Platform Security Tech Lead: Root of Trust & Secure Boot

Digitailor; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 187,000 - 268,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a Technical Leader to own platform security across hardware, firmware, Linux, and networking OS such as SONiC. You will shape architecture, drive secure boot, attestation, and key lifecycle management to establish a trusted foundation from manufacturing through deployment.

You will mentor teams, perform threat modeling, and collaborate across hardware, firmware, and software to integrate security into every layer of the platform.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 8 years related experience, or Master’s/PhD with progressive related experience.
• 5+ years C/C++ and Python/shell, with debugging across firmware, Linux, and hardware layers.
• 8+ years platform, firmware, or system security.
• 5+ years of expertise in UEFI Secure Boot, Linux boot/kernel architectures, and hardware Root of Trust.

Responsibilities

• Define comprehensive platform security strategies (Root of Trust, Secure/Measured Boot, attestation, firmware integrity, key lifecycle management).
• Drive the implementation of UEFI Secure Boot (PK, KEK, db, dbx), including enrollment, rotation, revocation, and debug processes.
• Integrate security protocols into Linux and SONiC environments (ONIE, kernel integrity, drivers, firmware updates).
• Define and manage manufacturing and field provisioning of keys and certificates to ensure platform identity.
• Conduct threat modeling, lead security reviews, and mentor engineering teams across hardware, firmware, and software domains.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Shell

Linux

Firmware

Security

UEFI Secure Boot

Root of Trust

OpenBMC

Caliptra/DICE

PKI/X.509

Kernel signing

NPU platforms

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Master’s degree in related field

PhD in related field

Tools

OpenBMC

Caliptra/DICE

PKI/X.509

Kernel signing

NPU platforms

Job description

Cisco is seeking a Technical Leader to own platform security across hardware, firmware, Linux, and networking OS such as SONiC. You will shape architecture, drive secure boot, attestation, and key lifecycle management to establish a trusted foundation from manufacturing through deployment.

You will mentor teams, perform threat modeling, and collaborate across hardware, firmware, and software to integrate security into every layer of the platform.