---
title: 'Director of Engineering at Guardsquare'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-engineering-guardsquare-leuven-y75hb2b8bkq7'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Director of Engineering at Guardsquare

- **Company:** Guardsquare
- **Location:** Leuven, Belgium
- **Posted:** 2026-08-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/guardsquare/jobs/8159017

## Job description

Build the Category Leader in Mobile App Security

Guardsquare is the global leader in mobile application protection. We protect 1,000+ customers across 85+ countries, securing more than 6 billion mobile devices worldwide.

As we enter an ambitious new chapter to become the undisputed category leader in mobile security, we are seeking a Director of Engineering to bridge the gap between high-level strategic vision and day-to-day tactical execution.

In this role, you will scale our R&D organization while remaining deeply connected to the technology. You will oversee Engineering Leads and agile teams building our core products, such as iXGuard (C++/LLVM) and DexGuard (Java). The ideal candidate is a technical expert turned manager of managers who can translate bold company goals into concrete specifications, rigorous standards, and predictable software delivery.

The Opportunity

Working with our VP of Engineering and our Software Engineering Leads, you will lead a critical segment of our R&D organization. Our complex, threat-driven domain requires a leader comfortable with the ambiguity of security research who is comfortable with ambiguity in security research, but who can forcefully translate that research into clear technical specifications, rigorous agile practices, and reliable, high-quality code.

## What You Will Own

- Leadership & Mentorship: Manage and grow a team of Engineering Leads, fostering a culture of ownership, craftsmanship, and a bias for action.
- Organizational Execution: Own the results delivered by your teams, ensuring predictable, high-quality product delivery and reliable releases that balance research with market needs.
- Technical Strategy: Collaborate with Product Management and the VP of Engineering to translate business requirements into technical specifications and maintainable, scalable architectures.
- Process Standards: Drive cross-team coding standards and testing practices, encouraging continuous improvement without stifling the creative spirit of R&D.

## Who You Are

You are a passionate technical leader who has successfully transitioned from hands-on engineering to leading multiple teams in a fast-growth environment. You excel at unifying engineers toward an ambitious, shared mission.

Requirements:

- Masters in Computer Science with 8+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years as a manager of managers.
- Leadership Depth: Proven track record of scaling R&D groups, setting performance goals, and achieving results through others in a fast-growth environment.
- Technical Expertise: Strong fundamentals in Java or C++; experience with low-level programming is a significant asset.
- Communication: Excellent English communication skills and a commitment to in-person leadership within a hybrid model in Leuven.

What Guardsquare offers you

- A full time job with a competitive salary package
- You are provided with the tools & flexibility to develop yourself successfully
- An international environment where you will interact with motivated & open colleagues with different backgrounds
- A workplace where you can share and implement your ideas
- A hybrid work policy, which helps guarantee an excellent work-life balance

At Guardsquare, we take pride in being a diverse and multicultural company with team members representing numerous nationalities. We value different perspectives and opinions throughout the business which has contributed to our being the market leader in mobile application security.

You will be part of a dynamic team that strives for excellence and focuses on continuous education and enhancement in skills. We encourage & empower our trusted colleagues to share their opinions, actively collaborate, and continue to learn and grow.

Do you want to make a difference? What are you waiting for? Join us!

## About Guardsquare

Guardsquare offers the most complete approach to mobile application security on the market, delivering the highest level of protection, with ease. Guardsquare integrates seamlessly across the full development cycle, from mobile app security testing and code hardening to real-time threat detection and API security. Guardsquare provides enhanced mobile application security across the entire development process.

More than 1,000 customers worldwide across all major industries rely on Guardsquare to help them identify security risks and protect their mobile applications and SDKs against reverse engineering and tampering in the ever-evolving threat landscape.

Guardsquare is based in Leuven (Belgium) with offices in Ghent (Belgium), Boston (USA) and Munich (Germany).

## About Guardsquare

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Guardsquare provides the most complete mobile application security platform, offering testing, code hardening, and real-time threat monitoring for Android and iOS apps.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Leuven, Belgium
- **Founded**: 2014
- **Founders**: Heidi Rakels and Eric Lafortune

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Mobile Application Security, Cybersecurity, Software Development
- **Target customers**: B2B; enterprise development and security teams across financial services, e-commerce, gaming, and media.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To make the future of mobile secure by providing cutting-edge protection against reverse engineering, tampering, and security threats.

## Products & Services
- **DexGuard**: Multi-layered, polymorphic obfuscation and Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) for native Android and cross-platform apps.
- **iXGuard**: The iOS counterpart to DexGuard, offering multi-layered obfuscation and built-in RASP for native iOS and cross-platform apps.
- **AppSweep**: A mobile application security testing (MAST) product for Android and iOS that helps developers find and fix security issues early in the development lifecycle. Includes a free tier.
- **ThreatCast**: A real-time threat monitoring console that provides visibility into attacks on mobile apps and SDKs post-publication, allowing for adaptive security configurations.
- **ProGuard**: The company's open-source optimizer and shrinker for Java and Kotlin applications, with a community of over one million developers.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding of ~$30.1M USD; Annual Revenue of ~€13.2M [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/guardsquare).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Battery Ventures (led Series A in 2019), Verdane (led a venture round in 2025) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/guardsquare).
- **Growth Signals**: Over 1,000 customers worldwide; operates in 12 countries; acquired Breakpoint's App-Ray (MAST engine) and Verimatrix's Extended Threat Defense (XTD) technology; recently introduced AppSweep Enterprise and a guided workflow for rapid app protection [guardsquare.com](https://www.guardsquare.com/about-us).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Multi-layered, polymorphic protection**: Security defenses automatically change with each build, forcing attackers to start over.
- **Combined testing and hardening**: Offers a unique, integrated workflow from security testing in development to runtime protection in production.
- **Open-source roots**: Founded on the widely adopted ProGuard technology, giving the company deep credibility and a massive developer community.
- **Automated RASP injection**: Automatically injects runtime self-protection checks into random code locations at a high volume, providing defense in depth without manual effort.

## Strategic Focus
- **Simplifying security for developers**: The "guided workflow" aims to make enterprise-grade mobile app protection achievable in less than a day, closing the cybersecurity skills gap.
- **Scaling security testing**: AppSweep Enterprise targets large development teams needing to manage mobile app security testing across their entire organization.
- **Expanding platform capabilities**: Continued investment in real-time threat monitoring (ThreatCast) and cross-platform support (e.g., Unity for mobile games).

## Why Work Here
- **Cutting-edge technology**: Work on the frontline of the mobile security revolution, protecting billions of app installs against sophisticated threats.
- **International and dynamic team**: A tightly knit, international team operating in a rapidly evolving environment [guardsquare.com](https://www.guardsquare.com/careers).
- **Fast-growing company**: Mobile security is an essential service, and the company is growing quickly to meet demand, offering ample opportunities for ambitious employees.
- **Remote-friendly**: Some roles, such as DevRel Evangelist/Advocate, are listed as remote [guardsquare.com](https://www.guardsquare.com/careers).
- **Locations**: Major offices in Leuven (BE), Gent (BE), Boston (US), and München (DE) [guardsquare.com](https://www.guardsquare.com/careers).

## Sources
1. [Guardsquare Official Website](https://www.guardsquare.com/)
2. [Guardsquare About Us](https://www.guardsquare.com/about-us)
3. [Guardsquare Careers](https://www.guardsquare.com/careers)
4. [Guardsquare LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/guardsquare)
5. [Guardsquare Greenhouse Jobs](https://boards.greenhouse.io/guardsquare)

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