Network Effects Research Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

17d

About The Position

The Network Effects Research Engineer conducts advanced research, development, testing, and evaluation of communications systems and network technologies for stealthy, resilient operations in denied, contested, and sensitive environments. This is a hands-on R&D role focused on building, breaking, measuring, and operationalizing low-profile capabilities using wireless and networking technologies rather than traditional network administration or IT operations. The engineer develops, evaluates, and qualifies network- and communications-enabled capabilities, analyzing protocols and signals to assess operational impact, signature footprint, and clandestine survivability. The role designs and builds threat-representative network topologies and software-defined communications systems, including SDR and emulated networks incorporating anti-detection and anti-censorship concepts. It also develops software for automation, traffic generation, testing, and analysis; works with mission partners and operators to turn operational challenges into technical solutions; and mentors technical teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a closely related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least three years of relevant experience developing software, prototyping systems, or performing test, evaluation, and assessment of networked or wireless technologies.
Hands-on software development experience beyond configuration or administrative scripts, using languages such as Python, C/C++, or Rust to build tools and automation.
Understanding of networking at the protocol level, including TCP/IP internals, packet structure, and protocol behavior.
Comfort analyzing traffic in Linux with tools such as Wireshark, tcpdump, or Scapy.
Strong communication and teamwork skills, with demonstrated initiative in independent and collaborative problem-solving environments.
Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% for field testing and operational integration.
Active Top Secret security clearance and ability to ultimately obtain a TS/SCI-level clearance; eligibility for classified access requires U.S. citizenship.
Meet government security clearance investigation requirements for access to classified information.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
At least five years of demonstrated experience in network or communications R&D, software development, or Test and Evaluation for DoD or IC customers.
Deep understanding of Linux networking internals and experience implementing, fuzzing, or reverse engineering network protocols.
Experience with RF/wireless communications and software-defined radio, such as GNU Radio, USRP, or HackRF, or with Wi-Fi, cellular, or Bluetooth protocols.
Understanding of covert access methods, protocol obfuscation, and anti-censorship technologies such as Tor and pluggable transports, plus experience engineering persistence or effects in austere environments.
Proficiency with containers and orchestration tools such as Kubernetes and network emulation tools such as GNS3, CORE, Mininet, or EVE-NG to build large-scale topologies.
Experience with embedded Linux devices, cross-compilation, and integration.
Experience writing thorough test plans, generating network data in controlled experiments, analyzing packet-level data, and preparing comprehensive technical reports.
Background in vulnerability research, red teaming, and security or networking research.
Active TS/SCI security clearance or higher.

Responsibilities

Develop, evaluate, and qualify network- and communications-enabled capabilities.
Analyze capabilities at protocol and signal level to assess operational impact, signature footprint, and clandestine survivability.
Design, build, and orchestrate threat-representative network topologies and software-defined communications systems, including SDR and emulated networks.
Incorporate Anti-Detection and Anti-Censorship concepts into test ranges tailored to mission profiles.
Write software for automation, traffic generation, and analysis for test, evaluation, and assessment of communications and network-based effects.
Collaborate with mission partners and operators to translate operational challenges in denied environments into actionable, low-profile technical solutions.
Mentor technical teams and help drive them toward robust solutions for clandestine capabilities.
Travel up to 25% for field testing and operational integration.