Senior Software Engineer, Application Security

Discord; United States; On-site; USD 196,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Relocation assistance

Benefits

Job summary

Discord is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for its Application Security team to protect user accounts and build secure, user-friendly experiences. You will design and ship full‑stack security features, strengthen authentication, and partner with product teams to drive safer user interactions.

You will lead cross‑functional security projects, work on production-grade security software, and stay current with WebAuthn, MFA, and session management while operating in Google Cloud.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience securing production applications.
• 3+ years of experience programming in at least one general-purpose language (Python/Go/Java/Rust).
• Hands-on experience shipping production software with security features, controls, frameworks, or guardrails.
• Hands-on experience with authentication and account security (WebAuthn, passkeys, MFA, session management).
• Ability to reason about security of complex systems and guide engineers on secure design.

Responsibilities

• Join an engineering team designing full-stack, user-facing security solutions protecting hundreds of millions of Discord users.
• Lead full-stack work to strengthen session security and authentication for Discord's users.
• Improve, operate, and maintain security-critical authentication services, ensuring correctness and security.
• Partner with Product teams to promote stronger authentication and ship user-facing account security tools.
• Identify and design solutions for emerging threats to user account security.
• Research and implement new security capabilities for the platform, staying current on authentication trends.
• Build security controls and tools emphasizing self-service, automation, and performance.

Skills

Security engineering

Python/Go/Java/Rust

Authentication security

Security project leadership

Cloud environments

Tools

WebAuthn

FIDO2

MFA

Session management

Job description

Discord has a highly engaged community of millions of daily active users who use the platform for many different reasons, but there's one thing that nearly everyone does: play video games. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming, and we are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to hang out before, during, and after playing games.

Discord empowers people to create spaces where they can find a sense of belonging in their lives. Millions of people trust Discord to keep their communications secure, private, and out of the hands of evildoers, so security and privacy are necessary to Discord's success.

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our Application Security team and protect Discord's users where it matters most, their accounts. If you are an engineer with a wealth of experience making the secure way the easy way, a deep sense of curiosity, and an endless desire to improve Discord, read on!

What you'll do

• Join an engineering team designing and implementing full-stack, user-facing security solutions that protect hundreds of millions of Discord users.
• Lead full-stack work to strengthen session security and authentication for Discord's users.
• Improve, operate, and maintain security-critical authentication services, owning their correctness and security.
• Partner with Product teams to drive adoption of stronger authentication and to ship user-facing account security tools.
• Identify and design solutions for emerging threats to user account security.
• Research and implement new security capabilities for the Discord platform, staying current on the authentication and session security landscape.
• Build security controls and tools that emphasize self-service, automation, and performance to help identify and mitigate account security flaws.

Who you are

• You have 5+ years of experience securing production applications.
• You have 3+ years of experience programming in at least one general-purpose programming language (e.g., Python, Go, Java, or Rust).
• You have hands-on experience building and shipping production software, including security features, controls, frameworks, or guardrails.
• You have hands-on experience with authentication and account security, such as WebAuthn, passkeys, FIDO2, MFA, and session management.
• You are comfortable reasoning about the security of complex systems, even if they contain components you aren't familiar with, and can give engineers clear, sound guidance on secure design and implementation.
• You have experience leading security projects with a cross-functional group.
• You have experience building or hardening client applications, such as desktop or native mobile apps.
• You have experience operating in cloud-based environments (we use Google Cloud, but experience with other platforms is okay too).

Bonus points

• Experience programming in at least one systems programming language (e.g. C, C++).
• Experience developing, operating, and debugging production systems.
• Familiarity with common application vulnerabilities on the platforms Discord ships on (that's all of them).

Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). Relocation assistance may be available.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $196,000 to $245,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord?
Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests, and helps developers build and grow their businesses. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.

Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord's collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clickingHERE.