Vulnerability Researcher

Job Description

Job Description

About Agile Defense

At Agile Defense we know that action defines the outcome and new challenges require new solutions. That’s why we always look to the future and embrace change with an unmovable spirit and the courage to build for what comes next.

Our vision is to bring adaptive innovation to support our nation's most important missions through the seamless integration of advanced technologies, elite minds, and unparalleled agility—leveraging a foundation of speed, flexibility, and ingenuity to strengthen and protect our nation’s vital interests.

Req #: 1970

Job Title: Vulnerability Researcher

Location: Fort Meade, MD

Clearance Level: TS/SCI with CI Poly

Agile Defense is looking for an amazingly talented Vulnerability Researcher to join our team! In this role you will get to support the United States Cyber Command (USCC), where you will have a significant impact on the mission.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Conduct advanced vulnerability research and reverse engineering on target software and hardware systems to identify exploitable weaknesses for cyberspace capability development.
• Perform technical analysis of target platforms, including discovery of zero-day vulnerabilities through fuzzing and code analysis.
• Reverse engineer software applications, firmware, and hardware components using disassemblers, debuggers, and binary analysis tools.
• Develop proof-of-concept exploits to validate vulnerability findings and assess operational utility.
• Analyze target system architectures, protocols, and security mechanisms to identify attack surfaces and weakness patterns.
• Document vulnerability technical details, exploitation methodology, and recommended capability development approaches.
• Provide technical intelligence briefs to capability developers on target system weaknesses and exploitation pathways.
• Collaborate with capability development teams to translate vulnerability research into operational tools.
• Maintain awareness of public vulnerability disclosures, exploit techniques, and adversary tradecraft relevant to target systems.
• Conduct limited TDY travel as mission requires.

What Required Skills You'll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in related technical field and 10+ years of related professional experience; Master's degree and 8+ years.
• Expert proficiency with disassemblers/decompilers (IDA Pro, Ghidra, Binary Ninja)
• Strong understanding of x86/x64/ARM assembly language and processor architectures
• Practical experience with debuggers (WinDbg, GDB, LLDB) and dynamic analysis tools
• Demonstrated capability discovering vulnerabilities in compiled software (C/C++/Rust applications)
• Understanding of common vulnerability classes (memory corruption, logic flaws, race conditions)
• Proficiency with fuzzing frameworks such as AFL, libFuzzer, Honggfuzz and corpus management
• Strong scripting skills (Python, Ruby, or similar) for automation and analysis
• Experience documenting technical research for both technical and operational audiences
• Active TS/SCI with Poly

What Desired Skills You'll Bring:

• Experience with Windows kernel/driver reverse engineering
• Firmware analysis and embedded systems reverse engineering
• Network protocol analysis and vulnerability research
• Experience with UEFI/BIOS or bootloader security analysis
• Published vulnerability research (CVEs, conference presentations, blog posts)
• Familiarity with symbolic execution and taint analysis tools
• Understanding of offensive cyberspace operations workflows

In addition, Agile Defense invests in its employees beyond just compensation. Agile’s benefits offerings include, dependent upon position, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, Holiday Pay, short-term and long-term Disability, Retirement and Learning and Development opportunities as well as other optional benefit elections.

Our Core Values

Employees of Agile Defense are our number one priority, and the importance we place on our culture here is fundamental. Our culture is alive and evolving, but it always stays true to its roots. Here, you are valued as a family member, and we believe that we can accomplish great things together. Agile Defense has been highly successful in the past few years due to our employees and the culture we create together. 

What makes us Agile? We call it the 6Hs, the values that define our culture and guide everything we do. Together, these values infuse vibrancy, integrity, and a tireless work ethic into advancing the most important national security and critical civilian missions. It's how we show up every day. It's who we are.

• Happy - Be Infectious. Happiness multiplies and creates a positive and connected environment where motivation and satisfaction have an outsized effect on everything we do.
• Helpful - Be Supportive. Being helpful is the foundation of teamwork, resulting in a supportive atmosphere where collaboration flourishes, and collective success is celebrated.
• Honest - Be Trustworthy. Honesty serves as our compass, ensuring transparent communication and ethical conduct, essential to who we are and the complex domains we support.
• Humble - Be Grounded. Success is not achieved alone, humility ensures a culture of mutual respect, encouraging open communication, and a willingness to learn from one another and take on any task.
• Hungry - Be Eager. Our hunger for excellence drives an insatiable appetite for innovation and continuous improvement, propelling us forward in the face of new and unprecedented challenges.
• Hustle - Be Driven. Hustle is reflected in our relentless work ethic, where we are each committed to going above and beyond to advance the mission and achieve success.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.