Secure Design Engineer, SEAR

Cupertino Until 9/21/2026 3+ years exp First posted July 23, 2026 Last posted July 23, 2026
Job description

Embedded within Apple’s Security Engineering & Architecture organization, the Secure Design team’s mission is to ensure that the software we ship to our customers is secure. We believe that when it comes to building the world's most secure operating systems, collaboration is key. We're looking for a talented and inspired individual to join our group of security engineers to attack Apple's products before they ship, with the goal of better safeguarding our users. You’ll become part of an exceptional organization focusing on securing Apple’s platforms at every layer: hardware and firmware, the kernel and core runtime, applications, and agentic features. Working with some of the best engineers in the world, your influence will have a direct positive impact on the security of Apple's extraordinary products, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. From consulting on both hardware and software, threat modeling, identifying vulnerabilities in code and collaborating on designs, the job is as diverse as it is critical. This position requires someone with strong technical abilities and a passionate desire to secure systems by showing how they can be broken. We design and secure software for hundreds of millions of users. We make products that people LOVE. We are committed to user privacy and security. We have some of the most creative, passionate, hardworking engineers in the industry. We challenge each other to go beyond the norm to find new, innovative ways of solving problems and to make software safer, easier, and more fun to use. Not many jobs can offer all of these things. Security engineering jobs at Apple do, and much more.

Description

You will be a technical specialist responsible for securing new products that Apple ships to its customers, with a focus on software security.

Work cooperatively and build relationships with other parts of Apple on a broad range of technologies and initiatives to enhance security.

Design new and innovative ways of increasing security and privacy while preserving ease-of-use and ensuring the quality of the user experience.

Work with engineers to analyze systems, threat model new features, identify security vulnerabilities in implementation, and recommend security controls to ensure customer protection.

Evangelize and drive the adoption of these technologies across the organization.

Lead ground breaking security efforts at a scale only found at Apple.

Minimum Qualifications

Passionate about keeping Apple’s customers safe, with high ethical standards and integrity
Familiarity with threat modelling and security architecture design
Experience with using agentic coding tools to perform code reviews and software security testing
Motivated by pursuing, and prioritizing, difficult and novel problems in a highly complex environment
Effective communicator, able to influence and partner with engineering teams and decision makers to accomplish security goals
Keeps up to date with new security research, technologies and methodologies
Highly reciprocal and an excellent communicator
Bachelors in Computer Science, or 3 years equivalent practical experience

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with engineering teams to build secure software
Understands security engineering, software delivery, and SDLC
Proficiency in OS internals and modern mitigation techniques
Programming background, in C, C++, Objective-C, and/or Swift
An understanding of past, current, and emerging security exploit trends, including attacks against agentic software features

About this role

Summary

Secure Apple products by analyzing systems, threat modeling, identifying vulnerabilities, and designing security controls.

Job title

Secure Design Engineer, SEAR

Experience level

3+ years

Minimum experience

3+ years exp

Industry

software

Location requirements

Cupertino, on-site only, no remote work allowed

Salary

Not specified

Management role

No

Skills & keywords

Required skills

threat modelingsecurity architecturecode reviewssoftware security testingCC++Objective-CSwift

Preferred skills

secure softwareSDLCOS internalssecurity exploits

Specializations

security architecturethreat modelingsoftware security testingOS internalsmitigation techniques
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

Cupertino, CA, USA

On-site City