Mid-Level Cybersecurity Scientist

Riverside Overview

Riverside Research is an independent National Security Nonprofit dedicated to research and development in the national interest. We provide high-end technical services, research and development, and prototype solutions to some of the country’s most challenging technical problems. All Riverside Research opportunities require U.S. Citizenship.

Position Overview

The computer systems we interact with on a daily basis are inherently flawed. By nature, many systems contain bugs and vulnerabilities. What if we could architect systems that think differently? The Secure and Resilient Systems group at Riverside Research aims to do just that. By leveraging secure input handling, model-based systems engineering (MBSE), and open architectures, we aim to ensure systems are secure by design, eliminating entire classes of vulnerabilities. We take technologies from the academic space and transition them to the field, enhancing national security through applied security engineering.

Riverside Research is seeking a dynamic and growth-focused mid-level research scientist to support research and development of bleeding-edge security engineering technologies. As a key member of our Secure and Resilient Systems team, the research scientist will interface with government research organizations (e.g. DARPA, IARPA, service labs, etc.), perform business development, lead existing R&D contracts, and develop bleeding-edge technologies for transition to the warfighter. The research scientist will interface with team members across Riverside Research locations.

The research scientist will contribute to a diverse team responsible for developing security technologies in a variety of DoD systems. They will lead teams working towards and developing secure parsers, MBSE artifacts and tools, and other technologies in the interest of DoD partners. They will develop software and systems that use new and existing technologies in areas that these technologies may have never been applied to. The research scientist will perform business development in their research area and work to grow their field through pursuit of new government contracts. They will also contribute to technical writing in their research area.

The mid-level research scientist should have extensive experience in C/C++ and Python, as well as a mastery of the common security pitfalls of legacy systems. They should be able to think creatively to express why vulnerabilities such as Heartbleed can be classified as parser vulnerabilities. The research scientist should have extensive knowledge working with one or more of the following: system integration, network protocols, MBSE tools, secure input handling, and open architectures.

Responsibilities

• Help the group design innovate security solutions including
  • Innovative parsers
  • Novel data protocol protections
  • Secure-by-design system architectures
• Lead contracts as a principal investigator, transitioning existing tools and creating new tools for DoD use cases
• Build new tools and/or capabilities in languages like C/C++, Python, and Rust
• Potential to perform business development in research focus area
• Contribute to and lead proposal development for new and shaped work
• Develop whitepapers and publish papers that document innovative work performed
• Lead team members in debugging programs, designing systems, reviewing papers, etc.
• Participate and lead relevant internal and customer meetings

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Cybersecurity and 5 years of relevant experience, 3 years and a Masters, or a PhD
• Prior experience leading technical teams in system integration
• Prior experience with one or more of the following: parser design/development, MBSE tooling, networking protocols and design
• Knowledge on data format construction and what makes a secure data format
• Advanced understanding of cybersecurity problems and solutions
• Proficiency in programming languages C/C++ and Python
• Secret clearance with eligibility to obtain a TS//SCI clearance
• Willing to travel to support customer/collaborater meetings, business development opportunities, and more

Desired Qualifications

• MS or PhD degree in related technical field
• Experience shaping DoD efforts, from ideation to proposal
• Experience performing business development
• Proficiency in memory-safe programming languages such as Rust
• Healthy balance between technical orientation and business acumen
• Ability to operate independently with limited supervision and feedback, and establish a solid working relationship with technical staff and peers in the group and across Riverside Research
• Superior written and verbal communications skills

Global Comp

120,000 - 202,000 This represents the typical compensation range for this position based on experience, location and other factors.

Closing Statement

Riverside Research Institute is a not-for-profit, technology-oriented defense company, where service to our customers and support of our staff is our overall mission. Riverside is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. Riverside offers comprehensive compensation and benefit packages to our employees. Riverside bases its employment decisions solely on technical experience, qualifications and other job-related criteria related to our organizational purpose as a not-for-profit company, and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran’s status or any other status legally protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.