Sr. Staff Cyber Software Engineer

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU); Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 192,800 - 289,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k matching

Personal growth opportunities

Flexible work arrangement

Option of 9/80 or 4/10 work schedule

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU) in Cincinnati is seeking a Senior Level Vulnerability Research Engineer to develop innovative cybersecurity solutions in Offensive Cyber Operations.

This role requires extensive experience in vulnerability research and reverse engineering across various platforms. The position offers substantial growth opportunities alongside a competitive salary range between $192,800 and $289,200.

Join an inclusive team dedicated to protecting national security with a flexible work arrangement.

Qualifications

• 14 years of programming experience with a B.S. degree, or 12 years with an M.S. degree, or 9 years with a Ph.D.
• Experience with a disassembler for vulnerability research (IDA Pro, Ghidra, etc.).
• U.S. Citizenship required and ability to obtain a Top‑Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Research vulnerabilities and perform reverse engineering on embedded systems.
• Plan and conduct vulnerability analysis on user and kernel mode drivers.
• Develop and implement proof of concepts based on research findings.

Skills

Disassembler experience

Programming in C/C++

Fuzzing research techniques

Reverse engineering expertise

Education

B.S. in Computer Science or related field

M.S. in Computer Science or related field

Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field

Tools

IDA Pro

Ghidra

Dynamic Memory Instrumentation

Job description

Relocation assistance may be available.

Clearance required for start: Yes.

Clearance type: Top Secret.

Travel: Yes, 10% of the time.

Senior Level Vulnerability Research Engineer – Northrop Grumman, Cincinnati

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking a senior level Vulnerability Research Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals at our Cincinnati, Ohio location. The role focuses on developing cyber hardware and software solutions with learning opportunities in Offensive Cyber Operations (OCO).

Essential Functions

• Research vulnerabilities and perform reverse engineering on embedded systems.
• Plan and conduct vulnerability analysis on user and kernel mode drivers and interfaces.
• Develop, design, and implement proof of concepts based on research findings and documents.

Basic Qualification

• B.S. degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related field and 14 years of programming experience OR M.S. degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related field and 12 years of programming experience OR Ph.D. and 9 years of programming experience.
• Experience with a disassembler for vulnerability research (IDA Pro, Ghidra, BinaryNinja, radare2, etc.).
• Experience programming in C or C++.
• Experience with fuzzing research techniques (AFL++, taint analysis, PIN, Dynamic Memory Instrumentation, etc.).
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top‑Secret clearance to start.

Preferred Qualification

• Active Top‑Secret clearance.
• Experience finding and developing exploits.
• Experience with one or more assembly languages (x86, x64, ARM, MIPS, etc.).
• Development of disassembler extensions for tools such as IDA Pro or Ghidra.
• Low‑level debug tools such as GDB, WinDBG, or OllyDbg.
• Experience with vulnerability research on one or more operating systems (Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, etc.).
• Experience with emulation (Renode, QEMU, etc.).
• Reverse engineering hardware and software such as embedded systems (IoT), mobile devices/phones.
• Development of software to run in user mode or kernel mode.
• Apply creativity and vision for the future that require integration of related disciplines.
• Certified Reverse Engineering Analyst (CREA).

Primary Level Salary Range: $192,800.00 – $289,200.00.

Northrop Grumman offers 401k matching, personal growth opportunities, a flexible work arrangement, and the option of a 9/80 or 4/10 work schedule.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.