Integrated Cyber Exploitation Researcher (Fort Meade, MD)

The Cyber System Assessments Group performs software and hardware reverse engineering, vulnerability research and discovery, and system exploitation. We develop and prototype cutting-edge capabilities for our operational partners in the U.S. government. We look for, find, and demonstrate cyber vulnerabilities so that vulnerabilities in U.S. systems can be corrected, and so that vulnerabilities in other systems are better understood. Top U.S. Government leadership relies on us for our expert guidance, and our technical role with our U.S. Government sponsors is considered essential to the success of their missions. Job Overview

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Level 5 Technical Staff provide critical multi-domain or new domain innovative research to the Laboratory’s national security mission. They prototype solutions for state-of-the art technology and engage across the program lifecycle, leading projects or major technical workstreams in partnership with project and team leaders. As a successful Level 5 Technical Staff candidate, you will lead projects or major technical workstreams requiring deep expertise and sound judgment, with the ability to successfully navigate technical complexity. You will perform independent research to solve complex problems, manage programs and/or lead teams on extraordinary technology prototype efforts, and develop creative new ideas and approaches that support critical mission needs.

As a successful Level 5 Technical Staff, you will have deep technical expertise, sound judgment, and the ability to lead through ambiguity. You will, with ease, effectively connect your technical depth with the Laboratory’s broader program objectives. Working across multi-disciplinary teams and sponsor-driven efforts, you will efficiently help develop and execute programs, create briefings and reports, and often interface with sponsors. In this role, you are a technical leader, mentoring others, and continuously improving practices within an applicable Group or mission area. You will also guide and mentor Associate Technical Staff, Assistant Technical Staff, and other technical support personnel. Additional Job Overview Details

Located onsite in Fort Meade, MD

From the MIT Lincoln Laboratory field office in Annapolis Junction, MD, you will be immersed in the missions of key government sponsors. We provide support across the full lifecycle of offensive cyber operations, from the reverse engineering and exploitation of software and hardware systems to providing technical subject matter expertise to operational planners. Your main areas of research will include cyber tool prototyping, technical analysis of offensive cyber tools, automated vulnerability discovery, reverse engineering, static analysis, and dynamic instrumentation. Once you’re on our team, you will communicate your research to non-domain experts through your writing, public presentations, and hand-on training sessions. Our field site positions in particular offer an opportunity to engage directly with our sponsors as trusted subject matter experts and shape key decisions in the defense of our nation. Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Leads projects or major workstreams involving multi-disciplinary design, development, data analysis, programming, prototyping, integration, testing, or transition activities.
• Applies extensive technical expertise to solve significantly complex problems while effectively evaluating alternative approaches, trade-offs, risks, and mission-driven implications.
• Within assigned projects or mission areas, consistently influences the technical approach towards mission research, systems/ subsystems, architecture design and integration.
• Structures and manages execution of ambiguous work, concisely translating project objectives into actionable technical plans based on nuanced policies and procedures.
• Mentors others within the Group by consistently reviewing work and providing constructive feedback, offering technical guidance, and helping them to develop and hone their judgment and problem-solving skills.
• Proactively identifies opportunities to improve tools, processes, methods, documentation, or execution practices within the Group.
• Substantively contributes to engineering or scientific papers, technical reports, presentations, and, where applicable, proposal or grant materials.

Additional Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Reverse engineer and exploit software and hardware systems important to U.S. government operations and critical to the defense of our nation.
• Conduct research in cyber tool prototyping and technical analysis of offensive or defensive cyber tools and systems, automated vulnerability discovery, reverse engineering, software protection mechanisms, static analysis, and dynamic instrumentation.
• Communicate research to non-domain experts through writing, public presentations, and hands-on training sessions.

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline or other relevant technical field and typically 6+ years of relevant experience; or Master’s degree and typically 4+ years of relevant experience; or PhD and typically equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Diverse technical expertise with demonstrated ability to adapt that expertise to unfamiliar or emerging disciplines, systems, mission areas, or methods.
• Established educational, skill, and experience levels that demonstrate an ability to apply significant technical judgment to solve broad technical challenges that require integration across related systems or methods.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects or major workstreams and deliver complex technical outcomes.
• Experience evaluating trade-offs, recommending paths forward, and adapting technical approaches to evolving project needs.
• Demonstrated mentorship, collaboration, and ability to communicate recommendations, risks, and technical findings to varied audiences.
• Experience contributing to technical reports, papers, presentations, proposals, or other formal technical deliverables.

Additional Minimum Qualifications

• Selected candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation and must be able to obtain a Secret level DoD security clearance. Additionally, must be eligible and willing to apply for a Top Secret SCI level DoD security clearance and be able to maintain this clearance level once obtained.

Preferred Qualifications

Familiarity with all, and expertise in some, of the following:

• Version control systems (Git)
• Disassemblers/decompilers (Ghidra, IDA Pro)
• Debuggers (WinDbg, GDB)
• Programming languages (C/C++, Python)
• Infrastructure/container provisioning and orchestration (Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker)
• Network protocol analysis (Wireshark, tcpdump)
• Emulation/virtualization (VMware, QEMU)
• Operating system internals
• Reverse engineering of embedded systems firmware, malicious code, mobile applications, and more
• Vulnerability assessment
• Statistics and metrics
• SAT/SMT solvers
• Symbolic execution

• Data-flow analysis for compiled binaries
• Binary intermediate representations
• Binary translation
• Compiler construction
• Anti-debugging/anti-instrumentation techniques
• Network and host security products
• Communication Skills

Technical Staff 5 Hiring Range:$140,000 - $187,000

Disclaimer: MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a typical hiring range as a good faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to offer for this position at the time of posting. The final salary offered to a selected candidate will depend on various factors, including-but not limited to-the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience, skills and education/training, internal equity considerations and applicable legal requirements. This range reflects base salary only and does not include additional forms of compensation or benefits.

At MIT Lincoln Laboratory, our exceptional career opportunities include many outstanding benefits to help you stay healthy, feel supported, and enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. Benefits offered to employees include:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
• MIT-funded pension
• Matching 401K
• Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)
• Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs
• Mentorship programs
• A range of work-life balance options
• … and much more!

Please visit our Benefits pagefor more information. As an employee of MIT, you can also take advantage ofother voluntary benefits, discounts and perks.

Selected candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.