Early Career Cybersecurity Researcher - Cyber Threat Center (5600), Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

Are you passionate about research dedicated to keeping systems safe and thwarting cyber intrusions? Are you dreaming of a chance to develop protective technologies, conduct threat assessments, and analyze government, military, and civilian computer networks? If so, this is the opportunity for you to join Sandia's unique multidisciplinary team committed to solving the information security challenges facing our nation. As part of our team, you will engage in work across the technology spectrum including embedded, mobile, desktop, enterprise, and cloud systems, as well as globally connected networks of networks.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Perform manual and automated reverse engineering, vulnerability assessments, and malware analysis
• Conduct intrusion prevention, detection, response activities, penetration testing, and forensic investigations.
• Manage network operations, ensure information protection, and enhance system resiliency.
• Implement and maintain authentication and authorization mechanisms.
• Apply cryptographic techniques to secure systems and data.
• Execute side channel analysis to identify potential vulnerabilities.
• Perform failure analysis to diagnose and resolve system issues.
• Gather and analyze threat intelligence to anticipate and mitigate risks.
• Develop and utilize modeling, simulation, and emulation tools for system evaluation.
• Apply data science, information theory, and streaming and behavioral analytics to extract actionable insights.
• Ensure hardware and software trust and assurance throughout the development lifecycle.
• Design, develop, and maintain real-time operating systems (RTOS) and embedded systems, including IoT devices.
• Program FPGAs using HDL/VHDL to implement hardware solutions.
• Deploy and manage virtualization technologies for systems and networks, including cloud environments.
• Support mobile devices and smart technologies integration and security.
• Develop and test autonomous systems for various applications.
• Operate and secure industrial control systems, Operational Technology (OT), and SCADA systems.
• Research and implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions and AI security measures.

Applicants on this requisition may be interviewed by multiple organizations at Sandia National Laboratories.

Due to the nature of the job, the selected candidate must be able to work onsite.

$102,400 - $199,700

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q and SCI clearance which may require a polygraph test.

The ideal R&D S&E, Cybersecurity candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Computer Forensics, Mathematics or a directly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience in one or more of the following: reverse engineering, software vulnerability assessment, web application assessment, computer networking, computer architecture, compilers, or similar computer security topics.
• Proficiency in scripting or high-level programming.
• Familiarity with secure-system design principles and information assurance principles.
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated ability to develop technical ideas and results and present them in oral and written form in a concise manner.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• Hands-on technical cybersecurity experience/internships.
• Experience with the following:
  • Competency in firmware or hardware emulation.
  • Data science, machine learning, information theory, and streaming and behavioral analytics, and network protocols.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) to include AI Security, data engineering, and machine learning models.
• Active DOE Q-level security clearance or equivalent (e.g., DOD Top Secret). The position will require the ability to maintain an SCI clearance, which may require a polygraph test.
  

As a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), Sandia National Laboratories is continually asked to help address the countrys most pressing national security needs. In the Threat Intelligence Center, the mission of the Information Operations Program is to assess, design, implement and influence the development of national security-related information systems and technologies in support of Defense and Intelligence customers and their national security missions.

When applying to this requisition, you may be interviewed and/or hired into one of several groups contributing to the Information Operations mission in the Threat Intelligence Center:

Cyber-Physical Mission R&D: The Cyber-Physical Mission R&D Group performs research and development to assess and protect Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). We maintain a wide variety of skillsets and capabilities, which enables us to analyze CPS from a system view down to individual components. We provide innovative research and development in the cyber-physical domain for national security missions.
Cyber Intelligence Research: Work in Cyber Intelligence Research Group involves the development and application of various software and hardware tools to analyze complex information systems and technologies for vulnerabilities as well as the development and transfer of solutions for the Nation's most critical information system challenges. These activities include research and development in computer security, computer network security, and vulnerability assessments.
Microelectronics Protection Technologies: The Microelectronics Protection Technologies Group assesses, designs, and influences national-security-related information systems and technologies by developing and applying tools to analyze microelectronic devices and next layer assemblies for vulnerabilities; and developing and transferring solutions to help protect the nations most critical systems.
Emerging Cyber Capabilities: The Emerging Cyber Capabilities (ECC) Group develops emergent, innovative cyber capabilities. Work within ECC involves synthesizing operational, experimental, threat, and vulnerability data into complex systems understanding for the assessment and protection of high consequence national security systems. The mission of this subprogram is diverse and adaptive, anticipating the evolving threat environments of our national security partner.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance and SCI access, both of which require US citizenship. SCI access may also require a polygraph examination. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain these levels of access may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.