Capabilities Development Specialist (CDS) - Software/Hardware

CNSS • National Security Systems; Upper Marlboro (MD); On-site; USD 105,000 - 197,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Flexible work hours

Job summary

NSA seeks Capabilities Development Specialists to join a premier defense research team at Fort Meade, MD. You will develop offensive and defensive capabilities, analyze advanced malware, and design hardware systems supporting national security missions. Strong expertise in C, C++, and Assembly is essential, with experience in kernel development and hardware reverse engineering.

Open: 2026-08-10; Close: 2026-08-23. Salary range reflected and compensation aligned with GS levels.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, or related field with CS focus.
• Relevant experience in hardware/software lifecycle, vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, or cyber systems engineering.
• Military training (e.g., JCAC) counted towards experience; multiple education paths allowed at different levels.

Responsibilities

• Develop exploitation capabilities and analytics for target networks.
• Design hardware components to advance signals intelligence missions.
• Analyze sophisticated malware and reverse engineering tasks.

Skills

C

C++

Java

Assembly

Kernel development

Embedded systems development

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Ghidra

OllyDbg

gdb

JTAG

Oscilloscopes

Job description

NSA seeks Capabilities Development Specialists to join a premier defense research team at Fort Meade, MD. You will develop offensive and defensive capabilities, analyze advanced malware, and design hardware systems supporting national security missions. Strong expertise in C, C++, and Assembly is essential, with experience in kernel development and hardware reverse engineering.

Open: 2026-08-10; Close: 2026-08-23. Salary range reflected and compensation aligned with GS levels.