Job Requirements
Dulles, VA Chantilly, VA
Top Secret Polygraph not specified
Career Level not specified
Salary not specified
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Job Description
Senior CNO Operator
Location: Northern Virginia
Travel: Up to 5%, and various sites local to Northern Virginia
Clearance: Top Secret clearance required
Citizenship: US Citizenship required
About Grimm
Grimm is an innovative, forward-looking cybersecurity organization focused on solving complex technical challenges across hardware, firmware, and software systems. Our teams specialize in reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and security engineering, supporting mission-critical efforts across national security, defense, and critical infrastructure sectors.
Our work is rooted in real-world operational experience identifying advanced threats, uncovering critical vulnerabilities, and developing meaningful solutions to complex problems. Grimm engineers operate across embedded systems, vehicles, IoT, and enterprise technologies, with a focus on understanding systems deeply and demonstrating real-world impact.
We are a highly technical and hands-on organization. Our engineers and researchers specialize in breaking systems, discovering vulnerabilities, and improving resilience—working directly with real hardware and software to understand how systems function and how they fail.
About the Role
Grimm is seeking multiple Senior CNO Operators to work directly with software, firmware, and embedded systems.
In this role, you will provide on-site support in research and development of software designed to exploit vulnerabilities of adversary technology, algorithm development, script writing and software utility development, analysis and reverse engineering of source code, software integration and testing, technical writing and documentation, and lifecycle maintenance of customer software programs. You will also contribute to, or conceive of, tooling supporting engineering efforts to improve efficiency and automate tasking.
We’re looking for individuals who are curious, driven, and enjoy working at the lowest levels of systems—those who aren’t satisfied until they fully understand how something works.
What You’ll Do
Lead capability development which includes, but not limited to technology research, vulnerability assessment, software development, capability integration, system test, and product maintenance.
Ownership and technical leadership of software development and reverse engineering efforts
Provide technical expertise and advise project proposals to include scoping, level of effort, staffing, and what's needed to deliver a capability
Responsible for end-to-end design and development of custom software for mobile, desktop, and virtual platforms
Mentor and lead junior-level developers to accomplish mission objectives
Reverse engineer automotive firmware and embedded systems
Develop tooling for protocol analysis, fuzzing, and exploitation
Perform binary analysis using tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, or Binary Ninja
Research and develop novel attack techniques against target systems
Collaborate with cross-functional teams spanning software, hardware, and cybersecurity
Required Qualifications
Active Top Secret clearance
US Citizenship
Experience in one or more of the following areas:
Experience performing Low-level development with major operating system experience for Android, iOS, Windows, OS-X, or Linux
Proficient with C and common assembly languages (e.g. x86, arm)
Proficient with a disassembler like IDA Pro, Ghidra, or Binary Ninja
Experience with static and dynamic analysis techniques
Ability to reverse engineer binaries written in C/C++
JavaScript development
ARM/AARCH64 Assembly development C programming
Understanding of exploit mitigations such as ASLR, DEP, PXN, ROP
Knowledge of V8, JIT, WebKit
Networking Development
Reverse engineering or vulnerability research
Strong understanding of low-level systems (memory, system architecture, firmware)
Demonstrated experience in software integration and testing, technical writing and documentation, and lifecycle maintenance of customer software programs.
Proven experience in script writing and software utility development.
Ability to clearly communicate technical findings in both written and verbal formats to the highest levels - prepare and present analytical documents for senior government officials
Preferred / Nice to Have
Experience developing in system firmware or kernel
i.e. “baremetal” environments
Knowledge of common binary file formats
ELF, PE, machO
Use of user- and kernel-mode debuggers
Ability to take unknown hardware and/or software systems from initial triage to reconstruction of system architecture through reverse engineering efforts
Background in:
Offensive cyber operations (CNO)
Military, intelligence, or law enforcement environments
Experience experimenting with AI/LLMs for security research or tooling
Benefits
Grimm offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement benefits, paid leave, and opportunities for tuition assistance and ongoing professional development.
Why Grimm
You’ll be working alongside highly specialized engineers and researchers tackling challenging problems in embedded security and reverse engineering. Our work directly supports national security missions and requires a high level of technical ownership, creativity, and precision.
