Software Engineer - AI-Enabled Vulnerability Research

Software Engineer – AI-Enabled Vulnerability Research

• Columbia, MD

Software Engineer – AI-Enabled Vulnerability Research

An active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph is required for this role

Bitwise is a leading provider of mission-focused intelligence solutions that advance national security for the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. We're a small and growing company, so you can expect to hop in on the ground floor with us and be a consequential member of the team. You'll be more than a contract performer for us — you'll also be asked for ideas to improve our company and improve your career, and you'll contribute to our team culture. We value growth and community above almost all else, so we gather regularly for game nights, happy hours, tech talks, and plenty more. We think you'll like it here!

Remember, Bitwise is not a cult.

What We Look For

Bitwise hires talented engineers who are driven by purpose and who value a culture of technical excellence, growth, and overall wellness. We deliver new and innovative intelligence solutions to our customers at the very forefront of our country's national security missions. And we do it every single day. Our work matters, and so will you.

We ask that every new hire be able to:

• Contribute meaningful thought leadership — if not right away, over time
• Interact with our customers and earn their confidence in your abilities
• Be detailed, even if that means taking a little more time to get it right
• Contribute their ideas and ideals to improve all aspects of our company
• Allow us to invest in their education so we both grow together

You will design, develop, and integrate AI-enabled capabilities that support computer network exploitation and vulnerability research. This role combines strong software engineering fundamentals with practical knowledge of vulnerability research, program analysis, and AI-assisted research workflows. You'll independently own complex features and subsystems, translate mission needs into technical designs, and deliver reliable software from prototype through deployment.

You will develop agentic AI harnesses that connect large language models, research tools, instrumented execution environments, and backend services to support repeatable, evidence-driven analysis. Working alongside vulnerability researchers, AI/ML engineers, and mission stakeholders, you'll make sound architectural decisions, evaluate AI-generated findings, and improve the quality and effectiveness of research workflows. This position also includes mentoring engineers and contributing to technical direction and engineering standards.

Your Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain AI-enabled software and research tooling supporting computer network exploitation and vulnerability research workflows
• Own the design and delivery of complex features and subsystems, including requirements refinement, implementation, testing, deployment, and sustainment
• Develop and integrate agentic AI harnesses that orchestrate research tools, manage execution state, collect evidence, and evaluate results
• Build and extend sandbox-based dynamic analysis capabilities for executing and observing software, capturing runtime behavior, and reproducing suspected vulnerabilities
• Integrate debugging, instrumentation, fuzzing, crash analysis, and related research tools into automated or researcher-directed workflows
• Establish repeatable evaluations that measure finding validity, reproducibility, false-positive rates, and the usefulness of AI-assisted analysis
• Develop backend services, APIs, data pipelines, and user interfaces that make research capabilities accessible and results traceable
• Troubleshoot complex issues across application code, AI integrations, research tooling, and execution environments; improve performance, reliability, and observability
• Lead design and code reviews within assigned areas, document technical decisions, mentor engineers, and communicate progress, risks, and tradeoffs to stakeholders

Requirements

• 12+ years of relevant experience with a B.S. in a technical discipline, or 16+ years of relevant experience without a degree
• Demonstrated experience independently designing, implementing, testing, and delivering complex software features or subsystems, with sound judgment about architecture, maintainability, and operational requirements
• Proficiency in Python and experience building maintainable, tested software using modular design and appropriate object-oriented programming practices
• Demonstrated expertise in AI-enabled computer network exploitation or vulnerability research, including integrating AI capabilities into research workflows and critically evaluating their outputs
• Experience with vulnerability research or software analysis techniques, such as reverse engineering, debugging, dynamic analysis, fuzzing, or crash triage
• Working knowledge of isolated execution environments and dynamic analysis concepts, including runtime instrumentation, execution tracing, environment reproducibility, and evidence collection
• Experience developing LLM applications or agentic systems that use external tools, structured outputs, workflow state, error handling, and evaluation
• Experience developing backend services and REST APIs using frameworks such as FastAPI, Flask, or Django, and working with relational databases such as PostgreSQL
• Experience working in Linux environments, with an understanding of operating system behavior, processes, memory, and networking relevant to software analysis
• Experience using Git, automated testing, CI/CD, and code review to deliver reliable software collaboratively
• Ability to translate ambiguous requirements into actionable technical work, explain technical tradeoffs, and provide effective guidance to other engineers
• Hands‑on experience conducting dynamic vulnerability research in sandbox environments, including configuring instrumented targets, controlling execution, capturing runtime evidence, and reproducing findings across clean environment resets
• Experience building AI agents that interact with debuggers, fuzzers, emulators, or other analysis tools within controlled research environments
• Experience with virtualization, emulation, snapshots, and automated provisioning of repeatable analysis environments
• Experience with C/C++, assembly, binary analysis, memory corruption analysis, or operating system internals
• Experience designing evaluation datasets and benchmarks for AI‑assisted vulnerability discovery, triage, or validation
• Experience with retrieval‑augmented generation, vector databases, or search platforms such as Elasticsearch, Qdrant, or ChromaDB
• Experience building researcher‑facing interfaces using TypeScript, React, or comparable technologies
• Contributions to vulnerability research, security tooling, open‑source projects, or relevant technical publications

Benefits at Bitwise

• Top salaries because we're top performers
• Pick your PTO — Everyone values time and money differently, so we give you the flexibility to choose between 3 and 5 weeks of PTO with a corresponding adjustment to your pay. Your choice, your balance.
• All 11 federal holidays, paid!
• Up to 2 snow days, paid!
• We'll quadruple (4x!) the first 6% you contribute to your 401(k), giving you up to a 24% company match. Contributing less than 6%? Unclaimed matches come right back to you as extra income, giving you a guaranteed 24% that goes to your retirement, to your paycheck, or both. C'mon now!
• 100% employer‑paid medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurances. That's a lot. Already covered on health insurance? No problem — we'll trade you this benefit for a boost to your salary instead.
• $5,250 annual education assistance for training, certifications, tuition, and even student loan repayments.
• Spot bonuses for obtained certifications, customer recognition, and just about anything else that makes us go "Hot damn!". We hope to say that many times about you.

Salary Range

$282,000 – $332,000

This range includes our flex income and depends upon your annual work hours.

Salary is determined on an individual basis following the interview process and considering various factors such as years of experience, skills, education, and certifications.

What to Expect After Applying

You'll get an email from us right away to acknowledge your application. After that, we'll:

• Send over additional company materials for you to review
• Schedule a video call to talk about you, our company, and your place in it
• Craft a delightful offer package for you and record a video walkthrough
• Work closely with you through onboarding. We'll keep it joyful and easy.

Bitwise is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Compensation for this position, including all compensation options, will be determined on an individual basis following the interview process.

If you require accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please reach out to us.