Job description

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We’re a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies – collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose — and help shape the future. MITRE’s Electronic Systems Security department is seeking to hire talented and creative engineers with a focus on hardware security for embedded systems to support advanced research and development projects of national significance. Qualified candidates will join a team of technical experts in embedded system security. This multi-disciplinary team performs hands-on research and analysis and develops proof-of-concept prototypes to demonstrate and advance the state-of-the-art in embedded security. Our diverse set of sponsors and research objectives provide a wide variety of interesting work opportunities. Roles & Responsibilities: Engineers in this role will develop and apply their technical expertise to: • Research and develop new secure design approaches and countermeasures for emerging threats to embedded systems • Design and build prototypes (hardware and software) to demonstrate advanced capabilities • Analyze secure implementations, designs, and architectures to identify weak points for further analysis or hardening • Perform hands-on and whitepaper-level security assessments of embedded systems • Develop software for interfacing with and controlling lab equipment for data collection, measurement, and analysis • Shape creative and innovative ideas through internal research programs to advance the state-of-the art in embedded security • Track, adapt, and apply academic and industry advances in embedded security analysis and protection techniques to secure our sponsors’ systems • Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, while leading tasks and/or teams of engineers • Collaborate with academic partners to improve embedded security education at our nation’s universities and high schools Basic Qualifications: • Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree; or 3 years and a master’s degree; or a PhD with relevant experience who can immediately contribute at this job step; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience. • Experience with secure system modelling, design, implementation, and test • Experience with hardware description languages such as Verilog, System Verilog, or VHDL • Experience with FPGA prototype development • Experience with programming in languages such as Python, C/C++, or Rust for PCs and embedded systems • Experience analyzing microelectronics and hardware systems for susceptibility to implementation attacks, such as side-channel analysis, fault injection, laser voltage probing, photon emission microscopy, laser stimulation techniques, and/or microprobing and circuit edits • Familiarity with cryptographic protocols and algorithms • Familiarity with secure boot and root of trust architectures • Effective oral and written communication skills • Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance. Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance. • This position requires a minimum of 3 days per week on-site Preferred Qualifications: • MS, or PhD degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or similar field and/or 8+ years of related experience • Experience leading teams developing or evaluating secure embedded systems • Strong problem-framing skills in ambiguous research environments • Experience in one or more of the following embedded system security topics: • Development and analysis of implementation attack countermeasures • Analysis of cryptographic algorithms, protocols, and systems for implementation attack threats • Execution of invasive and semi-invasive attacks and associated protection techniques on integrated circuits such as side-channel analysis, fault injection, laser voltage probing, photon emission microscopy, etc. • Experience with one or more of the following technical areas: • ASIC design, implementation, and test • Experience with board- and component-level instrumentation and measurement (e.g., capturing digital and analog signals via mixed-domain oscilloscopes) This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s): None This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s): Secret Salary compensation range and midpoint: $126,800 - $158,500 - $190,200 Annual Work Location Type: Onsite It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Commitment to Non-Discrimination All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law. MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. If you are unable to search or apply for jobs and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of MITRE’s employment process, please email recruitinghelp@mitre.org for general support and collegerecruiting@mitre.org for intern positions. This service is for individuals requiring reasonable accommodation requests. Please note that vendor solicitations will not receive a reply. Benefits information may be found here . Copyright © 1997-2026, The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. MITRE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. Material on this site may be copied and distributed with permission only.

Requirements

Must-haves

Engineers in this role will develop and apply their technical expertise to:
Research and develop new secure design approaches and countermeasures for emerging threats to embedded systems
Design and build prototypes (hardware and software) to demonstrate advanced capabilities
Analyze secure implementations, designs, and architectures to identify weak points for further analysis or hardening
Perform hands-on and whitepaper-level security assessments of embedded systems
Develop software for interfacing with and controlling lab equipment for data collection, measurement, and analysis
Shape creative and innovative ideas through internal research programs to advance the state-of-the art in embedded security
Track, adapt, and apply academic and industry advances in embedded security analysis and protection techniques to secure our sponsors’ systems
Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, while leading tasks and/or teams of engineers
Collaborate with academic partners to improve embedded security education at our nation’s universities and high schools
Experience with secure system modelling, design, implementation, and test
Experience with hardware description languages such as Verilog, System Verilog, or VHDL
Experience with FPGA prototype development
Experience with programming in languages such as Python, C/C++, or Rust for PCs and embedded systems
Familiarity with cryptographic protocols and algorithms
Familiarity with secure boot and root of trust architectures

Nice-to-haves

Experience leading teams developing or evaluating secure embedded systems
Strong problem-framing skills in ambiguous research environments
Experience in one or more of the following embedded system security topics: • Development and analysis of implementation attack countermeasures
Analysis of cryptographic algorithms, protocols, and systems for implementation attack threats
Execution of invasive and semi-invasive attacks and associated protection techniques on integrated circuits such as side-channel analysis, fault injection, laser voltage probing, photon emission microscopy, etc.
Experience with one or more of the following technical areas: • ASIC design, implementation, and test
Experience with board- and component-level instrumentation and measurement (e.g., capturing digital and analog signals via mixed-domain oscilloscopes)
This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

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Keywords to mirror

pythonrust

Platform: phenom
Effort: medium

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