Senior Security Engineer - Hardware

Do you enjoy finding unique security issues? Do you enjoy protecting customers at scale? On the AWS Penetration Testing team, you will be responsible for the delivery of continuous assessments. You will be asked to solve complex technology problems, build tools to automate your way out of manual efforts, and influence the way Amazon services respond to and mitigate threats.

AWS Security is on the cutting edge of many security issues for a wide variety of platforms and technologies including cloud services, Internet of things (IoT), identity and access management, mobile devices, virtualization and custom hardware, all operating at massive scale. Similarly, our highly collaborative team is committed to each team member’s growth as our business grows.

We are looking for a technically deep Senior Security Engineer to help secure our foundational platforms with an emphasis on hardware. You will be responsible for conducting security reviews including hands on security evaluations (penetration testing), analyzing threat models, and developing tooling that will help detect security issues at scale.

You should be comfortable diving into complex engineering discussions, and leveraging deep security expertise to ensure proper risk assessment and threat analysis is performed. You will provide crystal-clear technical direction and risk mitigation guidance for diverse engineering and business leaders at all levels.

By applying your hard-earned years of practical security engineering expertise in projects related to securing hardware, you will literally shape the future of cloud computing.

A Senior Security Engineer at Amazon is expected to be strong in multiple domains and provide significant contributions to the AWS Security team and to multiple groups throughout Amazon. Security engineers are expected to identify security issues in our hardware and recommend solutions to mitigate the issues. You also work on challenging security projects by applying appropriate technologies while following security engineering best practices. You are also expected to mentor more junior engineers and be a security thought leader for the organization.

A Senior Security Engineer should foster constructive dialogue and seek resolution when confronted with discordant views. Engineers in this role are expected to participate fully in the planning of the AWS Security team's work and constantly seek opportunities for process improvement. They should also have a deep understanding of at least one specialty for which they are a sought-out resource (both within AWS Security and by groups throughout Amazon), while having an understanding of the application of information security in a broad range of technical areas.

You will need a combination of troubleshooting, technical, and communication skills, as well as the ability to handle a mix of disparate tasks which may include project and software development work. This role will provide career growth opportunities as you gain new security skills in the course of your duties.

**This role is open to alternative locations including: Herndon, VA – Arlington, VA – Atlanta, GA - Austin, TX**

Key job responsibilities

• Security reviews for hardware including servers and devices
• Penetration testing & vulnerability research
• Threat modeling
• Security training and outreach to internal development teams
• Security guidance documentation
• Assistance with recruiting activities

About the team
Inclusive Team Culture
Here at AWS, we embrace our differences. We are committed to furthering our culture of inclusion. We have ten employee-led affinity groups, reaching 40,000 employees in over 190 chapters globally. We have innovative benefit offerings, and host annual and ongoing learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences. Amazon’s culture of inclusion is reinforced within our 16 Leadership Principles, which remind team members to seek diverse perspectives, learn and be curious, and earn trust.

Work/Life Balance
Our team puts a high value on work-life balance. It isn’t about how many hours you spend at home or at work; it’s about the flow you establish that brings energy to both parts of your life. We believe striking the right balance between your personal and professional life is critical to life-long happiness and fulfillment. We offer flexibility in working hours and encourage you to find your own balance between your work and personal lives.

Mentorship & Career Growth
Our team is dedicated to supporting new members. We have a broad mix of experience levels and tenures, and we’re building an environment that celebrates knowledge sharing and mentorship. We care about your career growth and strive to assign projects based on what will help each team member develop into a better-rounded professional and enable them to take on more complex tasks in the future.

Basic Qualifications

* BS in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent work experience
* Minimum of 5 years of experience in Security Engineering or Development of Security capabilities, supporting engineering projects from concept to delivery, and 2 years in two or more of the following technical categories:

• Virtualization security (Xen, KVM, QEMU)
• Hardware security (PCB, JTAG, UART, SPI, ROM, microcode, custom ASIC/FPGA)
• x86 and/or ARM chipset and firmware security (TPM, UEFI, TrustZone, Secure Boot, PCIe)
• Security testing of compute platforms (Server, PC or Mobile)

Preferred Qualifications

• MS in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field, or equivalent work experience
• Demonstrated ability to prepare technical specifications and executive-ready communications
• Demonstrated understanding of crypto basics (encryption, signing, certificates, common algorithms)
• Experience using AWS core services (EC2, S3, IAM, Kinesis, Lambda, KMS, VPC, etc)
• Experience designing for relevant security standards (TCG, IEEE, NIST, FIPS, PCI, ISO 28000 series)
• Experience designing for crypto security (e.g. certificate handling and PKI, attestation, TPM/HSM)
• Experience leading enterprise security risk management and operational business continuity programs
• Expert knowledge of Windows, Linux, and hypervisor security (especially in cloud environments) - Expert knowledge of common security-relevant protocols (e.g. SSH, TLS, DNS, DHCP, NTP, ICMP)
• Spectacular track record of complex project delivery, effective organization, and executive maturity
• Meets/exceeds Amazon’s leadership principles requirements for this role
• Meets/exceeds Amazon’s functional/technical depth and complexity for this role

Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us.


Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $136,000/year in our lowest geographic market up to $247,600/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.