Reverse Engineer and AI Workflow Developer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education assistance

Retirement benefits

Paid time off

Health insurance

Job summary

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, MD seeks reverse engineers and AI-enabled software developers to investigate complex systems and design agentic AI workflows for analysts. You will build AI infrastructure, evaluate models, and integrate capabilities into sponsor and lab environments.

Minimum requirements include a bachelor’s in CS/engineering, 2+ years in reverse engineering or related fields, and experience with Ghidra/IDA/Binary Ninja, plus Python/C/C++/Rust.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Data Science, AI or related field.
• At least 2 years of reverse engineering, software development, cyber analysis, or AI-enabled software development.
• Experience reverse engineering software/firmware with tools like Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, debuggers or disassemblers.
• Strong understanding of OS fundamentals, computer architecture, software internals and low-level system behavior.
• Software development experience in Python, C/C++, Rust or similar.
• Hands-on experience using LLMs or generative AI to solve engineering or research problems.
• Knowledge of prompting, context management, tool use, retrieval and agentic workflows is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Reverse engineer software, firmware and hardware to understand architecture, interfaces, behavior.
• Develop and apply agentic AI workflows that augment reverse-engineering and cyber analysis tasks.
• Design AI agents to interface with tools, environments, docs, and data sources for complex analyses.
• Build and maintain AI development infrastructure including model interfaces and tool integrations.
• Evaluate AI models, agent architectures and prompting strategies for reliability and applicability to missions.
• Operationalize proof-of-concept capabilities by testing, documenting, packaging, and integrating into sponsor labs.

Skills

Reverse engineering

Python

C/C++

Rust

LLMs / AI workflows

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/EE/CE/Data Science/AI

Master’s or Ph.D. in CS/AI or related field

Tools

Ghidra

IDA Pro

Binary Ninja

Debuggers / disassemblers

Job description

Description

Are you passionate about reverse engineering complex software, firmware, and hardware? Do you enjoy developing agentic AI workflows and building the infrastructure that turns emerging AI capabilities into practical tools for engineers and analysts? If so, we want you to join our team! We are seeking experienced reverse engineers and developers who are excited to combine deep technical analysis with emerging AI technologies. You will investigate complex systems, develop novel capabilities, and design AI-enabled workflows that help analysts understand systems faster and more effectively. We work in a dynamic, mission-driven environment where our efforts have real-world impact. Collaboration is at the heart of our culture, and we value multidisciplinary perspectives, curiosity, experimentation, and continuous learning. You will have opportunities to evaluate and explore new AI models and tools, develop reusable AI infrastructure, and help shape how AI is incorporated into challenging national security efforts!

As a member of our team, you will

• Reverse engineer software, firmware, and hardware to understand system architecture, functionality, interfaces, and behavior
• Develop and apply agentic AI workflows that augment and accelerate reverse-engineering and cyber analysis tasks, combining traditional reverse-engineering techniques with AI-assisted analysis, code generation, data extraction, tool execution, and technical reasoning
• Design AI agents to interface with tools, development environments, documentation and specifications, and other data sources to accomplish complex analyses
• Build, configure, and maintain AI development infrastructure, including model interfaces, agent frameworks, tool integrations, model context protocol (MCP) services, retrieval systems, and supporting automation
• Evaluate AI models, agent architectures, prompting strategies, tools, and workflows to understand their capabilities, limitations, reliability, and applicability to mission problems
• Operationalize proof-of-concept capabilities by thoroughly testing, documenting, packaging, and integrating them into sponsor and laboratory environments

Qualifications

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you

• Possess a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or another discipline relevant to the duties as described above
• Have at least 2 years of experience in reverse engineering, software development, cyber analysis, AI-enabled software development, or a related technical field
• Have experience reverse engineering software or firmware using tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, debuggers, disassemblers, or similar
• Understand operating system fundamentals, computer architecture, software internals, and low-level system behavior
• Have software development experience in languages such as Python, C/C++, Rust, or similar languages
• Have hands‑on experience using LLMs or generative AI technologies to solve software engineering, analysis, automation, or research problems
• Understand the fundamentals of modern LLM-based systems, including prompting, context management, tool use, structured outputs, retrieval, and agentic workflows
• Are an outstanding communicator in both written and verbal forms
• Are able to acquire a Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately acquire a TS/SCI level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship

You’ll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you

• Have a Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field
• Have 8+ years of experience in reverse engineering, cyber capability development, software engineering, or related technical work
• Have experience with AI agent frameworks, coding agents, model context protocol (MCP), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, or related AI infrastructure
• Have experience integrating LLMs with engineering tools, reverse-engineering platforms, debuggers, compilers, source-code repositories, or other program-analysis capabilities
• Have experience reverse engineering embedded systems, communications devices, radios, cellular systems, or other complex hardware/software platforms
• Hold an active TS/SCI security clearance

About Us

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates. At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact [e-mail].

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign‑on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short‑term disability, long‑term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Minimum Rate

$100,000 Annually

Maximum Rate

$245,000 Annually