The Role:We are looking for a GRC Engineer to help grow the governance, risk, and compliance function that keeps Cape secure, trustworthy, and audit-ready as we scale. You will sit at the intersection of security, engineering, and compliance - translating regulatory and contractual requirements into automated controls, clear policies, and pragmatic engineering solutions. You are equally comfortable writing a policy as you are writing a script to enforce it. As a steward of Cape culture, you will partner with engineering and security leaders to identify and remediate risk, run our compliance programs (SOC 2, CMMC, and beyond), and support customers through security due diligence. You put people and data first and always use evidence to drive decisions. You'll join an existing GRC function and are passionate about building on its foundation, sharpening our automation, and helping it scale with the business. This role reports to our Head of Security.
What You'll Work On:- Design, build, and maintain automated systems for continuous controls monitoring across our cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP/Azure), CI/CD, and SaaS stack.
- Own and mature our compliance programs end-to-end (SOC 2 Type II, CMMC, and future frameworks as they arise), including audit prep, evidence collection, and remediation tracking.
- Provide subject matter expertise in: risk assessment, controls design, security policy, vendor/third-party risk, access review automation, and audit management.
- Proactively assess technical and organizational risk, make data-driven recommendations, and implement scalable solutions rather than one-off manual fixes.
- Roll up your sleeves to execute a full range of GRC duties - from writing policy to shipping the automation that enforces it.
- Collaborate closely with Security and Engineering to implement solutions across risk management, policy, and compliance tooling.
- Ensure successful rollout of key GRC programs such as risk registers, access reviews, vendor risk assessments, and audit cycles.
- Lead and contribute to projects as an integral member of the Security team.
- Support customers and prospects through security questionnaires, due diligence requests, and trust-building conversations, and build tooling to make that process faster.
Experience:- 3+ years in GRC engineering, security engineering, or compliance with hands-on technical work; startup experience preferred.
- Demonstrable expertise across compliance frameworks (SOC 2, CMMC, FedRAMP, NIST CSF, GDPR), including how regulatory and contractual requirements translate into technical controls and day-to-day engineering decisions.
- Successful track record of designing and implementing risk or compliance programs, with processes that are clear and auditable but adapt as the business and regulatory landscape change.
- Strong prioritization and project management skills, especially when running audits against real deadlines.
- Experience partnering with and influencing engineering and security leaders to drive risk decisions and audit outcomes; you build trust easily with both engineers and auditors.
- A clear communication style, and the ability to translate technical risk into business terms for different audiences.
- Ability to see all sides of a risk tradeoff, remain objective, and drive issues to resolution - including through ambiguity, with a willingness to roll up your sleeves.
- BA / BS in a related field or equivalent practical experience; relevant security or audit certifications (CISSP, CISA, CRISC, or similar) a plus.
- (Bonus) Proficiency in at least one scripting or programming language (Python, Go, TypeScript) to automate evidence collection, monitoring, and reporting.
- (Bonus) Experience standing up a GRC program or compliance automation tooling (Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, OneTrust) from scratch, and working knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and their native security and logging tooling.
CompensationWe offer competitive compensation that is geo-adjusted based on your location, along with meaningful equity so you share in the value you help create. Salary range for this role in New York, NY or Arlington, VA is $155,000 - $185,000 depending on experience and interview performance and location.
Our benefits include:
- 401(k) match
- 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and your dependents
- 12 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents, no waiting period)
- Stipends for
- Family-forming needs
- Gender-affirming care
- Unlimited PTO
