Secure Systems Research and Development Engineer

Position Overview

We are searching for a self‑motivated Secure Systems Research and Development Engineer to join our Cyberspace Operations Research Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. The Cyberspace Operations Research Department provides technical expertise in adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to support system evaluation and provide security hardening support to various sponsors.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location.

• Research cutting edge techniques and technologies for secure system design, implementation, and hardening.
• Leverage expertise in software engineering, system administration, and cybersecurity to address established needs and investigate solutions to emerging requirements.
• Assist the Cyberspace Operations Research Department Head in maintaining relationships with sponsors through on‑site technical discussions, preparation and presentation of technical materials, and project‑related correspondence.
• Provide process enhancement for technical controls implementation, architectural enhancements, and security test and evaluation projects.
• Apply project management principles and methods to the leadership of tasks or projects.
• Provide guidance to lower‑level R&D Engineers to foster professional growth.

• Understand broad strategic objectives and contribute to them; nurture and maintain relationships with major customers/grantors of external research and development grant funding.
• Identify grant/project follow‑on work and persuade customers/grantors to fund; impact customer decisions and strategies.
• Initiate new project concepts and seek funding; develop technical proposals, and make presentations to customers/grant sponsors.
• Mentor department staff in the development of technical, project, and business development skills.

• Documented application of software engineering or system engineering principles.
• Embedded or cloud system development and secure configuration.
• Computer networking fundamentals, Windows and
  * NIX operating system administration.
• Software programming, programming languages, and development environments (to include at a minimum C, Java, and Python).
• Knowledge of cybersecurity testing / penetration testing tools and methodologies.
• Ability to express technical information clearly and concisely in documents and presentations for senior leaders to successfully comprehend and leverage for decision making.
• Active government security clearance at SECRET level.

• AI to security testing, evaluation, and issue mitigation / remediation.
• Microcontroller or single board computer design/implementation (e.g., Arduino, STM
  32, Raspberry Pi), radio frequency signal analysis (e.g., oscilloscopes, Spec Ans, SDRs), or industrial control system communication protocol security.
• Demonstrated history of successful project initiation efforts.
• Automation of cybersecurity testing workflows (e.g., using Ansible playbooks).
• Agile software development methodology and tools.
• Atlassian products (e.g., JIRA, Confluence).

Your work location will be project‑dependent and may involve on‑site or work‑from‑home arrangements, based out of Reston, VA (preferred), Annapolis Junction, MD, or State College, PA. This position will require periodic travel to remote locations in support of testing as part of a small team of researchers, engineers, and technologists.

If filled as Research and Development Engineer – Advanced Professional:
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science, 5+ years of relevant experience;
Required

Certifications:

None.
If filled as Research and Development Engineer – Intermediate Professional:
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science, 2+ years of relevant experience;
Required

Certifications:

None.
If filled as Research and Development Engineer – Professional:
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science;
No prior relevant work experience required;
Required

Certifications:

None.

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