Staff Security Engineer, Data Security

Details

Airbnb is seeking a Staff Security Engineer specializing in Data Security to lead the company's data protection strategy across products, infrastructure, and third-party integrations. This role is a senior, cross-functional technical position responsible for defining roadmaps, designing and overseeing scalable protections for data at rest, in transit, and when shared with external partners, and partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Legal, Privacy, and Compliance.

Responsibilities

• Define, drive, and continuously evolve a comprehensive data security strategy protecting data at rest (online/offline), in transit, and when shared with third parties.
• Set the long-term vision and roadmap for data security and work with partners to execute on that vision.
• Provide technical leadership: design and oversee implementation of scalable, resilient protections for secure data storage and transfer, including encryption, key management, access controls, and secure data sharing frameworks.
• Establish and enforce policies, standards, and technical solutions for secure data transfer and integration with external partners, vendors, and APIs.
• Lead risk assessments and data security reviews for critical systems, products, and partners; collaborate with Security Compliance, Privacy, and Legal to ensure compliance with global data protection laws.
• Partner with incident response and engineering teams on technical investigations of significant data security incidents, root cause analysis, and remediation.
• Mentor, coach, and up-level engineers across the organization on data security best practices; develop and deliver training materials and documentation.
• Represent Airbnb in industry forums, adopt emerging technologies, and publish best practices as part of thought leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 9+ years in security engineering roles with deep expertise in data security.
• Deep hands-on expertise with encryption, key management, secure data storage, secure data transfer, data loss prevention, and security in cloud environments.
• Strong understanding of global data protection and privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and familiarity with standards such as PCI-DSS and SOC2.
• Demonstrated technical excellence in designing, building, and scaling data security solutions across complex, distributed systems; ability to independently solve highly ambiguous, impactful technical problems.
• Proven experience owning and delivering long-term, cross-functional projects and roadmaps in data protection.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing architecture and organizational direction.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills; experience interacting with executives, non-technical partners, and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive, high-performing culture and developing others.

Location & Work Arrangement

• US - Remote Eligible. Must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity (some states excluded). Role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed with the manager.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base pay range: $204,000—$255,000 USD.
• Role may be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.
• Airbnb emphasizes inclusion and provides accommodations during the application and interview process for candidates with disabilities.