on role combines strategic oversight, technical expertise, and leadership to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the firm’s information assets. This role will lead several functions: (i) designing cybersecurity architectures that safeguard the firm’s digital infrastructure and (ii) engineering and implementing robust solutions to comprehensively mitigate evolving threats and (iii) simulating sophisticated cyber-attacks to evaluate the security posture of the firm by employing creative and adversarial techniques.

To join our team, you should be excited to:

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of innovative cybersecurity architectures to minimize attack surface, prevent lateral movement, and protect against data loss from advanced persistent threats
• Lead cross-functional teams in the design, testing, and implementation of cybersecurity solutions ensuring both functional and security requirements are met and aligned with industry best practices and frameworks
• Drive the selection, testing, and implementation of cybersecurity tools, technologies, and partners relative to business and cyber outcomes
• Conduct sophisticated cyber-attack simulations against the firm’s network infrastructure, applications, and operational processes, to assess the effectiveness of security measures and controls and identify vulnerabilities and risks. Develop, document, and disseminate findings in a clear and concise manner to relevant stakeholders and be accountable for their remediation
• Partner with relevant stakeholders to provide recommendations for mitigating identified vulnerabilities and enhancing the firm's security posture
• Collaborate with external third-party vendors to conduct independent security assessments
• Participate in incident response activities as needed, providing expertise on adversarial tactics and techniques
• Perform thorough penetration testing, vulnerability assessments and code reviews to identify potential security flaws in the firm’s software applications and systems

Minimum Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in cybersecurity, with at least 2 years in a leadership role focusing on multiple cybersecurity domains
• Relevant professional certifications such as CISSP, OSCP, OSCE, CEH, GIAC, or any relevant Certifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field is preferred, but not required
• Proven experience in designing and implementing cybersecurity architectures and engineering solutions to protect against advanced threats
• Profound knowledge of operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS), network protocols, cloud infrastructure, and system architectures
• Proficient in programming and scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell to automate tasks and develop custom tools
• Familiarity with cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) and understanding of cloud security challenges
• Excellent communication skills to effectively convey findings and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team, prioritizing tasks to meet organizational goals
• The role demands a high level of technical expertise, ethical hacking skills, and a continuous learning mindset to remain current with emerging threats and techniques
• Experience in managing relationships with vendors, external partners, and cybersecurity communities

The anticipated salary range for this role is between $383,000-$447,000, actual starting pay may vary based on a range of factors which can include experience, skills, and scope.

This role is eligible to participate in the a16z carry program and various discretionary bonus programs as well as benefit and perquisite plans including health, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401K plan, vacation, and sick leave.