Software Engineer, Agent Auth

Vercel

. Design, build, and operate identity, authentication, and authorization systems powering Vercel and its customers for people and agents.

Posted 11/3/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $196,000 - $294,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in designing and operating identity, authentication, and authorization systems, with a strong focus on security and scalability. Proficient in JavaScript/TypeScript and experienced in building secure APIs and services while collaborating across teams to enhance developer experience.

Highest-signal resume keywords

JavaScript/TypeScript ProficiencyAuthentication And Authorization ConceptsSecure API DevelopmentEnd-To-End Project OwnershipCross-Team Collaboration

ATS Keywords

Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

Backend System DesignOAuth 2.xOIDCSecrets ManagementThreat ModelingPermission ModelsSession ManagementScalable API DevelopmentClean Code PracticesArchitectural Tradeoffs

Soft Skills

CuriosityCollaborationProblem-SolvingAdaptabilityCommunication

Tools & Technologies

AWSTerraformReactNext.jsOpen Source Contributions

Industry Keywords

Identity ProvidersAuth PlatformsAccess-Control SystemsDelegated AuthorizationWorkload Identity

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSJavaScriptNext.jsOpen SourceReactTerraformTypeScript

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design, build, and operate identity, authentication, and authorization systems powering Vercel and its customers for people and agents.
Shape how agents prove identity, act on behalf of users and teams, and receive scoped, time-bound, auditable access.
Build secure, scalable APIs, services, and SDKs for developers and their agents.
Work with OAuth 2.x, OIDC, and agent-focused protocols, and help influence their evolution.
Lead projects end-to-end by identifying opportunities, setting technical direction, and delivering security, reliability, and developer-experience improvements.
Partner with product, security, and platform teams across Vercel.
Participate in the on-call rotation and own reliability of critical systems.
Contribute to open source and community discussions on agent identity and trust.
Write clean, efficient, tested, and well-documented code.

Requirements

What you’ll need

3+ years of experience designing, building, and operating backend systems in production at scale.
Strong proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, or a comparable backend language and willingness to work primarily in TypeScript.
Solid understanding of authentication and authorization concepts, including sessions, tokens, OAuth/OIDC flows, permission models, and secrets management.
Security-minded engineering approach, including threat models, least privilege, and failure modes.
Track record of end-to-end ownership from design and implementation through long-term operation.
Ability to reason about architectural tradeoffs and balance long-term vision with pragmatic delivery.
Strong cross-team collaboration skills and ability to drive alignment toward shared goals.
Curiosity and comfort working in a fast-moving space.
Experience with identity providers, auth platforms, or access-control systems used by other developers is a bonus.
Experience with delegated authorization, workload identity, service-to-service auth, or machine credentials is a bonus.
Experience with LLM-powered agents, tool calling, or MCP is a bonus.
Experience with AWS and Terraform is a bonus.
Familiarity with React or Next.js is a bonus.
Open-source or standards-body contributions are a bonus.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive compensation package, including equity.
Inclusive Healthcare Package.
Mentorship and attendance at events to build network and skills.
Flexible Time Off.
Gear needed to perform the role.
WFH budget to outfit your workspace.