Senior Cyber & Advanced Systems Scientist / Engineer

We are seeking experienced Cyber, Advanced Systems, and Research Scientists/Engineers to support complex technology programs at a Bedford, MA facility. The ideal candidate has a strong hands-on technical background and experience applying advanced engineering, cybersecurity, and system-protection concepts to real-world defense systems.

A central need on these programs is anti-tamper: protecting critical program information and critical technology in fielded hardware and software from reverse engineering, exploitation, and unauthorized modification. Candidates who have designed, assessed, or defeated anti-tamper and hardware/software protection measures are especially encouraged to apply.

This is an onsite, full-time opportunity supporting programs involving advanced defense and aerospace technologies. Expertise in one or more of the following areas is sought: Anti-Tamper and System Protection, Cybersecurity, Reverse Engineering, Embedded Systems, UAS, C-UAS, Drones, and Space Systems.

Important Technical Requirement:

The strongest candidates will have personally performed low-level, hands-on adversarial security work on real hardware and embedded devices. The ability to assess a system's security, identify vulnerabilities, and demonstrate potential exploits is critical.

The ideal candidate has deep expertise in at least one of the following three areas, along with working knowledge of the other two:

1. Hardware Security

2. Embedded Software Security

3. Applied Cryptography

Candidates with experience limited to security architecture, systems engineering, cybersecurity management, compliance, or policy work without practical technical implementation or testing experience are unlikely to meet the requirements.

• Provide hands-on technical and engineering support for complex defense and aerospace programs.

• Design, implement, and evaluate anti-tamper and system-protection measures for hardware, firmware, and software, including tamper detection and response, secure boot and root of trust, key management, hardware security modules, and protection of critical program information.

• Perform anti-tamper vulnerability assessments and adversarial (red-team) analysis of protected systems: attempt reverse engineering, side-channel, fault-injection, and physical attacks to identify weaknesses and recommend countermeasures.

• Support program protection planning: contribute to Program Protection Plans, Anti-Tamper Plans, criticality analysis, and the identification of critical program information and critical components.

• Perform reverse engineering, system analysis, vulnerability assessment, and technical research.

• Analyze and assess embedded systems, software, hardware, and networked platforms.

• Support development and evaluation of UAS, C-UAS, drone, and space-related technologies.

• Apply practical cybersecurity techniques to identify vulnerabilities, assess risks, and develop technical solutions.

• Conduct technical experimentation, testing, prototyping, and analysis.

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering and research teams to solve complex technical problems.

• Develop technical documentation, reports, analyses, and presentations.

• Support multiple programs and emerging technical initiatives as priorities evolve.

• Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

• Master's degree or higher in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent demonstrated expertise may be considered.

• Practical, hands-on experience in anti-tamper, cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline.

• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following, with anti-tamper strongly preferred: Anti-Tamper / System Protection (Hardware or Software), Reverse Engineering, Embedded Systems, Cybersecurity, UAS / UAV / Drones, Counter-UAS (C-UAS), Space Warfare / Space Systems.

• Working knowledge of how protected systems are attacked, including reverse engineering of firmware and hardware, debug and test-port exploitation, side-channel and fault-injection techniques, or physical intrusion.

• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.

• Ability to work effectively in an onsite, full-time environment.

• Ability to work on complex technical problems with limited direction and communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Deep technical expertise in at least one core area: Hardware Security, Embedded Software Security, or Applied Cryptography, with working knowledge of the other two.

• Demonstrated ability to personally conduct hands-on security testing, vulnerability research, reverse engineering, or exploitation on real devices.

• Direct experience implementing or assessing anti-tamper on a DoD acquisition program, including Anti-Tamper Plan development and work with the DoD Anti-Tamper Executive Agent, program protection, or supply-chain risk management processes.

• Experience with hardware security and trusted-computing technologies: secure boot, roots of trust, TPM/HSM, FPGA and ASIC security, secure key storage and zeroization, tamper-evident and tamper-responsive packaging, or volume protection.

• Experience with software protection techniques: obfuscation, anti-debug and anti-analysis, code signing and attestation, secure firmware update, or white-box cryptography.

• Experience with embedded software/hardware analysis and reverse engineering tools and methodologies (for example Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, ChipWhisperer or similar side-channel and glitching platforms).

• Experience working within the DoD, defense, aerospace, intelligence, or national security environment.

• Experience analyzing communications, networks, protocols, or cyber-physical systems.

• Experience with UAS/C-UAS technologies or related autonomous systems.

• Experience supporting space-based systems or space warfare programs.

• Experience with vulnerability research, exploitation, malware analysis, or cyber operations.

• Strong programming/scripting skills such as Python, C/C++, Assembly, or similar languages; HDL (VHDL/Verilog) experience is a plus.

• Relevant training or certification, such as the ATEA Anti-Tamper short course, OSCP/OSEE, or GIAC reverse engineering credentials.

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