Principal Cyber-Focused Researcher

Foundry Zero; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hours

Modern office & research facilities

Competitive salary

Industry-leading development

25 days leave (+5) and birthday leave

Medical insurance including dental

Travel insurance

Job summary

Foundry Zero, a Security Research and Development organisation, seeks highly experienced security researchers to tackle challenging technical problems and mentor peers. UK-based role requiring security clearance as citizens must meet government requirements.

We value deep hands-on work across software reverse-engineering, vulnerability research, and PoC creation, with flexibility for part-time or term-time arrangements.

Qualifications

• 10+ years hands-on VR or reverse-engineering experience.
• Strong understanding of bug viability and exploitability.
• Proven ability to write PoCs in Python and understand C-like languages.
• Excellent security fundamentals and a willingness to teach peers.

Responsibilities

• Disassemble systems to understand their inner workings, including software reverse-engineering and light electronics.
• Conduct deeply technical vulnerability research to develop innovative solutions.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to a culture of technical excellence.
• Perform vulnerability research across diverse environments, not just in the lab.
• Create proofs-of-concept to demonstrate feasibility and limitations.
• Understand architectural restrictions across varied systems and platforms.
• Adapt quickly to new environments and tooling.

Skills

VR/RE experience

Security research

Exploit development

Mentoring & leadership

Python PoCs

Tools

Python

C-like languages

Job description

We are looking for highly experienced security researchers to solve technical challenges. Whether you've been technical your whole career, or you've regrettably drifted into a management position where you now watch other people doing what you once loved, we want you to join us and maximise your time hands-on doing interesting technical work for interesting people.

Foundry Zero is a Security Research and Development organisation where people who love difficult challenges and deep technical problems can also enjoy working life. We aim to create a frictionless and supportive environment where all you need to focus on should be the next interesting problem in front of you.

We would like you to:

• Take systems apart to understand how they work. This usually involves software reverse-engineering, but occasionally includes some light electronics work.
• Perform deeply technical vulnerability research, working to build innovative solutions to complicated problems
• Help junior staff continue their journey to becoming VR experts through mentoring and leadership
• Perform vulnerability research in a variety of situations and circumstances, away from the lab environment.
• Create proofs-of-concept to demonstrate the viability of research as well as possible limitations.
• Understand architectural restrictions and limitations across any system we send your way.
• Work across a range of platforms with the ability to start working with new environments quickly and with confidence.

We are looking for:

• A proven track record in security research with more than 10 years of hands-on VR or RE experience.
• A strong understanding of what makes bugs viable and what is simply unexploitable
• Experience in writing PoCs in Python and a good understanding of C-like languages.
• An exceptional knowledge of security concepts.
• A willingness to learn and teach deep technical concepts from and to your peers.
• Commitment to help us develop Foundry Zero and make sure it's a fantastic place to work; we all believe we can learn, build, improve, be better - and that extends to the way our business works as much as our technical knowledge!

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing organisation of talented and driven individuals with an emphasis on technical excellence and minimal business drag.

This role is UK based and requires a UK security clearance. Applicants must therefore be British citizens and be happy to undergo the checks required to attain the necessary clearance.

Flexible positions including part-time and term-time working available.

Information regarding the clearance process can be found on the UK Government website. Additional information regarding the application process will be provided to successful applicants

Benefits

• A Great Place to do your Best Work

  We offer flexible hours, a spacious modern office, workstations optimised for research and development, healthy snacks, a minimal amount of time wasted on overbearing processes, and a supportive, friendly community of like-minded colleagues.

• Competitive Salary

  While money isn't everything, we think it's important that people are properly rewarded for their hard work and in demand skills. Salary will be discussed with you at first interview to ensure that our offering and your expectations align.

• Industry Leading Development

  There is always more to learn. As well as providing opportunities to learn from and teach each other, to make sure our staff stay on the top of their game we provide our staff with the option to travel to reach the best courses and training the world can offer.

• 25 days of leave, with the option to purchase 5 days more. We also give an extra day of leave for your birthday. You don't have to take it on your birthday though so it's really just 26 days.
• Medical insurance including optical and dental
• Travel insurance for personal travel
• Life Assurance
• Income protection insurance
• Critical illness cover
• Company Duolingo (our most popular perk)
• Bike2work
• EV Car leasing scheme
• Car allowance