CNO Developer

Footbridge Federal; Sterling, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Financial Foundation—benefi

Time Away and Flexibility for mission

Professional Development & Mobility

Job summary

Footbridge Federal seeks an experienced software engineer to design, test, and maintain capabilities for offensive cyber operations. You will work on mobile-targeted capabilities, investigate platform vulnerabilities, and transition PoCs into production-ready software while collaborating with mission teams and researchers.

The role requires an active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph, a technical degree, and strong skills across C/C++, Python, and reverse engineering.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with a Full Scope Polygraph (FSP).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent professional experience).
• Background supporting CNO, offensive cyber operations, or advanced vulnerability research.
• Strong programming proficiency in languages such as C, C++, Python, Rust, Objective-C, Swift, or Java.
• Practical experience with reverse engineering, debugging, and binary analysis.
• Solid understanding of operating system internals, including memory management, system calls, and security boundaries.
• Familiarity with ARM or ARM64 assembly and architectures.

Responsibilities

• Engineer, test, and maintain software tailored for offensive cyber and CNO missions.
• Create specialized capabilities targeting mobile applications, devices, and operating systems.
• Investigate security controls, architectures, and vulnerabilities within mobile platforms.
• Analyze binaries, firmware, communication protocols, and system components using reverse engineering techniques.
• Transition experimental research and proof-of-concept code into robust, production-grade software.
• Partner with cross-functional mission teams, developers, and security researchers.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance with FSP

Programming in C/C++/Python/Rust/ObjC/

Reverse engineering / binary analysis

ARM/ARM64 assembly familiarity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / Cybersecurity / Computer Engineering or related field

Job description

• Engineer, test, and maintain software tailored for offensive cyber and CNO missions.
• Create specialized capabilities targeting mobile applications, devices, and operating systems.
• Investigate security controls, architectures, and vulnerabilities within mobile platforms.
• Analyze binaries, firmware, communication protocols, and system components using reverse engineering techniques.
• Transition experimental research and proof-of-concept code into robust, production-grade software.
• Partner with cross-functional mission teams, developers, and security researchers.

Minimum Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with a Full Scope Polygraph (FSP).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent professional experience).
• Background supporting CNO, offensive cyber operations, or advanced vulnerability research.
• Strong programming proficiency in languages such as C, C++, Python, Rust, Objective-C, Swift, or Java.
• Practical experience with reverse engineering, debugging, and binary analysis.
• Solid understanding of operating system internals, including memory management, system calls, and security boundaries.
• Familiarity with ARM or ARM64 assembly and architectures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with mobile-specific exploit development or vulnerability research.
• Familiarity with vulnerability classes such as memory corruption, sandbox escapes, and privilege escalation.
• Experience performing static and dynamic analysis on mobile applications and OS components.
• Deep knowledge of iOS or Android security architectures.
• Experience supporting federal cyber missions or intelligence community programs.

Required Skills

• Active TS/SCI clearance with a Full Scope Polygraph (FSP).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent professional experience).
• Background supporting CNO, offensive cyber operations, or advanced vulnerability research.
• Strong programming proficiency in languages such as C, C++, Python, Rust, Objective-C, Swift, or Java.
• Practical experience with reverse engineering, debugging, and binary analysis.
• Solid understanding of operating system internals, including memory management, system calls, and security boundaries.
• Familiarity with ARM or ARM64 assembly and architectures.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with mobile-specific exploit development or vulnerability research.
• Familiarity with vulnerability classes such as memory corruption, sandbox escapes, and privilege escalation.
• Experience performing static and dynamic analysis on mobile applications and OS components.
• Deep knowledge of iOS or Android security architectures.
• Experience supporting federal cyber missions or intelligence community programs.

Security Clearance

• Level: TS/SCI

Contract On-site arrangement

• Health and Financial Foundation — Medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, disability coverage, and flexible spending accounts are described in the benefits page.
• Time Away and Flexibility Where Mission Permits — PTO, holidays, sick time, military leave, and flexible arrangements are supported where program and security requirements allow.
• Professional Development — The site references certification support, training, conferences, mentorship, internal mobility, and individual development planning.

Mission

Footbridge Federal delivers engineering, cyber, mission IT, analytics, and cleared program support for defense, intelligence, federal civilian, homeland security, and research missions.

Culture

Mission Context Matters

Candidates should expect work tied to defense, intelligence, federal civilian, homeland, and research missions rather than generic commercial delivery.

Small-Team Accountability

The culture copy emphasizes ownership, communication, and practical execution across teams that work close to customers and program outcomes.

Growth With Technical Credibility

Career content supports hands-on technical growth, certifications, internal mobility, and program leadership without forcing one career track.

Benefits & why work here

• Health and Financial Foundation: Medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, disability coverage, and flexible spending accounts are described in the benefits page.
• Time Away and Flexibility Where Mission Permits: PTO, holidays, sick time, military leave, and flexible arrangements are supported where program and security requirements allow.
• Professional Development: The site references certification support, training, conferences, mentorship, internal mobility, and individual development planning.