Technical Lead

• Language: English required; German is a plus
• Salary: Up to €110k
• Team: Initially the first dedicated hire, with the opportunity to build a small team over time

The opportunity

We are working with a well-established technology company in Berlin that is investing heavily in the security and safety of its platform and users. This is a newly created position where you will have significant ownership over how security is approached across the product. You will work closely with Engineering, Product, and other business stakeholders, helping to identify risks, improve systems, and establish stronger security practices across the organisation.

The role sits at the intersection of engineering, security, user safety and compliance.

What you will be doing

• Taking ownership of API and application security
• Helping to harden and improve backend systems
• Reviewing technical architecture from a security perspective
• Identifying vulnerabilities and potential areas of abuse
• Working with engineering teams to improve security practices
• Supporting user safety initiatives
• Working alongside stakeholders across the business
• Contributing to legal, regulatory and compliance-related security requirements
• Helping establish and develop the company's Trust & Safety function
• Potentially growing and leading a small team as the function develops

Technical background

Ruby on Rails is a key requirement.

We are looking for someone with strong backend experience and a good understanding of:

• Ruby / Ruby on Rails
• APIs and backend systems
• Databases and SQL
• Application security
• Authentication/authorisation
• Infrastructure and cloud environments

AWS experience would be a strong advantage, but is not essential. You do not need to be a frontend specialist. We are much more interested in someone who can step back and understand the whole system, how users interact with it, how data moves through it, what is exposed externally and where the security risks sit.

The person

Technical ability is important, but stakeholder management is equally critical.

You will often be working in a supporting function rather than managing the people responsible for implementing your recommendations. You therefore need to be comfortable saying:

“This needs to change, here is why, and here is how I would approach it.”

We are looking for someone who can challenge people constructively, build trust with engineering teams, and communicate security concerns clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. You should also have a genuine security mindset, someone who enjoys understanding how systems can be broken and how they can be made safer. At the same time, you need to understand the security vs. usability trade-off and genuinely care about the experience of the people using the product.

What we are looking for

• Understanding of APIs and system architecture
• Security-focused mindset
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to influence without direct authority
• Professional English

Advantageous:

• Application / Product Security
• OWASP
• Penetration testing
• AWS
• SQL / database security
• Authentication and authorisation
• GDPR / regulatory / compliance exposure

Why this role?

This is not a role where you will inherit an established security department and maintain existing processes. You will be one of the first people shaping the function, with the opportunity to influence security across the wider organisation and potentially build a small team around you.

It is a particularly interesting opportunity for someone who wants to stay close to technology while having a much broader influence across engineering, product, users and the wider business.

Stage 1:

Initial screening / technical conversation

Stage 2:

A focused in-person session covering technical skills, system design and security thinking, followed by conversations with the team.