Secure Systems Engineer - Platform Architecture Security Team

Apple Inc.; Cupertino (CA); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 278,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock programs

Discretionary bonuses

Relocation assistance

Education reimbursement

Medical and dental coverage

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Cupertino is seeking a Secure Systems Engineer within the Platform Architecture Security Team to define the architecture and operate distributed systems that enforce security policy for Apple products.

You will lead threat modeling, policy enforcement, and cross‑functional collaboration to ensure end‑to‑end security while maintaining availability. This role emphasizes hands‑on engineering with growth into architectural leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent job experience.
• Experience applying security practices to design, development, or operation of production services.
• Experience with Python or Go.
• Experience conducting security reviews, threat modeling, or identifying vulnerabilities in complex distributed systems.
• Experience with cryptography and security protocols (PKI, TLS, Key Management, Secure Boot or Authentication/Authorization).

Responsibilities

• Define the security requirements and drive the security architecture for distributed systems enforcing product security policy.
• Identify threats and develop threat models for services.
• Manage security policy and interactions with Apple products to ensure end-to-end security.
• Build prototypes and tooling to validate security designs and automate policy enforcement.
• Lead cross-functional teams through the service lifecycle ensuring security without sacrificing availability and performance.
• Advocate for robust security design and best practices across teams.
• Communicate effectively with engineering teams to advocate security requirements under pressure.
• Tackle unfamiliar systems and adapt to keep security initiatives moving forward.

Skills

Python

Go

cryptography

threat modeling

security architecture reviews

C/C++

Distributed systems

DevOps / IaC

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / Computer Engineering or related field

Tools

CI/CD

Infrastructure as Code

Job description

Secure Systems Engineer - Platform Architecture Security Team

Cupertino, California, United States Hardware

At Apple, our Platform Architecture group is responsible for connecting our hardware, software, and servers into one unified system. You’ll join a team of architects who are dedicated to securing the world’s most advanced consumer devices. Our products are trusted for storing personal data, and our goal is to ensure cutting‑edge safeguards for our users. The services our team supports exist to make those products secure: they establish the trust each device depends on, from the factory floor through every day in a customer’s hands. We’re looking for dedicated and inspired individuals to help improve on the security of Apple’s products.

Description

In this role, you will define the architecture and oversee the operation of distributed systems that set and enforce security policy for the development, manufacture, deployment, and operation of Apple products, ultimately driving continuous security improvements for these products. This role is largely self‑directed and suits an engineer with deep hands‑on experience building and operating secure systems who is ready to grow into an architectural role.

Responsibilities

• Define the security requirements and drive the security architecture for the distributed systems that set and enforce Apple’s product security policy.
• Identify emerging threats and develop threat models for those services.
• Manage the security policy enforced by those services, reasoning about how they interact with Apple products to ensure end‑to‑end security guarantees are upheld.
• Build prototypes and tooling to validate security designs and automate policy enforcement.
• Lead cross‑functional teams throughout the service lifecycle, from design through deployment and operation, to resolve system‑level issues without sacrificing security or compromising availability and performance.
• Use a wide range of interpersonal and technical skills to champion robust security design and best practices across the teams that build and operate those services.
• Leverage strong written and oral communication skills to partner with engineering teams, demonstrating the confidence to advocate for security requirements even under pressure.
• Apply natural curiosity and a problem‑solving mindset to tackle unfamiliar systems and ambiguous project scopes, adapting quickly to keep security initiatives moving forward.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, related engineering degree or equivalent job‑related experience.
• Experience applying security practices to the design, development, or operation of production services.
• Experience with common programming languages such as Python or Go.
• Experience conducting security architecture reviews, threat modeling, or identifying vulnerabilities in complex distributed systems.
• Experience with cryptography and security protocols, including at least two of the following: PKI, TLS, Key Management, Secure Boot, or Authentication/Authorization.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Ability to understand complex systems, employing strong critical thinking skills to identify security issues in implementation and architecture.
• Knowledge of cryptographic principles (e.g., symmetric vs asymmetric crypto, confidentiality vs integrity) and technologies such as authentication and authorization, key management, TLS, certificate lifecycle management, secure boot, and PKI.
• Experience designing and developing secure services and scalable infrastructure for highly available applications, such as distributed systems, micro‑services, and cloud platforms.
• Familiarity with, or practical application of, threat modeling methodologies such as STRIDE or Trike.
• DevOps experience, such as continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), infrastructure as code (IaC), or automation of development, testing, and deployment pipelines.
• Ability to track emerging security trends and threats and proactively incorporate them into PKI architecture and signing policy to stay ahead of evolving risks.
• Experience with systems programming languages such as C or C++.

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $184,700 and $277,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.