Senior Privacy Engineer

Who We Are

Hi, we're DuckDuckGo, the online protection company and remote-first team of 300+ on a mission to raise the standard of trust online. Founded in 2008 and profitable since 2014, annual revenue now exceeds $100m USD and millions use our browser on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, our search engine, and the latest — Privacy Pro. Our culture of trust, inclusivity, and empowered project management underpins everything we do, where each team member takes full ownership of their projects, from scoping and execution to postmortem. If you're seeking end-to-end ownership of your work — you've come to the right place!

Your Team and Role as a Senior Privacy Engineer

Working on the Privacy Functional Team, you'll lead complex projects across key company-wide objectives. Using Go, Node.js, Python, and (in some cases) Perl (Version 5), you’ll write pragmatic, performant, testable code that works consistently and helps protect the privacy of our users. Potential projects include:

• Designing systems for improving our search indexes and AI features without compromising user privacy
• Building new features on top of our Tracker Radar crawler to detect emerging privacy threats
• Implementing new privacy features and maintaining existing ones, such as our Web Tracking and Email Protections

As a Senior Privacy Engineer, you'll collaborate remotely with your peers and take ownership over major components of our privacy technology, taking responsibility for their maintenance and improvement over time. A key part of the role will also be participation in our privacy review and audit processes, ensuring that all product developments align with our privacy principles. In time, you'll formally mentor other engineers, supporting their career growth and the growth of the Privacy Team at DuckDuckGo.

About You

• Ability to lead and collaborate on high-impact and complex projects from proposal through post-mortem.
• Skills to wrangle vague problems, propose innovative solutions, and execute them effectively, involving others when necessary.
• Experience working on privacy solutions in an engineering capacity (e.g., tracker blocker, differential privacy, or similar technology).
• Experience in privacy review and audit processes that ensure product developments align with established privacy principles.
• Deep technical understanding of online privacy threats and the existing solution space to protect against them.
• Proficiency in any of the following: Go, Node.js, and Python.
• Cross-functional communication skills. You can communicate your ideas to and understand the needs of various teams, such as legal, product, and marketing.

Compensation & Benefits

The annual compensation for this role is $178,500 USD, along with stock options. Compensation is identical within professional levels, regardless of geographic location or team, and is transparent across the organization. Our Team Member Support Guide details how we prioritize your wellbeing, including paid parental leave, office setup, and co-working allowances.

Hiring Process

DuckDuckGo believes hiring works best when it's a two-way street. Learn how we help you get to know DuckDuckGo, envision your future role, and understand our hiring approach. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing equal opportunities to all. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process due to a medical condition or disability, please email careers@duckduckgo.com.

Important Notes

• Expect to attend meetings on camera via video conferencing.
• Travel at least two times a year for an all-hands meetup and a team retreat (around 4-5 days each) is strongly encouraged.
• While offering flexible work arrangements with no core hours, a full-time commitment of 40 hours per week is expected.
• A successful candidate must pass a background check.
• All submitted application information must be accurate and complete; false information may lead to adverse actions.

Use of AI in Hiring Process

As part of our commitment to enhancing our recruitment process, we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in reviewing and summarizing job applications and test projects. This includes flagging potentially fraudulent applications, analyzing and summarizing applicants’ experience, interviews, and project performance, and streamlining the selection process. Data privacy is ensured according to our Recruiting Privacy Policy, and human oversight maintains accountability for all final evaluations and hiring decisions. Transparency is key; for questions about AI use or to request an alternative selection process, contact careers@duckduckgo.com. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to this use of AI technology.

Key skills/competency

• Privacy Engineering
• Go/Node.js/Python
• System Design
• Tracker Blocker
• Differential Privacy
• Privacy Review
• Audit Processes
• Online Privacy Threats
• Cross-functional Communication
• Project Ownership