Senior Cyber Security Engineer at Leidos Sterling, VA

Downtown Boulder Partnership; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 104,650 - 189,175; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Senior Cyber Security Engineer in Sterling, VA to design and implement advanced security solutions protecting critical systems and data. You will work across software and hardware domains, conducting threat research and vulnerability analyses while ensuring secure SDLC and CI/CD integration.

The role requires 8+ years of experience with Python/C/C++/Java, offensive and defensive cybersecurity, and familiarity with standards such as NIST RMF.

Qualifications

• Requires TS/SCI with Poly clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree in CS, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, or related field, with 8+ years of experience.
• Experience with Python, C/C++, Assembly, or Java.
• Proven offensive and defensive cybersecurity experience.
• Experience with vulnerability research, reverse engineering, and malware analysis.
• Knowledge of code analysis, code manipulation, and payload development.
• Knowledge of defensive tool development, threat detection, and incident response.
• Working knowledge of web application vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, and fuzzing techniques.
• Experience conducting cyber threat intelligence research to stay informed on emerging technologies and threat trends.

Responsibilities

• Research and analyze cyber threat trends, vulnerabilities, and exploits to identify risks to critical mission systems.
• Design and implement defensive cyber security solutions to protect data, networks, and applications from unauthorized access, modification, or destruction.
• Perform vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, fuzzing, and malware analysis to detect and mitigate risks.
• Secure development environments by implementing application security architecture and evaluating software for security compliance.
• Collaborate with development, IT, and operations teams to integrate security into the SDLC and CI/CD pipelines.
• Identify, detect, and respond to cyber attacks and incidents, including investigation and remediation efforts.
• Ensure cyber solutions comply with relevant standards, frameworks, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation of security architecture, findings, and mitigation strategies.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Java

Assembly

Malware analysis

Reverse engineering

Vulnerability research

Threat detection

Incident response

Code analysis

CI/CD pipelines

Secure SDLC

Web app testing

OSCP

CISSP

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

Ghidra

IDA Pro

Radare2

x64dbg

Job description

Senior Cyber Security Engineer – Leidos, Sterling, VA

Leidos is currently seeking a Senior Cyber Security Engineer who is responsible for developing and implementing advanced security solutions to defend critical systems, networks, and data against evolving cyber threats. This role combines technical expertise in both software and hardware to support the design and deployment of defensive cyber measures. The engineer conducts research on current and emerging cyber threats, identifies vulnerabilities, and ensures that development environments and operational systems remain resilient against cyber exploits. This role will support the NRO cyber operations group or Industrial Control Systems group at each site by working with the Information Security Offices.

Primary Responsibilities

• Research and analyze cyber threat trends, vulnerabilities, and exploits to proactively identify risks to critical mission systems.
• Design and implement defensive cyber security solutions to protect data, networks, and applications from unauthorized access, modification, or destruction.
• Perform vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, fuzzing, and malware analysis to detect and mitigate potential security risks.
• Secure development environments by implementing application security architecture and conducting evaluations of software for security compliance.
• Collaborate with development, IT, and operations teams to integrate security into the software development life cycle (SDLC) and CI/CD pipelines.
• Identify, detect, and respond to cyber attacks and incidents, including investigation and remediation efforts.
• Ensure cyber solutions comply with relevant standards, frameworks, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation of security architecture, findings, and mitigation strategies.

Basic Qualifications

• TS/SCI with Poly Clearance is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, or a related technical field with 8+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education, certifications, and experience.
• Proven experience in application development, using programming and scripting languages such as Python, C/C++, Assembly, or Java.
• Demonstrated proficiency in both offensive and defensive cybersecurity.
• Experience with vulnerability research, reverse engineering, and malware analysis.
• Knowledge of code analysis, code manipulation, and payload development.
• Knowledge of defensive tool development, threat detection, and incident response.
• Working knowledge of web application vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, and fuzzing techniques.
• Experience conducting cyber threat intelligence research to stay informed on emerging technologies and threat trends.
• Familiarity with secure software development practices, application security architecture, and development environment hardening.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to independently develop innovative technical solutions.
• Experience working in high‑impact environments, leading technical projects or mentoring junior staff.

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry certifications such as OSCP, OSCE, GREM, GPEN, CISSP, or CEH.
• Experience with reverse engineering tools and platforms such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, Radare2, or x64dbg.
• Proficiency in scripting languages for automation and exploit development (e.g., Bash, PowerShell, Ruby, or Perl).
• Experience with threat emulation, red/blue team operations, or offensive cyber tool development.
• Familiarity with cyber research methodologies, proof‑of‑concept development, and technical documentation.
• Understanding of advanced persistent threats (APTs) and nation‑state level cyber tactics.
• Experience in environments requiring compliance with frameworks such as RMF, NIST 800‑53, or STIGs.
• Prior experience supporting DoD, federal agencies, or other classified environments.

At Leidos, we don’t want someone who “fits the mold”—we want someone who melts it down and builds something better. This is a role for the restless, the over‑caffeinated, the ones who ask, “what’s next?” before the dust settles on “what’s now.”

If you’re already scheming step 20 while everyone else is still debating step 2… good. You’ll fit right in.

Job Details

Original Posting: August 29, 2025

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date.

Pay Range: $104,650.00 – $189,175.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

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