Principal Reverse Engineering/Vulnerability Research Engineer

Clarity Innovations, LLC; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 113,000 - 338,000; Full time

Job summary

Clarity Innovations is seeking a Principal Reverse Engineering/Vulnerability Research Engineer in Herndon, VA. The role focuses on uncovering vulnerabilities in software and hardware with zero documentation, using advanced analysis to expose flaws and develop custom utilities where needed.

You will work on national security challenges, collaborating across teams to push research to the limit while sharing breakthroughs to drive the overall project forward.

Qualifications

• Typically has a University Degree (BA/BS) or equivalent experience and minimum 5 years of prior relevant experience.
• Understands Windows OS architecture, kernel, memory management, and security mitigations.
• Fluent in multiple reverse engineering and analysis tools (WinDbg/IDA Pro/Ghidra/Binary Ninja).

Responsibilities

• Disassemble and analyze software and hardware to identify vulnerabilities.
• Develop automated utilities when off-the-shelf tools fall short.
• Collaborate with teams to apply findings to broader projects.
• Communicate findings clearly to stakeholders and teammates.

Skills

Windows internals

Reverse engineering

Debugging

C/C++

Python

Assembly

Research

Communication

Education

BA/BS or equivalent experience

Tools

WinDbg

IDA Pro

Ghidra

Binary Ninja

Frontier models (GPT-5)

Job description

Principal Reverse Engineering/Vulnerability Research Engineer

Herndon, VA

Clarity Innovations is a trusted national security partner, dedicated to safeguarding our nation’s interests and delivering innovative solutions that empower the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) to transform data into actionable intelligence, ensuring mission success in an evolving world.

Our mission-first software and data engineering platform modernizes data operations, utilizing advanced workflows, CI/CD, and secure DevSecOps practices. We focus on challenges in Information Warfare, Cyber Operations, Operational Security, and Data Structuring, enabling end-to-end solutions that drive operational impact.

We are committed to delivering cutting-edge tools and capabilities that address the most complex national security challenges, empowering our partners to stay ahead of emerging threats and ensuring the success of their critical missions. At Clarity, we are people-focused and set on being a destination employer for top talent, offering an environment where innovation thrives, careers grow, and individuals are valued. Join us as we continue to lead innovation and tackle the most pressing challenges in national security.

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Security Researcher who views a black box not as a roadblock, but an invitation. We need an investigator with an insatiable, demonstrated curiosity for figuring out how software and hardware truly work under the hood—regardless of how they are advertised or intended to function. In this role, you will be on the front lines of vulnerability discovery, dismantling complex systems to expose their flaws. You will frequently operate in the dark, confronting entirely new pieces of software or hardware with zero documentation. Success requires extreme comfort with uncertainty, a hypothesis-driven approach to experimentation, and the engineering chops to build custom utilities when off-the-shelf tools fall short.

You will not be working in a silo. You will push your research to the absolute limit, but you also possess the wisdom to know when to ask for help, share your breakthroughs, and collaborate to drive the broader project forward.

• Typically has a University Degree (BA/BS) or equivalent experience and minimum 5 years of prior relevant experience.
• Works to achieve operational targets with a significant impact on the job area often influence departmental results.
• Responsible for making adjustments or recommending enhancements to systems and processes to solve problems or improve effectiveness of job area.
• Communicates and collaborates within and occasionally outside of own job area and may work to influence parties within own job area at an operational level.
• May provide guidance and assistance to junior individual contributors.
• Requires practical knowledge of job area typically obtained through advanced education combined with experience.

Contract Specific Qualifications

• Deep experience with the Windows OS architecture, kernel, hardware abstraction layer, Win32 API, memory management, and security mitigations
• Expert-level understanding of Windows binary formats, calling conventions, and execution flows
• Advanced knowledge of Windows-related file systems
• Knowledge of Windows networking stack and proprietary protocols
• Strong knowledge of static and dynamic analysis tools and methods
• Fluent in x86/x64 assembly, ARM assembly, C/C++, and Python
• Experience with creating and orchestrating automated AI workflows, integrating traditional reverse engineering tools
• Experience with frontier models (e.g., GPT-5, Claude), Binary Ninja, Ghidra, IDA Pro, WinDbg
• Great communication skills and ability to integrate work products with other tools

Salary Range: $113,000 - $338,000

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.