Staff Hardware Security Engineer

Arm Limited; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Arm Limited is seeking a hands‑on Hardware Security Engineer to support the security of SoC hardware platforms within the Product Security team.

You will perform technical analysis, demos, and tooling to assess hardware security across complex SoCs, collaborating across architecture, silicon design, and firmware teams to improve platform security.

Qualifications

• Experience in offensive security, vulnerability research, or low‑level systems security.
• Deep knowledge of microarchitecture and SoC design principles.
• Experience reviewing architectural specifications and RTL for security behaviors.
• Strong understanding of modern SoC architectures, security boundaries, privilege levels, and hardware isolation.
• Experience analysing hardware interfaces and platform components such as debug infrastructure and secure boot.

Responsibilities

• Carry out hands‑on security assessments of SoC hardware components and security features, including trust anchors and isolation mechanisms.
• Identify and analyse security issues using architecture review, hardware interface analysis, and experimental testing.
• Develop proof‑of‑concept demonstrations showing system‑level impact of hardware weaknesses.
• Apply and grow knowledge of hardware security techniques for silicon security and trust architectures.
• Develop and maintain tools and methodologies for hardware security evaluation and experimentation.
• Collaborate with architecture, silicon design, firmware, and platform teams to communicate findings and support mitigations.

Skills

Offensive security

Low-level security

RTL review

Hardware isolation

C programming

Documentation

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

JTAG

SWD

Lab instrumentation

Job description

Job Description:

We are looking for a hands‑on Hardware Security Engineer to support the security of SoC hardware platforms. This role is part of the Arm Product Security team and focuses on identifying problems in silicon level security features, understanding their impact, and working in partnership with architecture and silicon teams to help improve the overall security of our platforms.

In this role, you will chip in through detailed technical analysis, proof‑of‑concept demonstrations, and tooling that supports the assessment and improvement of hardware security features across sophisticated SoC platforms. You will work in a team that values collaboration, learning, and thoughtful problem‑solving.

Responsibilities:

• Carry out hands‑on security assessments of SoC hardware components and security features, including trust anchors, debug interfaces, and isolation mechanisms
• Identify and analyse hardware security issues using approaches such as architecture review, hardware interface analysis, and experimental testing
• Develop proof‑of‑concept demonstrations that illustrate realistic system‑level impact of hardware weaknesses
• Apply and grow knowledge of hardware security techniques relevant to silicon security, privilege boundaries, and trust architectures
• Develop and maintain tools and methodologies that support hardware security evaluation and experimentation
• Collaborate closely with architecture, silicon design, firmware, and platform teams to clearly communicate findings and support effective mitigations

Required Experience:

• Practical experience in offensive security, vulnerability research, or low‑level systems security
• Deep knowledge in microarchitecture and SoC design principles
• Experience reviewing architectural specifications and RTL for security‑relevant behaviour
• Strong understanding of modern SoC architectures, including security boundaries, privilege levels, and hardware isolation mechanisms
• Experience analysing hardware interfaces and platform components such as debug infrastructure, secure boot root of trust, or system interconnects
• Familiarity with hardware debug interfaces (e.g., JTAG, SWD) and relevant hardware attack techniques
• Experience working with low‑level programming languages such as C, with working knowledge of assembly language (preferably Arm)
• Understanding of hardware‑software interactions and how security properties are enforced across system layers
• Ability to write clear, well‑structured technical reports and document security findings
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a diverse, inclusive team

Nice To Have Skills and Experience:

• Experience with Arm‑based platforms and SoC security architectures
• Familiarity with hardware security analysis techniques such as fault injection and side‑channel analysis
• Experience using laboratory equipment and tooling for hardware experimentation and debugging
• Exposure to silicon bring‑up environments or hardware validation workflows
• Contributions to internal or external hardware security research, tools, or vulnerability disclosures

Equal Opportunities at Arm

Arm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and colleagues. We are a diverse organization of dedicated and innovative individuals, and don’t discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.