Vulnerability Researcher

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student): login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here; apply internally through Workday. CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State: login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here; apply internally through Workday. IF YOU ARE NOT A CURRENT EMPLOYEE OR STUDENT: click "Apply" and complete the application process for external applicants. Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants. POSITION SPECIFICS We are searching for a self‑motivated Vulnerability Researcher to join our Cyberspace Operations Research Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State University. ARL/Penn State’s purpose is to develop innovative solutions to challenging national problems in support of the Navy, DoD, and Intel communities’ engineering and technology needs. The Cyberspace Operations Research Department provides technical expertise in adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to support system evaluation and provide security hardening support to various sponsors. ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply. You will Research cutting‑edge techniques and technologies for system exploitation Leverage expertise in reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and software development to address established needs and investigate solutions to emerging requirements Apply software engineering best practices to create proof‑of‑concept tools and configure test environments to perform demonstrations to sponsors and partners Assist the Cyberspace Operations Research Department Head in maintaining relationships with sponsors through on‑site technical discussions, preparation and presentation of technical materials, and project‑related correspondence Provide process enhancement for technical functionality evaluation, vulnerability analyses, cyberspace operations engineering, and penetration testing projects Apply project management principles and methods to the leadership of tasks or projects Provide guidance to lower‑level engineers to foster professional growth Additional responsibilities for a higher level position include Understand broad strategic objectives and contribute to them; nurture and maintain relationships with major customers/grantors of external research and development grant funding Identify grant/project follow‑on work and persuade customers/grantors to fund; influence customer decisions and strategies Initiate new project concepts and seek funding; develop technical proposals and make presentations to customers/grant sponsors Mentor department staff in the development of technical, project, and business development skills Required skills/experience areas include Documented application of reverse engineering and vulnerability testing tools (e.g., Ghidra/IDA, Kali Linux, Angr/AFL++, QEMU/Unicorn, etc.) Reverse engineering, vulnerability research, malware analysis, and/or CNO tool development Computer networking fundamentals, Windows and *NIX operating systems, X86(64) and ARM or MIPS architectures Cyber operations architecture and software engineering practices Software programming, programming languages, and development environments (to include at a minimum C, Java, or Python) Ability to express technical information clearly and concisely in documents and presentations for senior leaders to successfully comprehend and leverage for decision making Active government security clearance at TS/SCI level with eligibility for special accesses Preferred skills/experience areas include Cybersecurity exploit development and test environment configuration Cybersecurity penetration testing / cybersecurity Red Team testing / white hat hacking Military cyberspace operations or computer network operations Demonstrated history of successful project initiation efforts Agile software development methodology and tools Atlassian products (e.g., JIRA, Confluence) Your working location will be fully on‑site located in Reston, VA, but options exist for occasional hybrid of on‑site/work from home based on project‑dependent ability. This position will require periodic travel to remote locations in support of testing as part of a small team of researchers, engineers, and technologists. MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS If filled as Research and Development Engineer – Senior Professional, this position requires: Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science 14+ years of relevant experience No required certifications If filled as Research and Development Engineer – Advanced Professional, this position requires: Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science 5+ years of relevant experience No required certifications If filled as Research and Development Engineer – Intermediate Professional, this position requires: Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science 2+ years of relevant experience No required certifications ARL at Penn State is an integral part of one of the leading research universities in the nation and serves as a University center of excellence in defense science, systems, and technologies with a focus in naval missions and related areas. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. All positions at ARL require candidates to possess the ability to obtain a government security clearance; you will be notified during the interview process if this position is subject to a government background investigation. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with the ARL will require successful completion of a pre‑employment drug screen. SALARY & BENEFITS The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $86,300.00 – $191,000.00. The proposed salary range may be impacted by geographic differential. Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full‑time employees designed to support both personal and professional well‑being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. EEO IS THE LAW Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact View phone number on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr