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Job Description:
Parsons is seeking a Principal Vulnerability Research Engineer to join our team in support of advanced research and development contracts for the U.S. Government. You'll serve as a senior technical leader on a small, highly technical team performing vulnerability research and reverse engineering against complex embedded and cyber-physical systems. The role involves leading technically challenging research from initial target analysis through vulnerability discovery, exploit development, and integration into operational cyber capabilities while defining technical approaches and advancing the team's vulnerability research capabilities.
As a Senior Vulnerability Research Engineer, you'll serve as an experienced hands-on technical contributor while helping guide less experienced researchers through complex technical challenges. You'll have the opportunity to work across the full vulnerability research lifecycle, develop new tools and techniques, and contribute to technically challenging research efforts involving software, firmware, hardware, and communications interfaces.
This is an onsite position based at the Cromulence-Parsons office in the historic downtown of Melbourne, Florida, on Florida's Space Coast. Work will be performed in both classified and unclassified environments.
What You'll Be Doing:
- Lead vulnerability research / reverse engineering (VR/RE) efforts against complex embedded systems, including both hardware and software targets
- Develop, test, and integrate advanced cyber tools, exploits, cyber effects, and supporting research capabilities
- Define technical approaches for complex vulnerability research problems and guide research efforts from initial target analysis through successful capability development
- Serve as a principal technical contributor while remaining deeply hands-on with reverse engineering, vulnerability discovery, exploit development, and tool development
- Provide technical leadership and direction to teams of vulnerability researchers working on large-scale or technically challenging cyber efforts
- Mentor senior and junior researchers and help develop the technical capabilities of the broader research team
- Identify and develop new vulnerability research methodologies, tools, automation, and emulation techniques that improve the team's ability to analyze complex targets
- Work directly with customers and technical stakeholders to understand challenging mission problems, evaluate technical feasibility, and develop effective research approaches
What Qualifications You'll Bring:
- Bachelor's degree in related technical field and 10+ years of professional related experience; Master's degree in related field will be considered in lieu of 4 years' experience
- 10+ years of hands-on experience in vulnerability research, reverse engineering, exploit development, and/or cyber tool development
- Extensive experience with a decompiler/disassembler such as Ghidra (highly preferred), IDA Pro, or Binary Ninja
- Deep expertise analyzing one or more instruction set architectures, such as x86/x86-64, ARM/AArch64, or MIPS
- Extensive experience with modern exploitation techniques, tools, and methodologies
- Extensive experience analyzing and bypassing modern exploit mitigations such as DEP/NX, ASLR, stack protections, CFI, and platform-specific protections
- Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex vulnerability research efforts from initial target analysis through exploit or capability development
- Demonstrated ability to provide technical direction and mentorship to other vulnerability researchers
- Strong software development skills in languages such as C, C++, and Python
What Desired Skills You'll Bring:
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- 15+ years of experience in vulnerability research, reverse engineering, exploit development, and/or cyber tool development
- Deep experience reverse engineering embedded and Internet of Things (IoT) systems or cyber-physical devices such as Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
- Expertise with Windows Internals and/or Linux kernel-level programming
- Experience developing, modifying, or enhancing emulation systems such as QEMU to enable advanced vulnerability research techniques
- Experience developing custom emulation, instrumentation, fuzzing, symbolic execution, or dynamic analysis capabilities
- Deep knowledge of multiple processor architectures and operating system environments
- Experience with additional operating systems such as Android, iOS, and macOS
- Advanced knowledge of networking protocols, protocol reverse engineering, and network-based exploitation
- Experience developing for Windows and/or Linux platforms
- Experience reverse engineering firmware, bootloaders, device drivers, kernels, and other low-level software components
- Experience analyzing hardware interfaces, peripherals, communications buses, and other components of embedded or cyber-physical systems
- Demonstrated history of developing new vulnerability research techniques, tools, methodologies, or technical approaches
- Experience serving as a technical lead on large, complex, or multi-researcher cyber efforts
Security Clearance Requirement:
- An active Top Secret clearance is required to apply
- Must be able to obtain and maintain SCI and/or SAP accesses
Security Clearance Requirement:
An active Top Secret security clearance is required for this position.This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what’s next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.Salary Range: $125,100.00 - $225,200.00Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in a related technical field
- 10+ years of professional related experience, or a related master’s degree in lieu of four years’ experience
- 10+ years of hands-on experience in vulnerability research, reverse engineering, exploit development, or cyber tool development
- Experience with a decompiler or disassembler such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, or Binary Ninja
- Expertise analyzing at least one instruction set architecture, such as x86/x86-64, ARM/AArch64, or MIPS
- Experience with modern exploitation techniques, tools, and methodologies
- Experience analyzing and bypassing DEP/NX, ASLR, stack protections, CFI, and platform-specific exploit mitigations
- Ability to independently lead complex vulnerability research efforts through exploit or capability development
- Ability to provide technical direction and mentorship to vulnerability researchers
- Strong software development skills in C, C++, and Python
- 15+ years of vulnerability research, reverse engineering, exploit development, or cyber tool development experience
- Experience reverse engineering embedded, IoT, ICS, or cyber-physical systems
- Experience with Windows Internals or Linux kernel-level programming
- Experience developing or enhancing QEMU or other emulation systems
- Experience with custom emulation, instrumentation, fuzzing, symbolic execution, or dynamic analysis
- Knowledge of multiple processor architectures and operating systems
- Experience with Android, iOS, or macOS
- Knowledge of networking protocols, protocol reverse engineering, and network-based exploitation
- Experience reverse engineering firmware, bootloaders, device drivers, kernels, or other low-level software
- Experience analyzing hardware interfaces, peripherals, communications buses, or embedded-system components
- Active Top Secret security clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain SCI and/or SAP accesses
- U.S. citizenship
Parsons Corporation Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Parsons Corporation and has not been reviewed or approved by Parsons Corporation.
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Retirement Support — Retirement programs are framed as a major value driver, with an ESOP alongside a 401(k) match and additional stock-purchase options contributing meaningfully to total rewards. This structure is positioned as especially attractive for employees who value long-term wealth-building over immediate cash.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as broad and choice-rich, with multiple plan types (PPO, HDHP, and some HMO networks) plus dental, vision, EAP, and wellness resources. The availability of different plan designs and national-carrier coverage supports varied employee needs.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off offerings are portrayed as competitive, including PTO, holidays, flexible schedules such as a 9/80 option for eligible roles, and floating holidays in the U.S. Paid parental leave of 160 hours is also highlighted as a meaningful component of the overall package.
Parsons Corporation Insights
What We Do
Parsons is a digitally enabled solutions provider with a focus on making the world safer, smarter, healthier, more sustainable, and more connected. Founded in 1944, Parsons primarily serves the defense, security, and infrastructure markets. Uniquely qualified to deliver cyber/converged security, technology-based intellectual property, and other innovative services, the corporation delivers state-of-the-art solutions to federal, regional, and local government agencies as well as to private industrial customers worldwide. Parsons has a reputation for inclusion and diversity and has been named to the Ethisphere Institute’s list of World’s Most Ethical Companies for 10 consecutive years. Parsons facilitates a culture of innovation by encouraging collaboration among its employees and providing opportunities for career growth. With offices around the globe, people of varied talents and backgrounds, and a wide range of exciting projects, the possibilities at Parsons are endless. For more about Parsons, visit www.parsons.com. Mission: Delivering innovative infrastructure, defense, and security solutions to enable a more sustainable, safer, smarter, and more connected world.
