[Hiring] Security Engineer II, Application Security @Trail of Bits

Role Description

Trail of Bits seeks a Security Engineer II for our Application Security practice. You will conduct security assessments of client software, independently own substantial components or workstreams, identify and validate vulnerabilities across the application and system levels, and develop custom tooling alongside the team. You will own your analysis from discovery through client delivery and help clients understand and fix the issues you find.

This role bridges vulnerability research and applied security. Your work will be hands-on and autonomous:

• Analyzing complex code
• Building custom tooling
• Conducting threat modeling and architecture reviews
• Delivering findings that can withstand technical scrutiny

It is distinct from roles centered on security operations, SOC work, GRC, compliance, policy, audit, or general security programs. Candidates from broader or adjacent security backgrounds should be prepared to talk through sustained, hands-on code-level security work they have personally completed.

At the Security Engineer II level, you should be able to take an ambiguous component, module, or attack surface, determine how to assess it, perform the analysis, and deliver clear findings with limited day-to-day direction. You will collaborate with a project lead and other security engineers while exercising independent technical judgment and improving the work of the team around you.

What You'll Achieve

• Security Assessment Ownership: Independently lead assessments of substantial components, modules, or systems within client engagements and own the work from scoping through delivery.
• Vulnerability Discovery and Analysis: Find and validate vulnerabilities, establish root causes and exploitation paths, assess impact, and develop proof-of-concept code when appropriate.
• Custom Security Tooling: Design and build targeted tools, harnesses, tests, or automation that expand assessment coverage and improve repeatability.
• Architecture and Threat Modeling: Review complex software architectures, identify attack surfaces, data flows, trust and privilege boundaries, and recommend practical mitigations.
• Client Communication: Produce clear, actionable findings, defend the evidence behind them, and lead technical discussions with client engineering teams.
• Team Contribution: Review other engineers' code and analysis, share techniques, and help improve the team's technical approach.
• Research and Innovation: Contribute new methods, open-source tools, and technical writing to Trail of Bits and the broader security community.

Qualifications

• Typically 2+ years of directly relevant experience in application security, vulnerability research, security-focused software engineering, or a closely related area.
• Repeated vulnerability-discovery experience.
• Strong code-analysis skills across unfamiliar and complex codebases.
• Strong programming and debugging ability in at least two relevant languages.
• Working knowledge of memory-corruption vulnerabilities and mitigations.
• Strong systems knowledge, including operating systems and how applications interact with the platform.
• Demonstrated ability to independently scope and execute a code-level security-assessment workstream.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active or recent CTF participation, competition results, or comparable hands-on security challenges.
• Published vulnerability research, CVEs, responsible disclosures, bug bounty findings, conference presentations, or technical writeups.
• Contributions to open-source security tools, libraries, or research.
• Experience with mobile application security, mobile system internals, or binary analysis on mobile platforms.
• Experience assessing cloud platforms or infrastructure.
• Experience with kernel code, drivers, reverse engineering, fuzzing, symbolic execution, or other low-level systems work.
• Experience building security tools used by other engineers or across multiple assessments.
• Experience leading client-facing technical discussions or mentoring other security engineers.

Compensation

The base salary range for this full-time position is $140,000 to $180,000. This position is also eligible for a performance-based variable bonus. Compensation is informed by geographic location, relevant experience, and internal equity.

Benefits

• Competitive salary complemented by performance-based bonuses.
• Fully company-paid insurance packages, including health, dental, vision, disability, and life.
• A solid 401(k) plan with a 5% match of your base salary.
• 20 days of paid vacation with flexibility for more, adhering to jurisdictional regulations.
• 4 months of parental leave to cherish the arrival of new family members.
• $10,000 in relocation assistance if moving to NYC.
• $1,000 Working-from-Home stipend.
• Annual $750 Learning & Development stipend.
• Company-sponsored all-team celebrations.
• Philanthropic contribution matching up to $2,000 annually.