Proximal Savvy CNO Developer 3 (SDR)

Title: Proximal Savvy CNO Developer 3 (SDR)
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $205 -$225K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government. Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission. Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation's toughest and most secure problems. If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don't look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Summary:
The Proximal-Savvy CNO Developer will work within a mission-critical Research & Engineering (R&E) team supporting advanced cyber operations. This role demands a highly skilled and innovative software developer with deep expertise in low-level systems programming, reverse engineering, and Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies. The selected candidate will be part of the Proximal TTO, a specialized team focused on developing offensive and defensive cyber capabilities to support national security missions.

Core Tasks:

• Design, develop, and enhance advanced CNO (Computer Network Operations) tools and capabilities in C, targeting complex embedded systems and networked environments.
• Perform in-depth reverse engineering of firmware, operating systems, and wireless protocols to identify vulnerabilities or develop mission-enabling capabilities.
• Develop and prototype tools for Software Defined Radio (SDR) platforms to enable or extend signal-based cyber operations.
• Work across multi-disciplinary teams to integrate developed capabilities into operational environments.
• Conduct vulnerability research, binary analysis, and develop exploits where appropriate.
• Document technical work, write reports, and present to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Support rapid prototyping and agile development workflows in a secure, classified setting.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field and 10+ years of relevant software development experience.
• OR Master's degree with 8+ years of experience
• OR Doctorate with 6+ years of experience

Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or an extremely related discipline.

At least 10 years of experience in software development, especially in:

C programming

Reverse engineering

At least 3 years of experience in cybersecurity or CNO development

Experience working with or developing Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies (e.g., GNU Radio, USRP, HackRF)

Strong understanding of low-level operating system internals, memory management, and network protocols.
Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing for mobile or embedded platforms (e.g., Android, Linux-based systems).
• Experience with RF tools and spectrum analysis.
• Proficiency with disassembly/debugging tools such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, Radare2, or Binary Ninja.
• Experience with firmware extraction, JTAG/UART debugging, or bootloader analysis.
• Familiarity with embedded platforms, such as ARM, MIPS, or PowerPC.
• Previous work supporting mission operations, national security agencies, or tactical cyber environments.