Principal Software Developer (System Security)

Nightwing Intelligence Solutions•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

Join Nightwing's Products team to develop and strengthen software-based, multi-layered cyber resiliency solutions that protect mission-critical systems, including Department of Defense weapon systems and platforms. The products provide OS-level protections for Windows, Linux, and VxWorks, including execution-environment lockdown, protection of applications and data at rest and during execution, and cyber detection and response mechanisms. The role focuses on low-level security engineering and systems programming, with opportunities to learn kernel programming and driver development under the mentorship of senior engineers. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and meet the requirements to obtain and maintain a Secret government security clearance. Qualified applicants may be subject to a security investigation and must meet minimum qualifications for access to classified information.

Requirements

At least 8 years of professional software development experience in systems-level programming.
Expert-level C/C++ skills, including a deep understanding of memory management, pointers, and low-level programming concepts.
Strong OS-level systems programming experience and an understanding of how operating systems work under the hood.
Experience debugging complex systems issues with tools such as gdb, WinDbg, Visual Studio Debugger, or similar tools.
Proficiency with Git in a team environment.
Demonstrated ability to learn new technical domains independently.
A university degree or equivalent experience and at least 8 years of relevant experience, or an advanced degree in a related field and at least 5 years of experience.
Must be a U.S. citizen and meet the requirements to obtain and maintain a Secret government security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience with kernel modules, device drivers, system services, OS internals projects, or security tools.
Experience writing security-sensitive code, such as anti-malware, EDR, security monitoring, or exploit mitigation.
Understanding of process and thread management, memory management, I/O systems, and interrupt handling.
Assembly language experience (x86_64 or ARM), including reading and debugging at the instruction level.
Experience with scripting languages such as Python or Batch for automation and testing.
Familiarity with cryptography, threat modeling, and attack surfaces.
Knowledge of boot processes, firmware, or hardware security such as TPM, Secure Boot, or UEFI.
Understanding of Linux Driver Model and/or Windows driver models (WDM/WDF/WDK), including conceptual familiarity.

Responsibilities

Develop and enhance OS-level security features operating deep within the operating system.
Build detection and response mechanisms to counter advanced persistent threats.
Implement cryptographic binding of sensitive software to trusted hardware.
Create system-lockdown capabilities that minimize the attack surface.
Integrate with Hardware Root of Trust (HRoT) solutions.
Protect systems against sophisticated attacks from well-funded adversaries.
Support Windows, Linux, and VxWorks platforms.
Learn kernel programming and driver development with mentorship from senior engineers.