Principal Reverse Engineering / Vulnerability Research Engineer

About the role

Clarity Innovations, a national security partner serving the Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense, is hiring a Principal Security Researcher in reverse engineering and vulnerability research, based in Rome, NY. The role involves independently executing complex vulnerability research and reverse engineering assignments, investigating system behavior, identifying weaknesses and developing reproducible demonstrations of their impact within customer-authorized research.

Key responsibilities

• Independently plan and execute research efforts, define milestones, assess feasibility and deliver results aligned with customer priorities.
• Perform static and dynamic analysis using disassemblers, debuggers, emulators, tracers and fuzzers.
• Identify vulnerabilities, conduct root-cause analysis and document reproducible findings and technical limitations.
• Develop proof-of-concept exploits and operational exploit components, and evaluate and bypass relevant mitigations.
• Build reusable tooling and automation to speed up discovery, analysis and validation.
• Communicate progress, risks, findings and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders, and share results externally when authorized.
• Collaborate within and occasionally outside the research team, and guide and assist junior researchers.

Required profile

• Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance; U.S. citizenship required.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience, with at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated ability to carry out vulnerability research and reverse engineering from planning to documented results.
• Experience in capture-the-flag competitions, hackathons or other cybersecurity competitions.
• Preferred: active Top Secret clearance, experience reverse engineering operating systems and kernels, and experience discovering previously unknown vulnerabilities including zero-days.

Required skills

• Reverse engineering and disassembly tools such as Ghidra, Binary Ninja or IDA.
• Strong Linux fundamentals (sockets, file descriptors, networking, iptables, file systems, kernel behavior).
• Ability to read and write C and analyze assembly for ARM, MIPS or x86-64.
• Exploitation techniques such as arbitrary read/write primitives, shellcode, ROP and JOP.
• Preferred: AFL++, libFuzzer, GDB, QEMU or Unicorn.

What we offer

• Base salary range of $145,900 - $248,000, depending on location and contract requirements.
• Performance-based bonuses, medical, dental and vision coverage, 401(k) with company match, paid time off and holidays, and flexible work arrangements where possible.