Lead Security Engineer (AI-Native)

**Overview:** The Lead Security Engineer drives Nerdy’s enterprise security and infrastructure strategy to ensure scalable, secure, and reliable systems in a AWS first environment. This role combines strategic leadership and hands-on operational oversight to protect company assets, ensure compliance, and support high-growth business objectives. **About Nerdy:** At Nerdy (NYSE: NRDY) -  the company behind Varsity Tutors - we’re redrawing the blueprint of learning. Our Live + AI™ platform fuses real-time human expertise with proprietary generative-AI systems, setting a new bar for measurable academic impact at global scale. We recruit the kind of technologists and operators you’d bet on as solo founders - people who turn ambiguous problems into shipping code, iterate faster than markets move, and compound their advantage with every data point. In an era where great employees can deliver 10-times the leverage of the merely good, we back those who play to win. Fortune favors the bold. Join us. **How we compete:** * **AI-Native at every level**From the CEO to day-one hires, everyone builds and ships with generative AI. If you’re not wielding AI, you’re not done. * **Entrepreneurial velocity**Move at founder speed, prototype in hours, and measure in real user outcomes. Slow teams die. * **Free-market rigor** Ideas rise or fall on merit and results - no committees, no politics, no cap on upside. * **Full-stack ownership** You design, build, and run what you ship; accountability is a feature, not a bug. * **Reward for contribution**Pay rises with impact, not years. Outstanding results earn outsized rewards. We evaluate both ***what*** you achieve and ***how***you achieve it: living our leadership principles and using AI effectively are formally measured and rewarded. * **Relentless exploration**Push the frontier of generative AI in live learning and - because only the paranoid survive - questioning every legacy assumption along the way. * **Is Apolitical**You stay focused on mission-aligned outcomes, not distractions or unrelated causes. If you’re a technically minded builder who thrives on open competition, personal responsibility, and the chance to redefine how the world learns - while continually stretching the limits of what generative AI can do - come do the most ambitious and rewarding work of your career here. Learn more at[nerdy.com](http://nerdy.com). **Nerdy’s shareholder letters below explain our latest products and strategy:** * [Q4-2025 Shareholder Letter](https://s206.q4cdn.com/118732467/files/doc_financials/2025/q4/Nerdy-4Q2025-Shareholder-Letter.pdf) * [Q3-2025 Shareholder Letter](https://s206.q4cdn.com/118732467/files/doc_financials/2025/q3/Nerdy-3Q2025-Shareholder-Letter-1.pdf) * [Q2-2025 Shareholder Letter](https://s206.q4cdn.com/118732467/files/doc_financials/2025/q2/Nerdy-2Q2025-Shareholder-Letter.pdf) #### **Responsibilities:** * Define and execute enterprise security strategy * Partner closely with leaders to cover compliance, automation, and security best practices across the organization * Lead business continuity and disaster recovery planning * Identify and address security gaps created by the rapid adoption of new tools and platforms * Oversee threat detection, incident response, and vulnerability management * Ensure regulatory, privacy, and data protection compliance * Use AI-powered tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, or equivalent) to implement security guardrails, automate checks, and accelerate security workflows * Mentor other engineers and collaborate with peers to strengthen the team's collective knowledge * Design secure, scalable, and resilient architecture * Embed security controls across Engineering, Product, Legal, and People teams * Manage vendors, security tools, and IT systems * Report security posture and risk metrics to executives #### **Qualifications:** * 7+ years in Security Engineering, IT, or Infrastructure leadership * Experience leading enterprise security in AWS-first environments * Hands-on experience with AWS security (IAM, security groups, logging, monitoring) * Strong knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks, risk, and compliance * Experience leading threat detection, vulnerability management, and incident response * Demonstrated ability to influence, driving security adoption across engineering and product teams * Expertise in cloud infrastructure, IAM, endpoint and network security * Explicit mentoring of senior-level engineers regularly * Ability to align security strategy with business goals * Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills * Experience using AI tools for security purposes with tools like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude, or similar * Bachelor’s in CS, Information Security, or related field (advanced degree/certs preferred * Nice to have: Familiarity with NIST 800-171 and/or CMMC Level 2 compliance frameworks **Unleash Your Potential at Nerdy:** At Nerdy, you'll earn your success through meritocracy and exceptional outcomes. Our benefits reward performance and initiative: * **Competitive USD Compensation:** Enjoy a market-leading rate paid in U.S. dollars. * **100% Remote (Home Country Only):** Work from anywhere in your home country—no relocation required, no borders crossed. * **Flexible Time Off:** Our flexible PTO lets you recharge on your own terms and when you need it the most. * **Local Holiday Pay:** We honor your nation’s official holidays with paid time off—celebrate what matters to you. * **Continuous Learning:** Get a free, all-inclusive learning membership for you and your household—including 1-on-1 tutoring hours, unlimited on-demand classes, and access to our full suite of learning products and services. * **Supercharge with AI:** Gain exclusive access to cutting-edge AI tools that boost your productivity, making you feel almost super-human (cape not included). * **Feedback-Rich, Collaborative Culture:** Tap into regular training, peer reviews, and a team that treats every team member as a vital collaborator and owner in our success. * **Make a Global Impact:** Your expertise fuels an innovative platform used by learners around the world—be part of something transformative. **The Bottom Line:** If you're driven by impact, energized by ownership, and excited to help shape what’s next, you’ll thrive here. We move fast, think big, and reward those who deliver. This isn’t a traditional corporate environment - it’s a place to do the most meaningful work of your career.