Staff Application Security Engineer

The Application Security team is at the forefront of building security into every phase of the software development lifecycle at Anthropic. In this hands-on technical role, you will partner closely with our software engineers and researchers to ensure that security is a core consideration from initial design through implementation.

You will lead threat modeling and secure design reviews to proactively identify and mitigate risks early, and help with continuous risk assessment. You will build tools and systems to support developers shipping code securely, adhering to secure coding best practices. Your insights will shape our tooling, detection capabilities, and defenses against emerging threats to AI/ML.

You’ll develop the standards, processes, and educational resources that enable all Anthropic engineers to be security champions. This high-impact role demands a security practitioner who can think like an attacker, has a developer mindset, and can build strong relationships.

• Help secure AI products and internal tools that are introducing industry-novel security risks and pushing established security boundaries.
• Lead “shift left” security efforts to build security into the software development lifecycle.
• Conduct secure design reviews and threat modeling. Identify and prioritize risks, attack surfaces, and vulnerabilities.
• Develop tooling to scale security code reviews and respond to developer questions, including advising developers on remediating vulnerabilities and following secure coding practices.
• Manage Anthropic’s vulnerability management program, including integrating data ingestion pipelines, coding logic to prioritize vulnerability fixes, supporting teams remediating vulnerabilities and developing automated systems at scale.
• Oversee Anthropic’s bug bounty program. Set scope, validate submissions, perform root cause analysis, coordinate remediation with engineering teams, and award bounties. Cultivate relationships with the ethical hacker community.
• Collaborate closely with product engineers and researchers to instill security best practices. Advocate for secure architecture, design, and development.
• Develop and document security policies, standards, and playbooks. Conduct security awareness training for engineers.

Benefits include comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents, inclusive fertility benefits via Carrot Fertility, 22 weeks of paid parental leave, flexible paid time off and absence policies, mental health support for you and your dependents, competitive salary and equity packages, optional equity donation matching at a 1:1 ratio, retirement plans with competitive matching, life and income protection plans, a $500/month flexible wellness and time saver stipend, commuter benefits, annual education stipend, home office stipends, relocation support for those moving for Anthropic, and daily meals and snacks in the office.

We are looking for candidates who bring experience with modern application stacks, infrastructure, and security tools to implement pragmatic defenses. Candidates should be practiced at collaborating cross-functionally and effectively balancing security requirements with business objectives.

Requirements include:

• 7+ years of hands-on experience in application and infrastructure security, including securing cloud-based and containerized environments.
• A proactive mindset to thread security throughout the product lifecycle through activities like threat modeling, secure code review, and education.
• Ability to lead with empathy, a collaborative spirit, and a learning mindset to work cross-functionally with engineers of all levels.
• Strong ability to distill complex security concepts into clear actions and drive consensus without direct authority.
• Broad security knowledge to connect the dots across domains and identify holistic ways to decrease the overall threat surface.
• Advocacy for security fundamentals like least privilege, defense-in-depth, and eliminating complexity that could sub-linearly scale security through smart design.
• A strong grasp of offensive security to anticipate risks from an adversary’s perspective.
• Strong proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Rust, Go, Java).
• Creative and strategic thinking to reduce risk through secure design and simplicity.

Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience. Minimum years of experience: Years of experience required will correlate with the internal job level requirements for the position. Required field of study: A field relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification. Not all strong candidates will meet every single qualification as listed. Research shows that people who identify as being from underrepresented groups are more prone to experiencing imposter syndrome and doubting the strength of their candidacy, so we urge you not to exclude yourself prematurely and to submit an application if you’re interested in this work.

Hands-on technical expertise securing complex cloud environments and microservices architectures leveraging technologies like Kubernetes, Docker, and AWS / GCP. Exposure to offensive security techniques like vulnerability testing, bug bounty, pen testing, and red team exercises. Familiarity with AI/ML security risks such as prompt injection, data poisoning, model extraction, etc. and mitigations. Solid foundational knowledge of both software and security engineering principles and are keen to continue learning. Experience building security tools, applications, and automated tools. Excellent communication skills, able to distill complex security topics for broad audiences. Worked and thrived in fast-paced environments, and comfortable navigating ambiguity.