Principal Firmware Reverse Engineer 3 - (Reverse Engineering, Firmware, AI)

Akina, Inc.; Maryland; On-site; USD 241,000 - 295,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days PTO

11 federal holidays

401k 100% vested on start

Company healthcare fully covered

Educational assistance

Job summary

Akina, Inc. in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, seeks a Principal Firmware Reverse Engineer 3 to join a team building automation and AI-assisted tools for reverse engineering workflows.

This TS/SCI - Polygraph cleared role focuses on designing tooling, automating RE tasks, applying AI-assisted techniques to binaries, and collaborating with customers to refine solutions while advancing AI/LLM capabilities.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with RE tools such as Ghidra or IDA Pro.
• Strong understanding of assembly, binaries, memory, calling conventions.
• Experience reversing Linux-based network devices or embedded systems.
• Familiarity with firmware analysis, bootloaders, and networking protocols.
• Interest in AI/LLMs and willingness to deepen skills on the job.
• Experience developing tools or plugins for analysis workflows.
• Proficiency in at least one RE-relevant scripting or programming language.
• Ability to prototype, evaluate, and refine tooling.

Responsibilities

• Design and build tooling enhancements for RE workflows.
• Experiment with autonomous or semi-autonomous agents to support development.
• Automate common RE tasks, including analysis and documentation.
• Apply AI-assisted techniques to binary analysis, annotation, and pattern identification.
• Work directly with customers and teammates to shape and refine solutions.
• Measure and document the effectiveness of tooling improvements.

Skills

Reverse engineering

Low-level concepts

Scripting/Programming

Tool development

Customer collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related

Tools

Ghidra / IDA Pro

Job description

Principal Firmware Reverse Engineer 3 - (Reverse Engineering, Firmware, AI)

• Annapolis Junction, Maryland

Principal Firmware Reverse Engineer 3 - (Reverse Engineering, Firmware, AI)

Clearance: TS/SCI - Polygraph required
Position ID: 20-25-005-SWE3
Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland

Description:

This Software Engineer will bring strong reverse engineering skills to a team building automation and AI-assisted tools for RE and dev workflows. You'll help evolve how reverse engineers work - combining binary analysis, disassembly, and workflow optimization with emerging AI techniques - and grow your AI/LLM expertise along the way.

• Design and build tooling enhancements for RE workflows.
• Experiment with autonomous or semi-autonomous agents to support development.
• Automate common RE tasks, including analysis and documentation.
• Apply AI-assisted techniques to binary analysis, annotation, and pattern identification.
• Work directly with customers and teammates to shape and refine solutions.
• Measure and document the effectiveness of tooling improvements.

Position Required Skills:

• Hands-on experience with RE tools such as Ghidra or IDA Pro.
• Strong understanding of low-level concepts: assembly, binaries, memory, calling conventions.
• Reverse engineering Linux-based network devices or embedded systems.
• Familiarity with firmware analysis, bootloaders, and networking protocols.
• Curiosity about AI/LLMs and some hands-on dabbling - ready to deepen that skill set on the job.
• Experience developing tools, scripts, or plugins for analysis workflows.
• Proficiency in at least one RE-relevant scripting or programming language.
• Ability to prototype, evaluate, and refine experimental tooling.

Nice to Haves

• Some experience applying automation or AI to RE tasks.
• Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks or orchestration systems.

SWE3 Qualifications:

A minimum of twelve (12) years of experience as a SWE in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity is required. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline from an accredited college or university is required. Four ( 4) years of additional SWE experience on projects with similar software processes may be substituted for a bachelor's degree.

Salary Range: $241k-$295k (Annually)

The range displayed above is a likely salary range for this position. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possible contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Akina is a Woman Owned, Service Disabled, Veteran Owned, Small Business, looking for talented and ambitious individuals to join our team. We offer a generous compensation package that includes 24 days PTO accrued annually and 11 federal holidays. Our 401k is 100% vested on your start date and the company makes a direct contribution worth 10% of your salary. Akina covers 100% of healthcare costs for employees and 50% toward dependents. We offer educational assistance towards college classes and will cover costs associated with job related training and certifications.

Akina is committed to excellence and creating innovative and flexible solutions for our clients. We are a small company with an open ear to our employees' needs in order to attract and retain quality talent that enables our customer's mission.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.