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Security Engineer

Engineering Security Engineering Paid assignment

A security engineer hiring process built around a time-boxed, paid CTF-style challenge scored on a fixed rubric instead of certifications.

Why this works:

  • A calibrated practical challenge measures the skill directly instead of trusting a certification as a proxy for it
  • The writeup counts as much as the flags: explaining a vulnerability, its impact, and the fix is the actual job
  • Independent rubric scoring makes every candidate comparable and the hiring decision auditable
  • Identity-verified references defend against deepfake candidates and fake-worker hiring fraud
  • Structured security assessment is core to Kit: the same platform runs bug bounty and vulnerability disclosure programs, so scoring security findings is what it does all day

Best for: AppSec, product security, and detection engineering hires
Timeline: ~2 weeks
Candidate effort: 4-6 hours (paid)

Process stages

This template includes 6 stages that candidates move through:

1

Application

Submit Application

Tell us about your security background. Real-world work counts more than certifications: link writeups, CVEs, CTF profiles, or disclosure program findings.

2

CTF Challenge

Code Assignment

A time-boxed, paid CTF-style challenge calibrated to the role: find, exploit, and document a handful of realistic vulnerabilities in an environment we provide. Your writeup is weighted as heavily as the flags you capture, so explain your methodology, assess severity honestly, and propose fixes an engineer could act on. The time box is a few focused hours, scheduled anywhere in the window, and you’ll be paid for your time regardless of outcome.

3

Rubric Review

Team Review

Reviewers score your challenge independently against a fixed rubric: correctness, methodology, writeup quality, severity judgment, and scope discipline. Scores are compared only after everyone has graded.

4

Technical Interview

Interview

A conversation built on your challenge submission: we’ll probe the reasoning behind your findings, then work through threat modeling and incident scenarios together.

75 min
5

Identity-Verified References

Reference Check

We’ll speak with two references, reached through independently verified channels, and confirm your identity on a live video call. Security hires are a real target for impersonation fraud, so we verify that the person we evaluated is the person we hire.

6

Offer

Offer

We’ll present you with an offer to join the team.

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