{"id":9776,"url":"https://alion.io/job/true-anomaly-senior-embedded-security-engineer-flight-software","title":"Senior Embedded Security Engineer","company":{"id":3381,"name":"True Anomaly","domain":"trueanomaly.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/true-anomaly","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":92,"open_postings":168,"ghost_share":0.054,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0.006,"time_to_fill_p50_days":101,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Security","role_family":"Security","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"contractor","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Denver, United States","Long Beach, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":180000,"max":255000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":255000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Ghidra","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"NixOS","optional":false},{"name":"QEMU","optional":false},{"name":"Threat Modeling","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-04-14T18:23:09Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-09","last_verified_at":"2026-10-17T22:39:39Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":186,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":185},"description":"Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.\nOUR MISSION\nTrue Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors - enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.\nOUR VALUES\nBe the offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.\nWhat would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.\nIt’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.\nBENEFITS & PERKS*\nBest-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, with HSA/HRA options\n Generous time off: Flexible Time Off (FTO) for exempt employees, accrued PTO of up to 25 days for non-exempt employees, plus 12 paid holidays; Parental Leave; Sick Leave\nFuel for your day: Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees\n And more: 401(k) retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, and Dog Fridays\nEquity participation: Equity is included as part of our total compensation package, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s success.\n*Do not apply to fixed term and temporary roles\nYOUR MISSION\nYour job is to find the weaknesses in our spacecraft before an adversary does. These vehicles operate in remote, contested environments, where a defect can mean loss of mission. Once one is on orbit you do not get it back, you do not get a patch window on your terms, and you do not get a second opinion. Your job is to find every weakness in the silicon, the firmware, the radios, and the software before the vehicle leaves the ground. What survives your test program could become a mission failure on orbit. \nYou will take flight hardware apart, with physical access being the beginning of the exercise rather than the end of it. Once you are on the board, we expect you to pivot to the software and go for root. Chain the bugs, escalate, persist, and prove out the full path an adversary would take. You will deliver the findings and the reproducible test plans that show our flight software and hardware engineers exactly where they stand, then work alongside them to close what you found. \nThis is an ideal role for someone who works at the intersection of hardware and software security, who would rather break a system than read about it being broken, and who wants that work to matter on a vehicle that cannot be recalled. It carries significant technical ownership and direct access to the engineers building the vehicles. \nThis position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance. \nResponsibilities \nOwn the capability \nAdvance True Anomaly's hardware security lab: tooling selection, bench design, budget case, and test methodology \nOwn the security test plan for spacecraft hardware, radios, and flight software, and the schedule it runs on \nHardware and radios \nPerform invasive and non-invasive hardware attacks against flight hardware: side-channel analysis, fault injection (voltage, clock, EM), chip desoldering and rework, decapping, and exploitation of embedded debug and bus interfaces (JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI, I2C) \nExtract and reverse engineer firmware across the architectures our hardware runs on \nAnalyze wired and wireless protocols, including RF links, proprietary protocols, and spacecraft command and telemetry paths \nSoftware \nPivot from hardware access to software exploitation: identify memory corruption and logic flaws, chain them, and escalate toward full system control \nBuild coverage-guided and protocol fuzzing harnesses (AFL++, libFuzzer) and emulation-based rigs (QEMU, Unicorn) to decouple testing from hardware availability \nRoot-cause findings and develop proof-of-concept exploits that demonstrate real impact and drive remediation priority \nAssess post-exploitation impact and the effectiveness of isolation, key handling, and recovery mechanisms \nConduct security code review of flight software in C/C++ alongside binary analysis \nClose the loop \nPublish findings with reproducible test plans, retest after remediation, and build automated triage and coverage analysis to keep results legible at scale \nWork with flight software and hardware engineers to implement fixes across memory safety, secure boot, cryptographic key management, and runtime