Poly

Parsons Corporation•Columbia, MD

7d•$148,300 - $266,900

About The Position

Parsons is seeking a Vulnerability Researcher to support the United States Cyber Command (USCC) mission as part of its Federal Solutions team. The role conducts advanced vulnerability research and reverse engineering on target software and hardware to find exploitable weaknesses for cyberspace capability development. It involves analyzing target platforms and system architectures, discovering vulnerabilities through fuzzing and code analysis, reverse engineering software, firmware, and hardware, and creating proof-of-concept exploits to validate findings and assess operational utility. The researcher documents technical findings and exploitation methods, briefs capability developers, and collaborates with development teams to translate research into operational tools. The position requires an active Top Secret SCI with Polygraph clearance and may involve limited TDY travel as mission requires.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI with Polygraph security clearance.
Bachelor’s degree in a related technical field and 10+ years of related professional experience, or a master’s degree and 8+ years.
Expert proficiency with disassemblers/decompilers such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, or Binary Ninja.
Strong understanding of x86/x64/ARM assembly language and processor architectures.
Practical experience with debuggers such as WinDbg, GDB, or LLDB and dynamic analysis tools.
Demonstrated ability to discover vulnerabilities in compiled software, including C/C++/Rust applications.
Understanding of common vulnerability classes, including memory corruption, logic flaws, and race conditions.
Proficiency with fuzzing frameworks such as AFL, libFuzzer, or Honggfuzz, and corpus management.
Strong scripting skills in Python, Ruby, or similar languages for automation and analysis.
Experience documenting technical research for technical and operational audiences.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Windows kernel/driver reverse engineering.
Firmware analysis and embedded systems reverse engineering.
Network protocol analysis and vulnerability research.
Experience with UEFI/BIOS or bootloader security analysis.
Published vulnerability research, such as CVEs, conference presentations, or blog posts.
Familiarity with symbolic execution and taint analysis tools.
Understanding of offensive cyberspace operations workflows.

Responsibilities

Conduct advanced vulnerability research and reverse engineering on target software and hardware systems to identify exploitable weaknesses.
Analyze target platforms and discover zero-day vulnerabilities through fuzzing and code analysis.
Reverse engineer software applications, firmware, and hardware components using disassemblers, debuggers, and binary analysis tools.
Develop proof-of-concept exploits to validate vulnerability findings and assess operational utility.
Analyze target system architectures, protocols, and security mechanisms to identify attack surfaces and weakness patterns.
Document vulnerability details, exploitation methodology, and recommended capability-development approaches.
Provide technical intelligence briefs to capability developers on target weaknesses and exploitation pathways.
Collaborate with capability development teams to translate research into operational tools.
Maintain awareness of public vulnerability disclosures, exploit techniques, and adversary tradecraft relevant to target systems.
Conduct limited TDY travel as mission requires.