Embedded Hardware Security Engineer (Early/Mid-Career)

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

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.

Salary Range:

$100,900 - $195,400 *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.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

Are you interested in designing and developing secure digital systems that have national security impact? Do you enjoy designing digital devices with strong security architecture? Do you have experience in digital design, embedded systems security, software security, or have strong cybersecurity fundamentals? Are you excited to build innovative secure digital systems from the ground up at the forefront of national security?

If so, the Reliability and Digital Assurance group is looking for an exceptional Embedded Hardware Security Engineer to join our team. You will work directly with weapon systems teams to design and secure their systems. You will be expected to design and analyze systems from a security perspective and be able to discover security concerns and provide mitigating solutions. You will use your security knowledge to influence and cultivate a strong systems security engineering culture.

Come join our team and make a national impact.

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

• Partner with design and engineering teams to create secure systems

• Develop system security requirements (hardware/software) from concept to production

• Architect, design, and validate implementations of secure protocols of digital systems

• Develop applicable security policies, standards, and procedures

• Identify and present innovative security solutions

• Develop and implement new technologies that can advance security of the system

• Support technical design reviews (hardware/software) including security audits, and provide clear feedback and practical solutions

• Perform security testing and evaluation that will drive design and architecture changes

• Assist in technical security assessment, vulnerability discovery, red-teaming exercise and provide vulnerability remediation guidance and recommendations

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

This position is eligible for some telecommuting and the selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary.

Qualifications We Require:

• Master's degree in Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related subject area; or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience

• Strong cyber security fundamentals or strong digital systems design fundamentals with design/security experience in one or more of the following areas: platform architecture, embedded systems, hardware, firmware, or software.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

• Experience in hardware systems engineering, hardware/software security architecture, platform security, hardware development, applied cryptography, authentication and protocols, systems engineering.

• Solid understanding of computer architecture and security concepts

• Experienced in hardware/software threat analysis, vulnerability assessment, and risk assessment, and well-versed in cyber exploits, CVE, CWE, and in particular offensive hardware security techniques.

• Knowledge in digital design and hardware description languages (Verilog/VHDL) and fundamentals of digital IC product lifecycle (ASIC, FPGA)

• Practical experience in software, firmware, or embedded systems development with strong understanding of performance and platform security trade-offs.

• Familiarity with platform root of trust, TPMs, HSMs, concepts

• Experience in auditing code in C/C++, Java, Python, Assembly, or other languages for security review

• Experience with security requirements, security standards, and assurance (NIST, CNSS, etc.), with working knowledge of risk management frameworks

• Knowledgeable with secure-system design principles, and information assurance principles

• Strong analytical skills

• Well-developed communication and technical writing skills with the ability to prioritize and complete in a disciplined and focused manner

• Active DOE Q security clearance

About Our Team:

The Cyber Systems Assessments department stewards two key capabilities for the Reliability and Digital Assurance group: rigorous cyber-experimentation and Nuclear Deterrence (ND) cyber research. Our rigorous cyber-experimentation capability is driven by emulation, modeling, simulation of cyber-physical systems. The Emulytics team supports Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other government sponsors, partnering closely with counterparts in New Mexico and researchers in cybersecurity and data science across Sandia and academia. Our ND-cyber R&D efforts are growing out of needs to develop and field secure digital systems robust to adversarial influence. With our close collaborations with cyber organizations across the Center and in other Divisions, we use competencies in cyber-experimentation to inform security requirements and support cyber system assessments throughout the developmental lifecycle.

The Cyber Risk & Security department is the home of the Nuclear Deterrent Digital Systems Security team. The Nuclear Deterrent Digital Systems Security team provides digital-system security expertise and analysis for Nuclear Deterrent (ND) system and component design, verification, and assessment. We partner with ND programs to assure digital specification, verification, and reliability considerations are well informed regarding cyber security issues and risks. Staff serve as local domain experts for SNL/CA ND systems and components organizations. We conduct research and develop digital-security methods and tools for ND applications, with an emphasis on embedded systems. We partner with external cybersecurity experts and internal cyber organizations across the laboratory to remain cognizant of and contribute to cutting edge digital security research.

About Sandia:

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 vacations, 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.

Security Clearance:

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, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance 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 DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO:

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.

Job ID: 688088