Ads Threat Intelligence – Google – Waterloo, Ontario
At the intersection of cybersecurity and cutting-edge AI, Google is hiring an Ads Threat Intelligence specialist to join its team in Waterloo, Ontario. This is a rare opportunity to operate at the forefront of digital defence — decoding adversarial tactics and building innovative solutions that protect one of the world’s largest ads ecosystems.
Day to day, you’ll be digging into threat data, collaborating with cross-functional teams across Ads Quality, Trust and Safety, YouTube, Google Play, and beyond. The work is technical, strategic, and genuinely impactful — your findings help protect billions of users from harm while keeping the integrity of the Google Ads platform intact.
About the Role: Ads Threat Intelligence
Google’s Security team is dedicated to maintaining the safest operating environment for users and developers worldwide. In this role, you’ll work alongside software engineers and cross-product teams to proactively identify systemic vulnerabilities, attribute threat campaigns, and translate complex findings into actionable intelligence. Google Ads applies cutting-edge machine learning and Generative AI — including Gemini — to power a multi-billion dollar global business, and your threat intelligence work sits right at the heart of that engine.
You’ll collaborate closely with teams like Google Research and DeepMind to solve some of the most complex challenges in digital advertising security. Whether you’re mapping adversarial behaviours to intelligence frameworks or investigating anomalous datasets, your contributions will directly shape the next generation of advertising technology.
Benefits and Salary
This role offers a salary range of $150,000–$153,000 CAD per year, plus a 15% bonus target, equity, and access to Google’s full benefits package. Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. For more details on what Google offers, visit their benefits page directly.
Job Details
🏢 Company: Google
📍 Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada
🆔 Requisition ID: 72472206075929286
💰 Pay: $150,000 – $153,000 CAD/year + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits
Responsibilities
In this role, you’ll be at the cutting edge of ad ecosystem defence — decoding adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) and building innovative solutions to combat ever-changing attacks. Your work spans data investigation, cross-functional collaboration, and proactive security engineering that directly impacts billions of users.
- Operate at the cutting edge of threat defence by building innovative solutions that protect the Ads ecosystem from evolving attacks
- Decode adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) and map behaviours to intelligence frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK, STIX, and the Diamond Model
- Investigate datasets using data analysis and SQL to uncover patterns and anomalies
- Collaborate with cross-functional and cross-product teams including Ads Quality, Trust and Safety, GBO, YouTube, and Google Play
- Partner with software engineers to proactively identify and fix security flaws and vulnerabilities
- Monitor systems for attacks and intrusions as part of Google’s broader Security team mandate
- Translate complex technical findings into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders and partner teams
- Lead cross-functional investigations and contribute to attributing threat campaigns or discovering novel systemic vulnerabilities
Requirements / Skills
The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in security engineering or trust and safety, paired with hands-on experience in programming and data analysis. Google values individuals who can think like an adversary, communicate findings clearly, and thrive when collaborating across diverse technical teams.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a related security field, or equivalent practical experience
- 2+ years of experience in security engineering, threat intelligence, trust and safety, or a related abuse-fighting field
- Programming proficiency in one or more of Python, Go, C++, or Java
- Data analysis skills including experience with SQL and investigating datasets to uncover patterns or anomalies
- Preferred: Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field
- Preferred: Experience with machine learning models and applying ML techniques to classification or anomaly detection problems
- Preferred: Understanding of adversarial TTPs with experience mapping behaviours to intelligence frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, STIX, Diamond Model)
- Preferred: Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical findings to non-technical audiences
How to Apply
To apply, visit the official Google job posting using the link below. Make sure your resume is up to date and tailored to your security engineering and threat intelligence experience before submitting.
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Job Summary & Tips for Applying
Quick Summary & What to Highlight: This Ads Threat Intelligence role at Google in Waterloo is perfect for candidates who excel in security engineering, data analysis, and adversarial threat investigation. On your resume, emphasize any experience with threat intelligence frameworks, programming in Python or similar languages, and SQL-based data investigations. If you’ve previously worked in trust and safety, cybersecurity, or abuse-fighting roles, make sure to highlight specific achievements and responsibilities that align with this position.
Resume & Application Tips: Before applying, tailor your resume to match the job description. Include keywords like threat intelligence, Tactics Techniques and Procedures, and security engineering that appear in the posting. Quantify your achievements where possible (e.g., “identified and mitigated 3 novel attack campaigns” or “reduced false positive rate by 20% using ML classification models”). Write a brief cover letter expressing your genuine interest in Google and why you’re excited about this opportunity in Waterloo. Double-check your application for spelling errors and ensure your contact information is current.
Interview Preparation: If selected for an interview, research Google‘s security values, recent threat intelligence initiatives, and the broader Ads ecosystem beforehand. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to demonstrate your investigative and cross-functional collaboration skills. Common questions may include scenarios about attributing threat campaigns, handling ambiguous datasets, and communicating findings to non-technical stakeholders. Dress appropriately for a technology environment, arrive 10–15 minutes early (or log in early for virtual interviews), and bring copies of your resume. Prepare thoughtful questions about the team’s current threat landscape focus and growth opportunities. After the interview, send a thank-you email within 24 hours reiterating your interest in the position.
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