Senior Embedded Security Engineer - Secure Firmware

Mitre Corporation; Aberdeen (MD); On-site; USD 127,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE is seeking engineers to develop and secure next-generation embedded systems for national security missions. You will work on secure embedded software architectures, trusted computing technologies, and tooling to harden systems against hardware-enabled attacks.

You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to prototype capabilities, assess security risks, and deliver engineering support to sponsors, while maintaining compliance with security requirements and earning a Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• Typically requires 5+ years of related experience with a degree; or 3+ years with a master’s; or PhD with relevant experience.
• Experience with embedded software in C/C++ and tooling in Python.
• Experience with low-level embedded software development (bare-metal/RTOS/embedded Linux).
• Familiarity with embedded system debugging workflows and tools.
• Understanding of embedded security concepts including secure boot and trusted computing.
• Ability to work independently in collaborative environments and communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop secure embedded software and firmware for mission-critical systems.
• Architect and implement trusted computing technologies including secure boot and firmware signing.
• Develop tooling for secure-by-construction embedded systems, including static and symbolic analysis.
• Prototype and evaluate security capabilities across bare-metal, RTOS, embedded Linux, and FPGA SoC.
• Assess embedded systems for hardware-enabled attacks and develop mitigations.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in embedded security research and vulnerability assessment.
• Deliver prototypes, technical recommendations, and sponsor-facing documentation.
• Provide mentorship to junior engineers and communicate risks to sponsors.

Skills

C/C++ development

Python tooling

Embedded debugging

Embedded security concepts

System-level thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field

PhD with relevant experience

Tools

LLVM/Clang

QEMU/Angr

Embedded emulation frameworks

Job description

MITRE is seeking engineers to develop and secure next-generation embedded systems for national security missions. You will work on secure embedded software architectures, trusted computing technologies, and tooling to harden systems against hardware-enabled attacks.

You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to prototype capabilities, assess security risks, and deliver engineering support to sponsors, while maintaining compliance with security requirements and earning a Secret clearance.