Senior Embedded Security Engineer

Role: Senior Embedded Security Engineer

Location: Foster City, CA

Duration: Long term Contract

Work Arrangement: 5 Days Onsite

Job Description

We are looking for an Embedded Systems Security Engineer to implement security solutions to harden our next-generation embedded Linux platform.

In this role, you will bridge the gap between low-level hardware security, kernel hardening, and secure user-space application containment.

You will not only design cryptographic defense mechanisms but will also automate security pipelines in CI/CD and partner directly with manufacturing teams to ensure devices are provisioned securely and reliably at scale without production risks.

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Platform Hardening & Architecture

Design and implement the Hardware Root of Trust and Secure Boot architecture from the first-stage bootloader through the Linux kernel.

2. Storage & Integrity Management

Implement dm-verity for cryptographically verified read-only root filesystems and secure data encryption at rest.

3. Trusted Execution Environments

Develop, integrate, and maintain a TEE (e.g., OP-TEE) and author Secure/Trusted Applications (TAs).

4. Application Sandboxing

Enforce strict user-space isolation and sandboxing strategies using SELinux, AppArmor, cgroups, namespaces, and seccomp filters to protect core systems from untrusted applications.

5. DevSecOps Automation

Build automated cryptographic signing pipelines within CI/CD infrastructure (e.g., GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) to securely sign bootloaders, kernels, and OTA payloads using HSMs or secure key vaults.

6. Production Provisioning Support

Collaborate with manufacturing teams to write robust scripts and tools for burning permanent hardware configuration fuses (eFuses / OTP memory) securely.

Design end-of-line (EOL) test software to validate security features before shipping.

7. System Resilience

Architect multi-slot boot recovery layouts (e.g., A/B partitioning) to guarantee fail-safe resilience against failed OTA updates or corrupted boots.

Qualifications

1. Core Experience

6+ years of professional experience in Embedded Linux development, board bring-up, and Board Support Package (BSP) customization.

2. Security Focus

3+ years of dedicated, hands-on experience deploying device-level security features into physical production hardware.

3. Low-Level Systems

Expert knowledge of bootloader configurations (e.g., U-Boot, Verified Boot, Barebox) and customizing the Linux kernel storage/security subsystem (dm-crypt, dm-verity).

4. Hardware Security Architecture

Deep understanding of modern processor security architectures, specifically ARM TrustZone (ARMv7-A / ARMv8-A, Exception Levels EL1–EL3).

5. Sandboxing & Access Controls

Proven track record implementing SELinux/AppArmor policies and utilizing standard Linux container tools (cgroups, namespaces).

6. Build Automation

Proficiency with embedded Linux build automation frameworks such as the Yocto Project (BitBake recipe design) or Buildroot.

7. Programming

Advanced proficiency in C and strong scripting skills in Python or Bash.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Cryptography Expertise

Strong foundational knowledge of symmetric/asymmetric cryptography, hashing algorithms (SHA-256/384), public key infrastructure (PKI), and handling physical Hardware Security Modules (HSMs).

2. Manufacturing Scale

Prior experience working with Contract Manufacturers (CMs) or internal factory lines to deploy secure key-injection and fuse-burning protocols.

3. Advanced Sandboxing

Experience with embedded container runtimes (e.g., LXC, crun) or lightweight sandboxing frameworks tailored for resource-constrained architectures.

4. Anti-Rollback Protection

Experience designing secure versioning and hardware-enforced anti-rollback strategies for OTA updates.

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer or Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field.