Senior Firmware Security Researcher

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MITRE's Electronic Systems Security department is seeking to hire a Senior Firmware Vulnerability Researcher to tackle the kinds of embedded security problems most engineers only read about, in support of missions of national importance. We find and exploit hidden flaws to unlock access, reveal deeper system insight, enable customer missions, and slam doors shut to protect critical systems. We think like attackers, operate like researchers, and deliver the insight our customers need. This is a hands-on role for someone who thrives at the intersection of offensive and defensive security research. You will operate at every layer of the stack, tracing vulnerabilities and attack paths from low-level firmware and hardware interfaces up through operating systems, middleware, and application code. In this role, you will reverse engineer complex systems and software, research vulnerabilities, develop proof-of-concept exploits, build mission-ready capabilities, and create new tools and techniques to accelerate our work.

If you are driven by low-level technical challenges, creative problem-solving, and the opportunity to make a real impact, this is your chance. You will join a talented, multidisciplinary team with deep expertise in software and hardware reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and embedded security. Together, you will take on hard problems, build novel capabilities, and deliver results that make a difference for our customers and their missions. If you want to do exceptional, technically demanding, and rewarding work with exceptional teammates, we want to hear from you.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Engineers in this role will develop and apply their technical expertise to:

• Reverse engineer and perform vulnerability research against complex embedded system software.
• Prototype technical capabilities in hardware and software e.g., proof-of-concept software exploit.
• Research emerging threats to embedded systems and countermeasures.
• Provide technical leadership within project teams and help define research approaches that deliver impactful solutions for our customers.
• Design, develop, and lead key efforts to build software infrastructure and tools that enable, accelerate, and scale reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and security capability development for embedded systems.
• Communicate technical approach, risks, and results to MITRE program leaders and customers.
• Mentor junior engineers in reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and capability development.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, Computer Science or similar field with 5 years of related experience; Master's degree in the same with 3 years of related experience; or PhD in the same.
• Expertise in reverse engineering software binaries/embedded firmware and having practical experience with disassemblers, decompilers, firmware unpacking, common executable file formats, and debuggers.
• Expertise reverse engineering for one or more embedded processor architectures, preferably ARM.
• Expertise in modern binary exploitation techniques and countermeasures with practical experience in software vulnerability analysis and exploitation development.
• Experience developing software with C/C++ and Python.
• Experience developing low-level software (e.g., embedded systems/microcontrollers, kernels, and/or device drivers)
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Must be US citizen with active Secret security clearance.
• This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, Computer Science or similar field with 8 years of related experience; Master's degree in the same with 6 years of related experience; or PhD in the same with 3 years of related experience.
• Possess an active Top Secret security clearance.
• Experience leading teams developing or evaluating secure embedded systems.
• Experience with one or more of the following technical areas:
  • Fuzz testing software applications or embedded firmware.
  • Instrumentation/debug of embedded software or firmware.
  • Firmware rehosting and peripheral modeling.
  • Symbolic analysis.
  • Linux kernel, kernel derivers, or real-time operating systems.
• Commercial embedded and/or hardware security technologies such as ARM TrustZone, Trusted Platform Modules, Boot Guard, Secure Boot, etc.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
Secret

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCI

Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$126,800 - $158,500 - $190,200 Annual

Work Location Type:
Hybrid

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Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

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