The Role
We are looking for a Senior Director of Product Security to own and drive Apptronik's end-to-end product
security function. Reporting directly to the COO, you will have cross-functional authority across hardware
engineering, software, systems engineering, and external partnerships. You will build the program from the
ground up - establishing monitoring infrastructure, defining escalation protocols, and embedding security
requirements into how Apollo is designed, built, and deployed.
This is not a traditional IT or enterprise security role. You will be operating in a physical-AI product context
with a distinct mandate from the CIO, who owns enterprise and corporate security.
What You Will Do
Program Leadership
• Own Apptronik's product security strategy and roadmap, aligned to product and operational milestones
• Build and lead a product security team - hiring, mentoring, and defining org structure as the function
grows
• Serve as the primary security voice to the COO and executive team, communicating risk posture,
program status, and resource needs clearly
• Develop a product security charter that defines boundaries and working relationships with T&V, Systems
Engineering, and the CIO
Monitoring & Threat Detection
• Design and deploy monitoring frameworks for Apollo in both development and production/field
environments - covering firmware, runtime behaviors, communications, and physical interfaces
• Define telemetry and alerting requirements that enable early detection of anomalous behavior,
unauthorized access attempts, or integrity violations
• Establish continuous security testing pipelines integrated into hardware and software development
cycles, in coordination with T&V
Escalation & Incident Response
• Build and own the product security escalation framework: from initial detection through triage,
containment, customer notification, and remediation
• Define severity classifications, response SLAs, and communication protocols for security events
affecting deployed units or customer environments
• Lead tabletop exercises and red team efforts to stress-test escalation paths before incidents occur
Hardware & Software Security Requirements
• Translate security principles into concrete, actionable requirements for hardware and software -
covering secure boot chains, SoC and enclave security, physical attack surfaces, OS hardening, AI
model integrity, OTA update security, and inter-process communication
• Partner with HW, SW, and AI/ML engineering leads to review architectures early and drive
security-by-design practices
• Own the security review and sign-off process for new product features, third-party integrations, and
software releases
• Work with Systems Engineering to ensure security requirements are properly integrated into the
requirements flow-down process
Supply Chain & Vendor Security
• Assess security posture of hardware component suppliers, contract manufacturers, and third-party
software vendors
• Define contractual and technical security requirements for suppliers and AI stack partners - including
foundation model providers, cloud platforms, and data pipeline vendors
• Evaluate data ownership implications of robotics foundation model partnerships
OTA Update Security
• Own the security architecture for Apollo's over-the-air update mechanism - one of the
highest-consequence attack surfaces on a deployed physical robot
• Define requirements for update integrity verification, rollback protection, and secure delivery
infrastructure
Physical Security & Anti-Tamper
• Define tamper resistance requirements and anti-cloning protections for deployed units
• Protect Apptronik IP embedded in hardware and firmware from extraction or reverse engineering in the
field
Regulatory & Export Control Awareness
• Anticipate and track evolving regulatory requirements relevant to humanoid robotics - including ITAR,
EAR, and emerging AI/robotics regulations
• Advise on security implications of government, defense-adjacent, and international customer
engagements
Data Governance & Privacy
• Own the security posture around Apollo's operational and environmental data pipeline - from the robot
through to cloud storage and analytics
• Partner with the CIO on data governance frameworks where product and enterprise data intersect
Customer Security Enablement
• Help enterprise customers integrate Apollo into their security environments - including SOC integration,
access controls, and audit log requirements
• Serve as the primary security point of contact for customer security reviews and due diligence processes
• Establish a structured vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty program as Apollo scales
What We're Looking For
• 12+ years in security engineering or product security, with 5+ years leading security organizations -
including experience managing managers, owning budget, and defining team structure
• Demonstrated experience defining and building a security discipline in an emerging hardware or
physical-AI domain - where the threat model, requirements, and processes did not exist before you
arrived
• Deep experience securing embedded systems, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other physical-AI
products - you understand that software vulnerabilities here can have kinetic consequences
• Hands-on expertise across the stack: secure boot, firmware security, cryptographic key management,
network and communication security, and application-layer threats
• Strong background building security monitoring and incident response programs in production hardware
environments
• Track record of translating security risk into product and engineering requirements that teams actually
ship - and the organizational credibility to enforce them
• Experience with supply chain security assessments and third-party vendor risk management
• Familiarity with OTA update security architecture and the risks unique to field-deployed hardware
• Working knowledge of relevant regulatory frameworks: ITAR, EAR, IEC 62443, NIST, OWASP, CWE
• Excellent communication skills - you can present to the C-suite, debate trade-offs with a systems
architect, and write crisp requirements for an embedded engineer
Why This Role
You will define how Apptronik thinks about security as we scale - setting the bar for an industry that is still
determining what secure humanoid robotics means. You will have direct COO support, real cross-functional
authority, and the opportunity to build a program from scratch at a company shipping real hardware into the
real world.
Apptronik • Austin, TX • apptronik.com
*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.
