SME Hardware Reverse Engineer

Job Title: SME Hardware Reverse Engineer
Location: Arlington, VA (On-Site)
Clearance: TS/SCI (Required)
Company: Quantum Science Solutions (QSS)
Compensation: Open Rate
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Position Overview
Quantum Science Solutions (QSS) is seeking a SME Hardware Reverse Engineer to support a customer providing incident response services to civilian agencies and critical infrastructure organizations. This role focuses on hardware reverse engineering, forensic investigations, and analysis of compromised Operational Technology (OT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), and embedded devices targeted by advanced cyber threats.
The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience analyzing proprietary hardware, reverse engineering firmware, identifying embedded malware, and supporting forensic investigations involving critical infrastructure systems.
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Key Responsibilities
• Conduct hardware reverse engineering and forensic analysis of OT/ICS devices and embedded systems
• Analyze compromised network-edge devices, firmware, and proprietary hardware platforms
• Identify hardware vulnerabilities, implants, backdoors, and embedded malware
• Reverse engineer firmware and low-level software components
• Support chip-off forensic investigations and hardware exploitation analysis
• Develop and document forensic methodologies, findings, and defensive recommendations
• Provide technical guidance to analysts and incident response teams
• Collaborate with research teams to investigate emerging hardware threats and vulnerabilities
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Mandatory Skills
• U.S. Citizenship
• Active TS/SCI clearance and ability to obtain DHS Suitability
• 10+ years of hardware reverse engineering or embedded systems experience
• Expertise with OT/ICS hardware platforms and embedded processor architectures (ARM, MIPS, PowerPC)
• Experience with firmware analysis and reverse engineering tools such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, and Binary Ninja
• Knowledge of hardware debugging interfaces including JTAG, SWD, and UART
• Experience analyzing routers, switches, firewalls, IoT devices, and other network-edge systems
• Strong programming skills in Python, C, and Assembly
• Experience with malware analysis in hardware and firmware environments
• Strong analytical, investigative, and communication skills
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Preferred Skills
• Experience supporting federal cybersecurity or critical infrastructure programs
• Knowledge of SCADA, PLC, RTU, and industrial control systems
• Experience with chip-off forensics, decapsulation, and hardware exploitation techniques
• Familiarity with supply chain security and hardware implant detection
• Background in OT security, offensive security, or hardware security research
• Understanding of threat actor techniques targeting OT and embedded systems
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Education
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related field
• Master's degree or Ph.D. preferred
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Desired Certifications
• DoD 8140.01 IAT Level III
• PMP
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Why QSS?
At QSS, you're not just filling a role, you’re supporting technologies and systems that enable critical mission success. We invest in our employees, encourage innovation, and provide opportunities to work with cutting-edge cloud and broadcast technologies.
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Benefits include:
• Competitive compensation with annual performance bonuses
• Premium Medical, Dental, & Vision coverage
• Generous PTO plus Federal Holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Professional development and training opportunities