If you enjoy working hands-on with hardware, digging into complex systems, and pushing your technical skills further, you’ll find this environment both challenging and rewarding.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Grimm is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
Location: Northern Virginia
Travel: Up to 5%, and various sites local to Northern Virginia
Clearance: Top Secret clearance required
Citizenship: US Citizenship required
About Grimm
Grimm is an innovative, forward-looking cybersecurity organization focused on solving complex technical challenges across hardware, firmware, and software systems. Our teams specialize in reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and security engineering, supporting mission-critical efforts across national security, defense, and critical infrastructure sectors.
Our work is rooted in real-world operational experience identifying advanced threats, uncovering critical vulnerabilities, and developing meaningful solutions to complex problems. Grimm engineers operate across embedded systems, vehicles, IoT, and enterprise technologies, with a focus on understanding systems deeply and demonstrating real-world impact.
We are a highly technical and hands-on organization. Our engineers and researchers specialize in breaking systems, discovering vulnerabilities, and improving resilience—working directly with real hardware and software to understand how systems function and how they fail.
About the Role
Grimm is seeking multiple Senior CNO Operators to work directly with software, firmware, and embedded systems.
In this role, you will provide on-site support in research and development of software designed to exploit vulnerabilities of adversary technology, algorithm development, script writing and software utility development, analysis and reverse engineering of source code, software integration and testing, technical writing and documentation, and lifecycle maintenance of customer software programs. You will also contribute to, or conceive of, tooling supporting engineering efforts to improve efficiency and automate tasking.
We’re looking for individuals who are curious, driven, and enjoy working at the lowest levels of systems—those who aren’t satisfied until they fully understand how something works.
What You’ll Do
Lead capability development which includes, but not limited to technology research, vulnerability assessment, software development, capability integration, system test, and product maintenance.
Ownership and technical leadership of software development and reverse engineering efforts
Provide technical expertise and advise project proposals to include scoping, level of effort, staffing, and what's needed to deliver a capability
Responsible for end-to-end design and development of custom software for mobile, desktop, and virtual platforms
Mentor and lead junior-level developers to accomplish mission objectives
Reverse engineer automotive firmware and embedded systems
Develop tooling for protocol analysis, fuzzing, and exploitation
Perform binary analysis using tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, or Binary Ninja
Research and develop novel attack techniques against target systems
Collaborate with cross-functional teams spanning software, hardware, and cybersecurity
Required Qualifications
Active Top Secret clearance
US Citizenship
Experience in one or more of the following areas:
Experience performing Low-level development with major operating system experience for Android, iOS, Windows, OS-X, or Linux
Proficient with C and common assembly languages (e.g. x86, arm)
Proficient with a disassembler like IDA Pro, Ghidra, or Binary Ninja
Experience with static and dynamic analysis techniques
Ability to reverse engineer binaries written in C/C++
JavaScript development
ARM/AARCH64 Assembly development C programming
Understanding of exploit mitigations such as ASLR, DEP, PXN, ROP
Knowledge of V8, JIT, WebKit
Networking Development
Reverse engineering or vulnerability research
Strong understanding of low-level systems (memory, system architecture, firmware)
Demonstrated experience in software integration and testing, technical writing and documentation, and lifecycle maintenance of customer software programs.
Proven experience in script writing and software utility development.
Ability to clearly communicate technical findings in both written and verbal formats to the highest levels - prepare and present analytical documents for senior government officials
Preferred / Nice to Have
Experience developing in system firmware or kernel
i.e. “baremetal” environments
Knowledge of common binary file formats
ELF, PE, machO
Use of user- and kernel-mode debuggers
Ability to take unknown hardware and/or software systems from initial triage to reconstruction of system architecture through reverse engineering efforts
Background in:
Offensive cyber operations (CNO)
Military, intelligence, or law enforcement environments
Experience experimenting with AI/LLMs for security research or tooling
Benefits
Grimm offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement benefits, paid leave, and opportunities for tuition assistance and ongoing professional development.
Why Grimm
You’ll be working alongside highly specialized engineers and researchers tackling challenging problems in embedded security and reverse engineering. Our work directly supports national security missions and requires a high level of technical ownership, creativity, and precision.
If you enjoy working hands-on with hardware, digging into complex systems, and pushing your technical skills further, you’ll find this environment both challenging and rewarding.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Grimm is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
group id: 90760744