Hardware Security Engineer

Pittsburgh Tomorrow; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Pittsburgh Tomorrow is seeking an experienced Hardware & Embedded Security Engineer to lead security testing and threat modeling for embedded systems and industrial products.

You will review hardware security features, contribute to architecture discussions, and develop automated testing workflows using Python/Java with OpenOCD. Collaboration across product teams is essential for risk mitigation and secure design.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• 4+ years hands-on experience in threat modeling and hardware security testing.
• Strong understanding of hardware security technologies (TPM, HSM, TrustZone, Secure Elements).
• Experience with embedded systems security, hardware security architectures, and secure boot.
• Knowledge of standards/protocols such as IEC 62443, UL 2900, IEC 15118, SAE J21434, PKCS, Matter, and OCPP.
• Hands-on experience with hardware debugging or security testing tools such as OpenOCD.
• Programming/scripting experience using Python or Java.
• Strong understanding of networking, protocols, authentication, and identity management.
• Ability to analyze embedded product security risks and mitigate.

Responsibilities

• Perform threat modeling for hardware and embedded products and conduct penetration testing and risk assessments.
• Review chipset security features and datasheets to recommend secure hardware platforms.
• Participate in architecture reviews covering Hardware Root of Trust, secure boot, bootloaders, certificate management, and cryptographic key storage.
• Set up and operate hardware security testing tools to assess embedded products and identify vulnerabilities.
• Automate hardware security testing, including secure boot and firmware upgrade validation.
• Develop scripts/automation using Python or Java with tools like OpenOCD.
• Evaluate security controls and recommend mitigations to product teams.
• Support cybersecurity assessments, product security reviews, and validation activities.
• Maintain hardware security lab environments and contribute to R&D initiatives.

Skills

Threat modeling

Hardware security testing

Embedded security

Networking knowledge

Python

Java

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field

Tools

OpenOCD

Python

Java

Ghidra

ChipWhisperer

JTAGulator

SPI Flash

UART

SWD

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Hardware & Embedded Security Engineer with strong expertise in hardware security testing, embedded systems security, threat modeling, and cybersecurity assessments. The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience evaluating embedded hardware platforms, identifying security vulnerabilities, and implementing security validation strategies for industrial and connected products.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform hardware and embedded product threat modeling, identify security requirements, and conduct penetration testing and risk assessments.

• Review chipset security features, technical specifications, and datasheets to recommend secure hardware platforms.

• Participate in architecture reviews covering Hardware Root of Trust, secure boot, bootloaders, certificate management, and cryptographic key storage.

• Set up and operate hardware security testing tools to assess embedded products and identify vulnerabilities.

• Automate hardware security testing, including secure boot and secure firmware upgrade validation.

• Develop scripts and automation frameworks using Python or Java and tools such as OpenOCD.

• Evaluate security controls and recommend mitigation strategies to product development teams.

• Support cybersecurity assessments, product security reviews, and validation activities.

• Maintain hardware security laboratory environments and contribute to research and development initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field.

• 4+ years of hands‑on experience in threat modeling and hardware security testing.

• Strong understanding of hardware security technologies, including TPM, HSM, TrustZone, and Secure Elements.

• Experience with embedded systems security, hardware security architectures, and secure boot.

• Knowledge of cybersecurity standards and protocols such as IEC 62443, UL 2900, IEC 15118, SAE J21434, PKCS, Matter, and OCPP.

• Hands‑on experience with hardware debugging or security testing tools such as OpenOCD.

• Programming and scripting experience using Python or Java.

• Strong understanding of networking, communication protocols, authentication, and identity management.

• Ability to analyze embedded product security risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with hardware supplier risk assessments.

• Knowledge of side‑channel analysis and fault injection attacks.

• Understanding of symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, PKI, X.509 certificates, and secure key management.

• Familiarity with secure firmware development, secure provisioning, and hardware security validation.

• Experience with AI‑based tools used in cybersecurity applications.

Technical Skills & Keywords

Hardware Security, Embedded Security, Threat Modeling, Hardware Penetration Testing, Secure Boot, Hardware Root of Trust, TPM, HSM, TrustZone, Secure Elements, OpenOCD, Python, Java, JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI Flash, Firmware Reverse Engineering, Ghidra, JTAGulator, ChipWhisperer, Fault Injection, Side‑Channel Analysis, Cryptography, PKI, X.509, IEC 62443, UL 2900, SAE J21434, IEC 15118, OCPP, Matter, Networking, Authentication, Identity Management.