Staff Security Engineer

Google’s Silicon team is focused on keeping security at the core of modern devices, and this Staff Security Engineer role contributes directly to the protection of Tensor SoC and Pixel smartphones. You will help evaluate real-world risk through offensive security work, threat modeling, and rigorous security reviews, then partner with engineers to mitigate issues across both software and hardware layers.

As an engineering leader in this space, you will monitor for attacks and intrusions as part of a security organization that works with development teams to proactively identify and fix vulnerabilities. The work spans firmware and device-level components, with an emphasis on finding weaknesses, validating impact, and driving stronger system defenses.

About the role

• Staff Security Engineer position on Google’s Silicon team, supporting security for Tensor SoC and Pixel smartphones.
• Perform offensive security assessments, vulnerability research, threat modeling, security reviews, and vulnerability mitigation.
• Work with software and hardware engineers to identify security flaws and ensure fixes are implemented effectively.
• Engage in proactive security efforts across firmware and software stacks.

Responsibilities

• Conduct offensive security assessments, vulnerability research, and penetration testing across the Tensor SoC firmware and software stacks.
• Perform architecture and implementation-level threat modeling, design reviews, and security audits.
• Develop automated testing tools, fuzzers, and exploits to identify and validate hardware and software vulnerabilities.
• Partner cross-functionally with hardware, software, and product teams to design mitigation strategies and promote security best practices.
• Use system-level knowledge of software and hardware security to improve overall system security and attack resistance, proposing hardware/software mitigation strategies for vulnerabilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience with offensive security engineering (examples include penetration testing, threat modeling, vulnerability testing, or code-level security auditing).
• 8 years of coding experience in one or more general purpose languages (examples include C, C++, Python, or Rust).
• 3 years of experience leading teams in a technical capacity or leading technical risk analysis in an enterprise environment.
• Experience with embedded software, device drivers, kernels, or firmware.

Preferred qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience with reverse engineering, static analysis or dynamic analysis (fuzzing), and exploit development.
• Experience with security reviews, penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and finding and fixing security issues.
• Experience with commercial electronic devices, preferably smartphones.
• Knowledge of security engineering, computer and network security, authentication, security protocols, and applied cryptography.

Technology areas

• C, C++, Python, Rust
• Tensor SoC, Pixel smartphones
• Firmware, device drivers, kernels

Location and compensation

• Location: Mountain View, CA (onsite)
• Salary: USD 207,000 to 300,000 per year
• Benefits (US): $207000 - $300000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits
• Learn more about benefits at Google.