diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libtiff/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libtiff/package.py
index 5fc01167aa..58f6b6171b 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libtiff/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libtiff/package.py
@@ -75,6 +75,9 @@ class Libtiff(CMakePackage, AutotoolsPackage):
 
     build_system(conditional("cmake", when="@4.0.5:"), "autotools", default="cmake")
 
+    variant("shared", default=True, description="Build shared")
+    variant("pic", default=False, description="Enable position-independent code (PIC)")
+
     with when("build_system=cmake"):
         depends_on("cmake@3.9:", when="@4.3:", type="build")
         depends_on("cmake@2.8.11:", when="@4.0.10:4.2", type="build")
@@ -112,6 +115,8 @@ class CMakeBuilder(CMakeBuilder):
     def cmake_args(self):
         args = [self.define_from_variant(var) for var in VARIANTS]
         args.append("-Dsphinx=OFF")
+        args += [self.define_from_variant("BUILD_SHARED_LIBS", "shared")]
+        args += [self.define_from_variant("CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE", "pic")]
 
         # Remove empty strings
         args = [arg for arg in args if arg]
@@ -124,6 +129,10 @@ def configure_args(self):
         args = []
         for var in VARIANTS:
             args.extend(self.enable_or_disable(var))
+
         args.append("--disable-sphinx")
 
+        args.extend(self.enable_or_disable("shared"))
+        args.extend(self.with_or_without("pic"))
+
         return args