Senior Staff Software Engineer - Platform Access Control - Security

Company Description

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

Job Description

Team: 
The Platform Access Controls team is within the Platform Security Core Organization and owns ServiceNow's core authorization frameworks, including ACLs, Security Policies, Security Attributes, and Security Filters. We are responsible for validating identity and access for every transaction across the platform, helping ensure a secure-by-default experience. Our team consists of passionate, self-directed engineers who enjoy solving complex security challenges and building scalable security controls. We foster a highly collaborative culture across distributed teams, empowering individuals with the support, autonomy, and opportunities needed to grow and succeed.

As a Senior Staff Software Engineer, you’ll be a key technical leader in the Platform Access Controls group. You’ll set the architectural direction for the access control layer as it expands into securing AI Agent access across the product stack and raise the bar for engineering craftmanship across the organization.

What you get to do in this role: 

• Set the technical vision and architecture strategy for the authorization platform, balancing long-term scalability and delivery objectives while maintaining a secure-by-default posture.
• Work on core Authorization frameworks that touch every part of the product, keeping it high-quality, reliable, secure and fast.
• Own features from design through delivery, turning business requirements into well-architected, cross-team solutions.
• Lead design and code reviews, championing access control best practices, performance, maintainability, and testability across multiple teams
• Implement software that is simple to use to allow customers, applications to extend and customize the functionality to meet their specific needs. 
• Define comprehensive test strategies covering functional, regression, integration and performance testing
• Diagnose, resolve, root cause and mitigation plans for the hardest production issues across the security stack
• Mentor engineers at every level and raise the technical bar across the organization.

Qualifications

To be successful in this role you have:

• Having aptitude for learning new technologies quickly 
• Domain experience in authorization technologies such as RBAC, ABAC, policy engines or adjacencies applicable to this space
• Demonstrated success completing complex, cross-team projects, on time and with quality 
• Experience with troubleshooting difficult production issues e.g., memory leaks, concurrency issues, caching issues, network problems, intermittent failures etc. across the stack
• Track record of technical leadership — influencing architecture and engineering decisions across multiple teams without relying on direct authority
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience authoring design docs/RFCs and presenting technical strategy to senior engineering leadership

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software development experience with a Bachelor's degree; OR 8+ years with a Master's degree; OR 5+ years with a PhD; OR equivalent work experience.
• Strong knowledge of data structures, algorithms, object-oriented design, design patterns, and performance optimization at scale.
• Expert level understanding of best practices for object-oriented and modularized software, with emphasis on Java and Golang.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks (e.g., JUnit, Selenium, TestNG) and integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines.
• Deep understanding of software quality principles including reliability, observability, and production readiness
• Experience leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into engineering work — whether using AI-powered coding and operational tooling, automating workflows, or reasoning about how AI changes the way software and infrastructure are built.

Nice to have:

• Prior experience with ServiceNow Platform
• Prior experience in building Authorization frameworks
• Experience with Kubernetes based services and deploying them in regulated environments with compliance and governance requirements.

FD21

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $190,900 - $334,100, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity,  veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.  

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities. 

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