hardening \nPerform threat modeling and security architecture review accounting for a sophisticated adversary and a non-recoverable asset \nIntegrate security testing into HIL/SIL infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines, and support operational spacecraft with monitoring and incident response \nQualifications \nStrong candidates tend to arrive from one of two directions: embedded systems engineers who moved into offensive security, or hardware and firmware security researchers who can write and review production C/C++. Real depth on both sides is rare and we are not expecting it on day one. Tell us which side you come from. \nA good candidate will have: \n5+ years of hands-on experience across embedded systems security, hardware security, or offensive security against firmware and embedded targets \nHands-on offensive hardware experience on real boards, including side-channel analysis, voltage or clock glitching, electromagnetic fault injection, chip desoldering and rework, and decapping \nPractical experience attacking embedded debug and bus interfaces (JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI, I2C), including sniffing, injection, and firmware extraction \nA track record of independently discovering, validating, and root-causing vulnerabilities in embedded systems, firmware, or hardware \nFirmware reverse engineering across common embedded architectures, using tools such as Ghidra, IDA, or binwalk \nSolid grounding in exploitation fundamentals on constrained targets: memory corruption, exploit primitives, the mitigations you will run into, and escalation toward full system control \nExperience building your own tooling rather than only running off-the-shelf tools: coverage-guided or protocol fuzzing harnesses (AFL++, libFuzzer), emulation-based rigs (QEMU, Unicorn), test fixtures, and bench instrumentation \nExperience analyzing protocols, wired or wireless or proprietary, and reasoning about both design and implementation weaknesses \nStrong C/C++ skills with deep understanding of memory safety and secure coding practices, sufficient to review flight software at the source level \nWorking understanding of hardware root of trust and secure boot, whether from implementing them or from breaking them \nProficiency with embedded toolchains, debuggers, static analysis tools, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers, backed by strong debugging skills \nAbility to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance \nAn ideal candidate will also have: \nAn already-active TS/SCI security clearance \nExperience using Ghommit tool. \nDirect experience in spacecraft or satellite embedded software, or other aerospace safety-critical systems \nExperience with RF and wireless security, or with software-defined radio (SDR) \nExperience attacking or securing real-time and safety-critical systems, including timing constraints, deterministic execution, and interrupt handling \nExperience implementing secure firmware update mechanisms and anti-tamper techniques \nExperience implementing a hardware root of trust, secure boot, or key provisioning on a shipped product \nKnowledge of hardware security modules (HSMs) and secure elements \nExperience with HIL or SIL test infrastructure and embedded Linux build systems (Yocto, NixOS) \nFamiliarity with space-specific protocols and standards (CCSDS, ECSS) \nA public track record of impact: CVEs, published research, conference talks, CTF results, or open-source security tooling \nCompensation \nBase Salary \nLong Beach, CA: $180,000 to $255,000 \nDenver, CO: $170,000 to $240,000 \nWork Environment\nWork Location: this role will be fully onsite at our facilities in Centennial, CO, or Long Beach, CA #LI-Onsite\nThis role operates in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment where rapid decision-making and adaptability are essential\nBias towards delivery and iteration to discover the right use cases for security investments\nMust be comfortable taking calculated risks and owning accountability for managing those risks\nPassionate about solving real-world security problems in resource-constrained embedded environments\nCollaborative culture with opportunities for significant ownership and technical leadership\nDirect access to leadership and opportunity to influence spacecraft security architecture\nWhat We Offer\nCompetitive salary\nOpportunity to work on cutting-edge spacecraft technology and define security standards for next-generation space systems\nProfessional development and certification support\nCollaborative culture with experienced embedded systems and security professionals\nEquity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave\nThis position will be open until it is successfully filled. To submit your application, please follow the directions below.\nTo conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.\nTrue Anomaly is committed to equal employment opportunity on any basis protected by applicable state and federal laws. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.\nTo conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.\nTrue Anomaly is committed to equal employment opportunity on any basis protected by applicable state and federal laws. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.\nTo protect candidates and our company from application fraud and impersonation, we use third-party tools to verify applicant identity and detect fraudulent applications. 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