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Encryption Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Security Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120 - $160/hr

Own encryption and signing. Take ownership of our KMS, key management, BYOK, envelope encryption, and signing pipeline across both cloud and on‑prem deployments--operating, hardening, and evolving ...

Creating encryption zones ,managing encryption keys and copying data between the encryption zones. * Support projects/initiatives related to data acquisition, processing and utilization through Big ...

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Encryption information

See California salary details

$14

$26

$40

How much do encryption jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 27, 2026, the average hourly pay for encryption in California is $26.26, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $20.87 and $30.14 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an encryption specialist?

Encryption specialists are professionals who focus on protecting information by converting data into secure formats that can only be accessed by authorized individuals. They design, implement, and manage encryption protocols to safeguard sensitive information, such as financial records, personal data, and confidential communications. These specialists play a crucial role in cybersecurity by preventing unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyberattacks. Their expertise is essential for organizations that handle confidential information and need to comply with data protection regulations.

What are some of the most common challenges faced by professionals working in encryption roles?

Professionals in encryption roles often face challenges such as staying up-to-date with rapidly evolving cryptographic standards and threats, ensuring secure key management, and balancing security requirements with system performance. Collaboration with cross-functional teams is essential, as encryption specialists must work closely with software developers, IT administrators, and compliance officers to implement secure solutions. Additionally, translating complex encryption concepts into practical, user-friendly implementations can be demanding, especially when supporting non-technical stakeholders.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an encryption specialist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Encryption Specialist, you need a solid background in computer science, cryptography, and information security, often supported by a relevant degree or industry certifications like CISSP or CEH. Expertise in encryption algorithms, cryptographic protocols, and security tools such as OpenSSL, GnuPG, and PKI systems is typically required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills set top professionals apart in this field. These skills and qualities are crucial for ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and compliance with security standards in organizations.

What is the difference between Encryption vs Network Security Specialist?

AspectEncryptionNetwork Security Specialist
Primary FocusSecuring data through cryptographic methodsProtecting entire network infrastructure from threats
Required SkillsCryptography, algorithms, key managementFirewall configuration, intrusion detection, security protocols
CertificationsCertified Encryption Specialist, CISSPCISSP, CompTIA Security+
Work EnvironmentIT security teams, cybersecurity firmsNetwork operations centers, corporate IT departments

Encryption focuses on protecting data through cryptography, while Network Security Specialists oversee the broader security of network systems. Both roles are essential in cybersecurity but differ in scope and daily tasks.

What are popular job titles related to Encryption jobs in California?

For Encryption jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Encryption job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 83% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 8% Contract. Highlights an 77% Physical, 8% Hybrid, and 15% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $54,628 per year, or $26.3 per hour.

Software Engineer, Encryption

San Francisco, CA • On-site

SupportFinity™
51 - 200 employees

$120 - $160/hr

Other

Posted 8 days ago


Job description

About The Team

The Encryption team works across product, engineering, security, and safety to build advanced privacy products and infrastructure at OpenAI. Our mission is to provide world‑class security features to users so their private data remains private, even from OpenAI. We use technologies like client‑side encryption, hardware security modules (HSMs), and trusted execution environments (TEEs), and design modern crypto, storage, and authentication protocols to ship product features across ChatGPT and our future consumer devices.

About The Role

We’re looking for software engineers to design, build, and scale novel privacy features and infrastructure across ChatGPT and our future consumer devices.

In This Role, You Will
  • Ship fast while balancing difficult trade‑offs in complex domains
  • Build core abstractions for encrypted storage, sync, and recovery, especially when paired with inference in trusted execution environments
  • Build product features for authentication, encryption, and storage across ChatGPT and future consumer devices
  • Build and maintain infrastructure for hardware security modules (HSMs)
  • Integrate with private inference and computing infrastructure
  • Operate systems at scale with high reliability, including an on‑call rotation
  • Collaborate with a diverse set of cross‑functional teams across product, engineering, security, safety, policy, and legal
You Might Thrive In This Role If You
  • Care deeply about user privacy and security
  • Have 5+ years of experience in professional software engineering
  • Have experience designing end‑to‑end encryption protocols (e.g. Labyrinth)
  • Have experience building intuitive authentication experiences for users
  • Have experience building and scaling HSM infra under strict security requirements (e.g. Juicebox)
  • Take pride in building and operating scalable, reliable, secure systems
  • Can collaborate well and drive alignment in the face of difficult trade‑offs
  • Are comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change
Workplace & Location

This role may be based in San Francisco, CA or remotely in the US with occasional travel to our HQ. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general‑purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US‑based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non‑public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non‑compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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