Cyber Defense Engineer — Build Mission‑Critical Tools

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 85,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education assistance

Retirement contributions

Health benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks aspiring engineers to join Capabilities Development Group (QCC) to learn cyber capability development and work with multidisciplinary teams.

You will mentor under experts, collaborate with defense and intelligence sponsors, and build mission-aligned tools while exploring AI/ML and DevSecOps approaches. APL emphasizes growth, teamwork, and security clearances as you contribute to national cyber resilience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS/CE/Math/Cybersecurity field
• Internship, research, or project experience with software development in Java/Kotlin, Python, C#, Rust, Go, JavaScript/TypeScript, C/C++
• Experience developing concepts, systems, or analytics; understanding of systems engineering or operational planning
• Strong analytical, communication, teamwork abilities; able to obtain Interim Secret clearance (ultimately Top Secret)

Responsibilities

• Mentor by experts to learn cyber capability development
• Collaborate with sponsors and end users to identify requirements
• Build mission-aligned cyber capabilities
• Develop novel approaches to cyber challenges in operational environments
• Explore new research areas and apply ideas to current problems
• Share methods with team, management, and decision makers

Skills

Java/Kotlin

Python

C#

Rust

Go

JavaScript/TypeScript

C/C++

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Mathematics/Cybersecurity field

Job description

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks aspiring engineers to join Capabilities Development Group (QCC) to learn cyber capability development and work with multidisciplinary teams.

You will mentor under experts, collaborate with defense and intelligence sponsors, and build mission-aligned tools while exploring AI/ML and DevSecOps approaches. APL emphasizes growth, teamwork, and security clearances as you contribute to national cyber resilience.