Systems Engineer IV – Electrical Engineer (Hardware Forensics Lead)

Argo Cyber Systems•Arlington, VA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Argo Cyber Systems is a veteran-owned cybersecurity company delivering advanced cyber operations, incident response, digital forensics, cloud security, and engineering services to the U.S. Government and critical infrastructure organizations. Our professionals support some of the Nation's most complex cybersecurity missions by combining technical expertise with operational excellence. We are seeking an experienced Electrical Engineer / Hardware Forensics Lead to establish and lead a next-generation Chip-Off Forensics Laboratory supporting a high-priority DHS mission. This position is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in embedded electronics, hardware reverse engineering, and forensic data extraction who enjoys solving technically challenging problems involving sophisticated cyber threats. Position Overview The Systems Engineer IV serves as the senior technical authority responsible for designing, establishing, and operating a government Chip-Off Forensics Laboratory supporting cyber incident response operations. You will lead hardware forensic investigations involving compromised embedded devices, network appliances, IoT systems, industrial control systems (ICS), and proprietary electronics where traditional forensic methods cannot recover evidence. Working alongside incident responders, malware analysts, digital forensic specialists, and reverse engineers, you will develop advanced hardware forensic capabilities that directly support national cybersecurity operations.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship
Active Top Secret / SCI Clearance
Ability to obtain DHS Suitability
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related STEM discipline
10+ years of professional experience in electrical engineering, embedded hardware design, digital electronics, or hardware security
Demonstrated experience establishing or operating hardware laboratories
Expert understanding of digital electronics and PCB architecture
Strong soldering, desoldering, and micro-rework experience
Experience recovering data from flash memory technologies
Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and related laboratory equipment
Experience analyzing embedded systems and proprietary hardware
Strong technical writing and documentation skills

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science
Professional Engineer (PE) License
DoD 8140 IAT Level III Certification
PMP Certification
Experience supporting DHS, DoD, FBI, NSA, or other Federal cyber programs
Experience supporting incident response operations
Experience performing firmware reverse engineering
Knowledge of JTAG, SPI, UART, SWD, and I²C interfaces
Experience with IoT, ICS, or Operational Technology devices
Experience with NAND reconstruction and advanced flash recovery
Familiarity with secure boot technologies and Trusted Platform Modules (TPM)

Responsibilities

Lead establishment of a government Chip-Off Forensics Laboratory from initial design through operational readiness.
Develop laboratory architecture, workflows, equipment standards, and technical operating procedures.
Serve as the technical authority for hardware forensic investigations.
Evaluate and recommend advanced laboratory equipment and forensic technologies.
Manage laboratory capability growth and future technology roadmap.
Perform chip-off forensic extraction from flash memory, NAND, NOR, EEPROM, eMMC, UFS, and other storage technologies.
Conduct PCB analysis and reverse engineering.
Analyze embedded processors, microcontrollers, FPGAs, and System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures.
Recover digital evidence from damaged, encrypted, or inaccessible storage devices.
Analyze hardware targeted by sophisticated threat actors.
Conduct forensic analysis of embedded devices.
Analyze firmware and bootloaders.
Investigate hardware-assisted persistence techniques.
Identify hardware modifications used to evade detection.
Support investigations involving malware embedded within firmware or hardware components.
Specify, procure, install, and maintain laboratory equipment.
Develop repeatable forensic methodologies.
Create laboratory documentation and technical procedures.
Ensure chain-of-custody requirements are maintained.
Support quality assurance and continuous process improvement.
Partner with Nightwing SMEs, DHS engineers, and incident response teams.
Provide technical consultation during active cyber investigations.
Deliver reach-back engineering support for complex forensic cases.
Participate in technology demonstrations and customer briefings.
Train government analysts on advanced chip-off forensic techniques.