Trail of Bits

Engineering Director, Application Security

Trail of Bits$250K — $300K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in security with focus on source code audits
  • Recent hands-on security experience within the past year
  • Experience leading teams of 8+ engineers in a consulting environment
  • Proficient in at least 4 programming languages including Rust, Go, and Python
  • Track record of managing project profitability and staffing
  • Experience fostering team development and visibility in the security community
  • Familiarity with AI coding and analysis tools

Responsibilities

  • Lead technical delivery and manage quality of engagements
  • Make project assignment decisions balancing client needs and team development
  • Create opportunities for engineers to present, publish, and contribute to open source
  • Set technical direction and invest in team capability development
  • Integrate AI into workflows to enhance auditing and research efficiency

Benefits

  • Competitive salary with performance-based bonuses
  • Fully company-paid health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance
  • 401(k) plan with 5% salary match
  • 20 days of paid vacation with flexibility
  • 4 months of parental leave
  • $10,000 relocation assistance for NYC move
  • $1,000 stipend for home office setup
  • $750 annual learning and development stipend
  • Company-sponsored team celebrations
  • Philanthropic contribution matching up to $2,000 annually
Full Job Description
Role

You will lead Trail of Bits' Application Security practice: a team of 12 security engineers who perform code audits, vulnerability research, and secure design reviews for some of the most technically demanding clients in the industry.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will personally review audit findings, guide technical approaches, and maintain the credibility to engage with sophisticated clients who expect their security partner to operate at their level. You will own the practice's financial performance, project staffing, and team development.

Your team works on source code. They do static analysis, manual code review, fuzzing, and protocol-level vulnerability research across Rust, Go, C/C++, Python, Solidity, and JavaScript. You need to be able to do this work yourself, not just manage people who do it.

What You'll Achieve
  • Lead technical delivery. Own the quality and profitability of every engagement your team ships. Review findings, guide technical direction on complex audits, and step in when projects need senior expertise. Maintain direct relationships with your most important clients.
  • Staff and grow the practice. Make project assignment decisions that balance engineer development, client needs, and profitability. Manage utilization, identify when to hire, and build the pipeline through the intern program and recruiting. Own the practice's P&L.
  • Develop your engineers. Create space for your team to present at conferences, publish research, contribute to open source tools, and advance their careers. Identify and remove obstacles. Your success is measured by their output, not yours.
  • Set technical direction. Decide where the practice invests in tooling, methodology, and capability development. Stay hands-on enough to know what's working and what isn't. Ensure the team's approach evolves with the threat landscape and client needs.
  • Integrate AI into the practice. Champion and model the use of AI tools across your team's workflows. Help engineers adopt AI-assisted auditing, reporting, and research practices that amplify their effectiveness.


What You'll Bring
  • 10+ years in security, including significant time performing source code audits, not only penetration testing
  • Recent, demonstrable hands-on security work (code review, vulnerability research, tool development) within the last 12 months
  • Experience leading a team of 8+ engineers through client engagements with direct financial accountability
  • Proficiency in at least 4 of: Rust, Go, Python, C/C++, Solidity, JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Track record of managing project profitability, utilization, and staffing decisions in a consulting environment
  • Experience building team members' careers and external visibility (conference talks, publications, open source contributions)
  • Proficiency with AI coding and analysis tools in your own work
  • Active contributions to the security community (research, tools, advisories, publications)


The base salary for this full-time position ranges from $250,000 to $300,000. This position will come with great benefits and strong bonus potential in addition to the salary above. Various factors influence our salary ranges, including the specific role, level of seniority, geographic location, and the nature of the employment contract. An individual's specific work location, unique skills, experience, and relevant educational background will determine the final offer within this range. The presented salary range encompasses the starting salaries for all U.S. locations. For a precise salary estimate tailored to your preferred location, please discuss it with your recruiter during the hiring process.

Benefits
Benefits, Perks & Wellness

Trail of Bits is our people, not a place. With over 100+ employees working from every time zone across the globe, our remote-first culture is built on autonomy and trust (and backed by smile-worthy benefits) for full-time employees:

Empowered Living:
  • Competitive salary complemented by performance-based bonuses.
  • Fully company-paid insurance packages, including health, dental, vision, disability, and life.
  • A solid 401(k) plan with a 5% match of your base salary.
  • 20 days of paid vacation with flexibility for more, adhering to jurisdictional regulations.


Nurturing New Beginnings:
  • 4 months of parental leave to cherish the arrival of new family members.
  • Our team is global and remote-first. However, if you are interested in moving to NYC, we offer $10,000 in relocation assistance to support your transition.


Work & Life Enrichment:
  • $1,000 Working-from-Home stipend to create a comfortable and productive home office.
  • Annual $750 Learning & Development stipend for continuous personal and professional growth.
  • Company-sponsored all-team celebrations, including travel and accommodation, to foster community and recognize achievements.


Community Impact:
  • Philanthropic contribution matching up to $2,000 annually.

About Trail of Bits

Trail of Bits is a computer security company that was founded in 2012. The company is based in New York, New York and provides services such as security assessments, penetration testing, and incident response to clients in various industries including finance, healthcare, and technology. Trail of Bits is known for its contributions to open source security tools such as the Binary Analysis Platform (BAP) and the Macintosh Security Assessment Framework (MASAF). The company has also conducted research on topics such as blockchain security and vulnerability discovery.
Learn more about Trail of Bits
Size
50 employees
Industry
Founded
2012

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Trail of Bits

More Information Technology Jobs

Find similar Engineering Director, Application Security jobs: