Security Research Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Quality medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution

20 days Paid Time Off (PTO) each year

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina, is seeking an experienced cybersecurity professional to join the Advanced Security Initiatives Group. You will evaluate global products and services to identify security vulnerabilities while working collaboratively with skilled researchers and engineering teams.

The ideal candidate will possess a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering and have over six years of experience in red teaming and penetration testing. The role offers a supportive environment that encourages work/life balance and continuous learning.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of red teaming or penetration testing experience, emphasizing network penetration.
• 4+ years of exploit development and cloud security experience.
• 6+ years of technical leadership experience in security assessments.
• Solid understanding of Python, Go, or similar languages.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate global products to identify security vulnerabilities.
• Adopt an attacker mentality to emulate adversaries.
• Research security topics independently or collaboratively.

Skills

red teaming

penetration testing

exploit development

cloud security

Unix

Python

Go

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

MS/MBA

Job description

The successful applicant will be performing work in FedRAMP High or IL-5 environments, and therefore, must be a U.S. Person (i.e. U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, asylees, or refugee). This position may also perform work that the U.S. government has specified can only be performed by a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil.

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 creatively, 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.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada

When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full‑time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non‑sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long‑term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings. Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday, plus a day off for their birthday. Employees accrue up to 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) each year and have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues without tapping into their PTO. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community. Employees are also able to purchase company stock through our Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Employees on sales plans earn performance‑based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non‑quota components. For quota‑based incentive pay, Cisco pays at the standard rate of 1% of incentive target for each 1% revenue attainment against the quota up to 100%. Once performance exceeds 100% quota attainment, incentive rates may increase up to five times the standard rate with no cap on incentive compensation. For non‑quota‑based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.