Staff Software Engineer (Security and Cryptography)

Fresh Consulting; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Fresh Consulting partners with a Space company to seek a Staff Software Engineer (Principal level) to design and integrate novel cryptographic systems for orbital edge workloads. You will help build secure, data-sovereign architectures across multi-tenant environments and advise on cryptographic agility.

The role requires a BS in a technical field and 15+ years of software development experience in C/C++/Rust, with deep cryptography knowledge, PKI, threat modeling, and secure coding practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level technical degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 15+ years of professional software development experience in systems programming.
• Deep knowledge of symmetric/asymmetric cryptography and protocols.
• Experience with key management, PKI, and certificate lifecycle.
• Secure development practices, threat modeling, and security-focused code reviews.
• Experience with cloud/multi-tenant hosted environments.
• Experience with Git-based CI/CD tooling.
• Familiarity with security/compliance frameworks (NIST 800-53, FIPS, CMMC) is preferred.
• Post-quantum cryptography familiarity and cryptographic agility is a plus.
• Track record of delivering in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.
• Strong problem-solving and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate cryptographic systems for orbital edge compute platforms and software products.
• Architect and deliver a data-sovereignty model for multi-tenant workloads and communications with tenant isolation.
• Develop cryptographic and key management solutions for edge environments with intermittent connectivity and limited resources.
• Design and implement key management and certificate lifecycle solutions including generation, storage, distribution, rotation, and revocation.
• Conduct threat modeling, architecture reviews, and security-focused code reviews for cryptography features.
• Build libraries, APIs, and services enabling secure cryptographic consumption by engineers.
• Collaborate with hardware and software teams to balance security with time-to-market.
• Integrate cryptographic solutions with hardware-backed protections (HSMs/TPMs/TEEs) when appropriate.
• Provide secure coding guidance and feedback during reviews and development.
• Advance cryptographic agility and readiness for post-quantum standards.

Skills

Systems languages (C/C++/Rust)

Cryptography

Key management / PKI

Secure development practices

Threat modeling

Cloud / multi-tenant security

Git / CI-CD

Security frameworks (NIST/FIPS/CMMC)

Post-quantum cryptography

Ambiguity tolerance

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Mathematics, or related field

Job description

Title: Staff Software Engineer (Principal Level)
Duration: Full-Time
Location: Houston, TX (Can be remote however you must be onsite in Houston every other week)
Candidate must be a U.S person due to ITAR regulations

Fresh has partnered with a Space company, we are s eeking a Staff Software Engineer, Security and Cryptography to join the team designing, developing, and integrating novel cryptographic systems. Operating in a fast-paced environment characterized by rapid iteration and significant ambiguity, the successful candidate will deliver solutions quickly and effectively while developing a comprehensive security and data-sovereignty model for workloads and communications running at the orbital edge in a multi-tenant hosted environment.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate novel cryptographic systems into orbital edge compute platform and software products
• Architect and deliver a security and data-sovereignty model for multi-tenant workloads and communications running at the orbital edge, ensuring tenant isolation and customer control over sensitive data
• Develop cryptographic and key management solutions suited to the constraints of edge compute environments, including intermittent connectivity, limited resources, and remote/autonomous operation
• Design and implement key management and certificate lifecycle solutions, including key generation, storage, distribution, rotation, revocation, and secure deletion
• Conduct threat modeling, architecture reviews, and security code reviews for cryptography-related features
• Build libraries, APIs, and services that allow engineering teams to easily and correctly consume cryptographic services
• Partner with software and hardware engineers to deliver customer-focused solutions, balancing security best practices with time-to-market
• Integrate cryptographic solutions with hardware-backed key protection (HSMs, TPMs, or TEEs) where appropriate
• Give and receive productive feedback during collaboration and in design and code reviews
• Provide hands-on guidance and secure coding best practices to developers implementing cryptography
• Evaluate and advance cryptographic agility, including readiness for post-quantum and evolving standards
• Deliver iteratively and quickly in a fast-paced environment with significant ambiguity
• Perform additional job duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Mathematics, or another related technical discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• 15 years of professional software development experience, with strong proficiency in a systems language such as C, C++, or Rust
• Deep engineering knowledge of symmetric and asymmetric cryptography and cryptographic protocols
• Experience designing and implementing key management, PKI, and certificate lifecycle solutions
• Demonstrated experience with secure development practices, threat modeling, and security-focused code review
• Experience building secure systems in cloud and/or multi-tenant hosted environments
• Experience with git distro (such as GitLab) and CI/CD tools
• Prefer experience integrating cryptographic solutions with hardware-backed key protection (HSMs, TPMs, or TEEs)
• Prefer familiarity with security and compliance frameworks such as NIST 800-53, FIPS 140-2/3, or CMMC
• Prefer experience with post-quantum cryptography and cryptographic agility
• Track record of making things happen in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
• Uses good judgement to problem-solve proactively, positively impacting hard challenges
• Demonstrated organization skills to meet tight deadlines with high quality results

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Range $180K – $245K.