Job Description:
Parsons is seeking a Principal Vulnerability Research Engineer to join our team in support of advanced research and development contracts for the U.S. Government. You'll serve as a senior technical leader on a small, highly technical team performing vulnerability research and reverse engineering against complex embedded and cyber-physical systems. The role involves leading technically challenging research from initial target analysis through vulnerability discovery, exploit development, and integration into operational cyber capabilities while defining technical approaches and advancing the team's vulnerability research capabilities.
As a Senior Vulnerability Research Engineer, you'll serve as an experienced hands-on technical contributor while helping guide less experienced researchers through complex technical challenges. You'll have the opportunity to work across the full vulnerability research lifecycle, develop new tools and techniques, and contribute to technically challenging research efforts involving software, firmware, hardware, and communications interfaces.
This is an onsite position based at the Cromulence-Parsons office in the historic downtown of Melbourne, Florida, on Florida's Space Coast. Work will be performed in both classified and unclassified environments.
What You'll Be Doing:
- Lead vulnerability research / reverse engineering (VR/RE) efforts against complex embedded systems, including both hardware and software targets
- Develop, test, and integrate advanced cyber tools, exploits, cyber effects, and supporting research capabilities
- Define technical approaches for complex vulnerability research problems and guide research efforts from initial target analysis through successful capability development
- Serve as a principal technical contributor while remaining deeply hands-on with reverse engineering, vulnerability discovery, exploit development, and tool development
- Provide technical leadership and direction to teams of vulnerability researchers working on large-scale or technically challenging cyber efforts
- Mentor senior and junior researchers and help develop the technical capabilities of the broader research team
- Identify and develop new vulnerability research methodologies, tools, automation, and emulation techniques that improve the team's ability to analyze complex targets
- Work directly with customers and technical stakeholders to understand challenging mission problems, evaluate technical feasibility, and develop effective research approaches
What Qualifications You'll Bring:
- Bachelor's degree in related technical field and 10+ years of professional related experience; Master's degree in related field will be considered in lieu of 4 years' experience
- 10+ years of hands-on experience in vulnerability research, reverse engineering, exploit development, and/or cyber tool development
- Extensive experience with a decompiler/disassembler such as Ghidra (highly preferred), IDA Pro, or Binary Ninja
- Deep expertise analyzing one or more instruction set architectures, such as x86/x86-64, ARM/AArch64, or MIPS
- Extensive experience with modern exploitation techniques, tools, and methodologies
- Extensive experience analyzing and bypassing modern exploit mitigations such as DEP/NX, ASLR, stack protections, CFI, and platform-specific protections
- Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex vulnerability research efforts from initial target analysis through exploit or capability development
- Demonstrated ability to provide technical direction and mentorship to other vulnerability researchers
- Strong software development skills in languages such as C, C++, and Python
What Desired Skills You'll Bring:
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- 15+ years of experience in vulnerability research, reverse engineering, exploit development, and/or cyber tool development
- Deep experience reverse engineering embedded and Internet of Things (IoT) systems or cyber-physical devices such as Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
- Expertise with Windows Internals and/or Linux kernel-level programming
- Experience developing, modifying, or enhancing emulation systems such as QEMU to enable advanced vulnerability research techniques
- Experience developing custom emulation, instrumentation, fuzzing, symbolic execution, or dynamic analysis capabilities
- Deep knowledge of multiple processor architectures and operating system environments
- Experience with additional operating systems such as Android, iOS, and macOS
- Advanced knowledge of networking protocols, protocol reverse engineering, and network-based exploitation
- Experience developing for Windows and/or Linux platforms
- Experience reverse engineering firmware, bootloaders, device drivers, kernels, and other low-level software components
- Experience analyzing hardware interfaces, peripherals, communications buses, and other components of embedded or cyber-physical systems
- Demonstrated history of developing new vulnerability research techniques, tools, methodologies, or technical approaches
- Experience serving as a technical lead on large, complex, or multi-researcher cyber efforts
Security Clearance Requirement:
- An active Top Secret clearance is required to apply
- Must be able to obtain and maintain SCI and/or SAP accesses
Security Clearance Requirement:
An active Top Secret security clearance is required for this position.
This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.
The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what’s next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.
Salary Range: $125,100.00 - $225,200.00
