---
title: 'Senior Director of Product Security at Apptronik'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-of-product-security-apptronik-austin-p8t80zyw0v0z'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-20'
---

# Senior Director of Product Security at Apptronik

- **Company:** Apptronik
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-10-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-20
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/apptronik/jobs/6119788004?gh_jid=6119788004

## Job description

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

## About Apptronik

Apptronik is building Apollo, a general-purpose humanoid robot designed to work alongside people in real-world environments. We sit at the intersection of advanced hardware, embedded systems, and AI while scaling from development into deployment. As Apollo moves into the field, product security is a foundational requirement across everything we ship. Vulnerabilities here are not abstract: they have real-world consequences.

## 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.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

## About Apptronik

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Apptronik builds advanced humanoid robots for real-world industrial applications, starting with manufacturing and warehousing, to address labor shortages and improve human productivity.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Funding Stage: Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Founded as a spinout from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin; leadership includes CEO Jeff Cardenas and CTO Nicholas Paine

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Robot Manufacturing, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence
- Target customers: B2B / Enterprise — manufacturing facilities, warehousing and logistics operators, supply chain organizations
- Mission or purpose statement: “It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine” — building robots that empower humans to live to their fullest potential by solving labor shortages and reducing physical strain.

## Products & Services
- **[Apollo Humanoid Robot Platform]**: A full-electric, bipedal humanoid robot designed for industrial use. Combines advanced hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software. Current applications include material handling, line-side tasks, palletizing, case picking, trailer unloading, and inspection. Built as a scalable platform that can extend into healthcare, eldercare, and home environments over time. (Type: Hardware + SaaS Platform)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5 million (estimated)
- **Total Funding**: ~$963.8 million (includes a Seed Round of $14.6M in 2022, a Corporate Round in 2025, and an undisclosed Series A round; notable investors include Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Google)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Google, Terex, Humanoid Global
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 98.1% year-over-year to 334 employees (2026 data). Named to the **2026 CNBC Disruptor 50** list. Recognized on the **Best Places to Work** list (2024, 2025). Won the **2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award**. Named **Most Innovative** (2025). Active job postings increased 238.5% year-over-year (88 open roles). Acquired Elevate Robotics Inc.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep heritage**: Spun out of UT Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab; team dates back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2015) and includes ex-NASA collaborators.
- **Full-stack vertical integration**: Covers hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software — a complete, scalable platform rather than a one-off robot.
- **Safe, human-centric design**: Built for human environments from the ground up, with a focus on reducing physical strain and complementing human workers, not replacing them.
- **Early enterprise traction**: Active partnerships with major industrial players like Mercedes-Benz and Terex, proving real-world deployment over lab demos.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling Apollo for manufacturing and warehouse deployment (current core market).
- Expanding into more complex environments: construction, healthcare, eldercare, and the home.
- Continuous hardware and software upgrades (CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robotics “the space race of our time” and has signaled major upgrades to Apollo).
- Building out fleet-level tools for multi-robot management and learning.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven**: Work on the frontier of humanoid robotics with a stated ethos of “Man + Machine” — robots that improve human quality of life.
- **High-growth environment**: Doubled headcount year-over-year with massive funding and expanding job postings; strong career growth potential.
- **Culture values**: Passion, creativity, collaboration, integrity, curiosity, and humility are explicitly stated as core values.
- **Perks & Benefits**:
  - Flexible PTO (open, unlimited)
  - 401k retirement plan
  - Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
  - Parental leave
  - Flexible work hours
  - Collaborative and innovative work environment
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated; 77% of workforce is in the United States (majority in Austin HQ). Specific roles may vary, but the company promotes a collaborative environment.
- **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from top robotics and tech companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Fox Robotics, Agility Robotics, Apple, iRobot, Neocis, and top universities (UT Austin).
- **Employee rating**: 3.9/5.0 on employer reviews (Work-Life: 3.5, Career: 3.7).

## Sources
1. [apptronik.com](https://apptronik.com/) — Company homepage
2. [apptronik.com/about-us](https://apptronik.com/about-us) — About Us / History / Mission
3. [apptronik.com/careers](https://apptronik.com/careers?gh_src=B+Capital+job+board) — Careers page / Perks & Culture
4. [apptronik.com/careers/job-listings](https://apptronik.com/careers/job-listings) — Open job listings
5. [linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.) — LinkedIn company profile (revenue, headcount, funding, employee breakdown)

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