About the Role:
We are looking for a Principal Engineer to own and drive the technical strategy for CrowdStrike's Authentication Platform. You will be the technical authority defining the architecture and long-term vision for identity and access management systems that secure thousands of enterprise customers globally.
The Auth Platform team is responsible for both internal and external AuthN and AuthZ. The team is a very critical part of CrowdStrike's cloud platform, frequently collaborating with many product groups across the organization. The team builds and extends services that are capable of making 1+ trillion decisions per day — making reliability, scale, and security non-negotiable.
PLEASE NOTE: This role is hybrid, requiring 2-3 days per week on-site at one of the posted locations.
What You'll Do:
- Own and drive the technical strategy and roadmap for the Auth Platform
- Architect and evolve our multi-tenant identity infrastructure supporting MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider) models — including hierarchical tenancy, delegated administration, cross-tenant access patterns, and fine-grained access controls
- Design and scale high-volume authentication systems and extremely high-volume authorization systems capable of handling millions of AuthN and trillions of AuthZ decisions with ultra-low latency and 99.999% (5 nines) availability
- Lead cross-region AuthN/AuthZ architecture ensuring consistent, secure, and performant identity operations across global deployments
- Drive the vision for next-generation authentication systems — including passwordless, continuous authentication, and AI-driven adaptive access controls
- Lead the design of fine-grained access controls including ABAC, ReBAC, and policy engine frameworks
- Define standards for OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, FIDO2/WebAuthn, and token lifecycle management
- Drive Zero Trust and adaptive authentication initiatives
- Mentor senior engineers and elevate the technical bar across the organization
- Partner with Product, Security, and Engineering teams to align on priorities and deliver outcomes
What You'll Need:
- 15+ years of software engineering experience with 6+ years in identity/auth systems
- Deep expertise in multi-tenant SaaS architecture including MSSP or hierarchical tenancy models with fine-grained access controls at scale
- Proven experience building and operating high-volume authentication and extremely high-volume authorization systems — handling millions of AuthN and trillions of AuthZ decisions with ultra-low latency and 99.999% availability
- Experience designing cross-region identity and authorization architectures with strong consistency and failover guarantees
- Experience with both internal (service-to-service, machine identity) and external (user-facing) AuthN/AuthZ systems at hyperscale
- Hands-on experience or strong vision for next-gen auth systems — passwordless, device trust, continuous verification, and AI-driven access policies
- Strong knowledge of ABAC, ReBAC, RBAC and policy engines (OPA, Cedar)
- Proficiency in Go, Python, or Java
- Experience with cloud-native platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and Kubernetes
- Proven ability to own technical strategy and influence across organizations
- Strong communication skills for both technical and executive audiences
- Proven experience utilizing AI technologies to enhance decision-making, streamline workflows and processes, improve efficiency and drive business outcomes.
Bonus Points:
- Experience with Google Zanzibar-style authorization systems
- Prior experience in cybersecurity SaaS or MSSP platform products
#LI-DG1
#LI-MF1
Benefits of Working at CrowdStrike:
Market leader in compensation and equity awards
Comprehensive physical and mental wellness programs
Competitive vacation and holidays for recharge
Paid parental and adoption leaves
Professional development opportunities for all employees regardless of level or role
Employee Networks, geographic neighborhood groups, and volunteer opportunities to build connections
Vibrant office culture with world class amenities
Great Place to Work Certified™ across the globe
CrowdStrike, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Placement within the pay range is dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications, job level, supervisory status, and location. The base salary range for this position for all U.S. candidates is $195,000 - $290,000 per year, with eligibility for bonuses, equity grants and a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, 401k and paid time off.
For detailed information about the U.S. benefits package, please .
