Software Engineer (Python, API)

About The Company
Okta is a leading provider of identity and access management solutions, dedicated to securing every identity—whether human or AI—by building trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to embrace the potential of artificial intelligence and digital transformation safely. Our mission is to protect organizations from evolving threats while empowering them to innovate with confidence. With a relentless focus on solving complex security challenges with real-world stakes, Okta is committed to delivering scalable, resilient, and secure solutions that safeguard critical data, infrastructure, and user identities across various environments. We foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and inclusion, supporting our global community of talented professionals who are passionate about making a difference in the cybersecurity landscape.
About The Role
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Staff Software Engineer to join our Defensive Cyber Engineering team in the Washington D.C. area. This role is pivotal in supporting Okta's Public Sector roadmap and involves collaborating closely with Security, Business Technology Engineering, and Product teams. The primary focus is on designing, implementing, and managing security solutions that protect our workforce, endpoints, and corporate data. The ideal candidate will leverage their expertise in software, data, and security engineering to build data and infrastructure platforms using automation, policy-as-code, and cloud-native technologies. This role offers a unique opportunity to work on career-defining projects that directly impact the security posture of our organization and our customers, especially in highly regulated environments such as FedRAMP High, IL4, IL5, and IL6.
Qualifications

• 8+ years of strong coding and scripting experience, especially in building automation and custom tooling for infrastructure and data pipelines
• Proficiency in Python; experience with Bash, PowerShell, or Go is a plus
• Experience developing and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines for onboarding security data into security data lakes
• Experience working with security teams to integrate log sources and ensure seamless data ingestion
• Ability to build and maintain scalable, fault-tolerant data pipelines for security event processing
• Proven track record of automating security controls and workflows using a cloud-first approach
• Experience with Terraform and other infrastructure-as-code tools for security infrastructure orchestration
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines for security automation and drift management
• Strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with technical teams, support staff, executives, and external vendors
• 2+ years of experience working within highly regulated environments such as FedRAMP High, IL4, IL5, or IL6 is a plus
• Current or previous Secret, Top Secret (TS), or TS/SCI clearance is advantageous
• Ability to access federal environments and/or protected federal data, with documentation establishing U.S. Person status required upon hire

Responsibilities

• Serve as a security subject matter expert (SME) for solution engineering and architecture reviews, particularly in detection, response, and enterprise security tooling
• Lead technical efforts to evaluate, design, and implement new enterprise security systems and feature enhancements
• Build, maintain, and improve custom automation and cloud infrastructure using Terraform or similar tools to support security workflows and enforce controls
• Develop integrations with APIs, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), and security infrastructure to enhance detection, response, and remediation capabilities
• Create and maintain scripts and automations, with a focus on Python-based solutions, to streamline security operations
• Establish monitoring and alerting mechanisms for security posture, misconfigurations, and threats across endpoints, SaaS, and cloud workloads
• Proactively identify security gaps and implement remediation strategies while staying current on emerging threats, solutions, and industry tooling
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure security best practices are embedded into infrastructure and application development
• Support compliance efforts through automation, policy-as-code, and automated evidence gathering in highly regulated environments

Benefits

• Competitive salary aligned with experience and location
• Equity options where applicable
• Performance bonus opportunities
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care
• Generous paid time off (PTO), parental leave, and holiday leave
• Immersive onboarding and continuous learning opportunities
• Inclusive and collaborative work environment supporting diversity and well-being

Equal Opportunity
Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable laws. If reasonable accommodation is needed during any part of the application, interview, or onboarding process, please submit a request using our designated accommodation form. We value diversity and are dedicated to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.