Security Research Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm in Knoxville, Tennessee, is seeking an experienced security professional to join their Advanced Security Initiatives Group. The ideal candidate will assess security vulnerabilities in global products and services, work alongside innovative security researchers, and contribute to creative security solutions. Required qualifications include extensive experience in red teaming, exploit development, and a solid understanding of programming languages such as Python and Go. This position allows for remote work options.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of red teaming or penetration testing experience.
• 4+ years of exploit development (Offensive Programming) and cloud security.
• Solid understanding of Python, Go, or a similar language.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate global products and services for security vulnerabilities.
• Work with security researchers to develop ethical hacking skills.
• Partner with engineering teams to create security solutions.

Skills

Red teaming experience

Exploit development

Cloud security

Technical leadership

Solid understanding of Python or Go

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Job description

What You'll Do

As a team member of Cisco's Advanced Security Initiatives Group (ASIG), you will evaluate our global products and services to identify security vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and improvements. You will learn to adopt an attacker mentality using tools, techniques, and processes that emulate real-world adversaries. You will work with amazingly creative, innovative, and collaborative security researchers to develop evolving ethical hacking skills and networking product knowledge. You will partner with Cisco's industry-leading engineering teams to assess the latest system and application architectures, contribute to creative security solutions, and gain unparalleled access to and experience with the latest technologies. You will also have opportunities to research security topics independently or collaboratively to explore and develop tools and ideas as part of our "Free Friday" innovation and incubation process.

Who You'll Work With

Our security team is dynamic, hardworking, fun, and high‑energy, but the work is done in a very casual environment that strongly encourages a work/life balance. Not only will you work alongside a team of skilled security researchers with a diverse spectrum of talents and experience levels, but you will also be interacting with a variety of engineering teams across Cisco. Cisco ASIG cultivates an environment where every individual's input and experience is valued. We prioritize training sessions and a mentor program surrounding you with the resources you will need to succeed.

Who You Are

Would you enjoy finding security flaws in critical systems, modeling prototype attacks that malicious actors might take advantage of, and crafting mitigations to thwart motivated and inventive adversaries? If you have a passion for computer security, enjoy solving exciting problems, and relish working with emerging technologies, Cisco wants you! Global ISPs, Fortune 500 companies, and world governments all depend on Cisco for critical infrastructure, and we want to guarantee that we keep delivering highly secured solutions to meet their needs.

Minimum Requirements

• 6+ years of red teaming or penetration testing experience with emphasis on remote access, network penetration, Command and Control development and use, and covert channels.
• 4+ years of exploit development (Offensive Programming) and cloud security.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Engineering. MS/MBA preferred.
• 6+ years of Unix experience, including any applicable academic experience.
• 6+ years of technical leadership experience in security assessments.
• Solid understanding of Python, Go, or a similar language. Must be able to code live.

Preferred Requirements

• 4+ years of experience with applied crypto, through implementation or analysis of crypto algorithms.
• 4+ years of experience with network protocols, through implementation or analysis.
• 4+ years of experience as a DevOps engineer.
• 4+ years of security testing experience, including areas like web applications APIs, user interfaces, mobile devices, and embedded devices.
• 4+ years of other full‑Spectrum red‑team tactics, such as hw hacking, physical security breach, targeted social engineering.
• 4+ years of experience in a SOC, SRE, or incident response role.
• 4+ years of Windows administration experience.

Job Requirements

Preferred sites: Knoxville, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; or Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Willing to consider remote.