Offensive Cyber Research Engineer

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Lead the architecture and design of sophisticated attack path frameworks that emulate advanced persistent threat (APT) behaviors and nation-state TTPs
• Establish technical standards and best practices for offensive cyber tool development across the organization
• Evaluate and recommend engineering courses of action for new offensive capabilities and system enhancements
• Drive technical decision-making for complex offensive cyber integrations and performance optimizations
• Architect scalable, modular frameworks for attack technique automation and adversary emulation

Research & Innovation

• Conduct advanced research into emerging adversary techniques, zero-day exploitation strategies, and novel attack vectors
• Develop proof-of-concept tools and techniques that push the boundaries of offensive cyber capabilities
• Stay current with threat actor innovations and translate emerging TTPs into defensive and offensive capabilities
• Publish internal research findings and contribute to the broader cyber security research community
• Identify capability gaps and lead initiatives to develop new offensive tools and methodologies

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Mentor and provide technical guidance to offensive cyber engineers and researchers, conducting thorough code reviews and knowledge transfer
• Lead technical discussions and facilitate strategic planning sessions for offensive capability development
• Organize research efforts and coordinate cross-functional collaboration with data engineering, backend, and intelligence analysis teams
• Establish and maintain engineering best practices, secure coding standards, and operational security procedures
• Guide junior engineers in understanding complex adversary behaviors and translating them into technical implementations

Attack Path Development & Implementation

• Design and implement advanced attack paths that emulate sophisticated adversary campaigns across multiple domains
• Create reusable, production-grade components for complex attack techniques including credential harvesting, lateral movement, and defense evasion
• Develop custom tooling and automation frameworks that operate at machine speed for large-scale adversary emulation

Data Engineering & Intelligence Integration

• Lead the design of ETL pipelines for processing threat intelligence, security logs, and operational data at scale
• Architect standardized schemas for cyber operations datasets that support graph-based analysis and AI/ML workflows
• Implement advanced data enrichment pipelines that integrate diverse threat intelligence sources
• Design efficient storage and retrieval systems for large-scale security-relevant data

Operational Collaboration

• Work closely with government customers and operational teams to understand mission requirements and capability gaps
• Translate operational feedback into technical requirements and development priorities
• Lead technical demonstrations showcasing offensive cyber capabilities to stakeholders
• Provide subject matter expertise for customer engagements and strategic planning sessions

Qualifications

Technical Skills & Experience

• 6-8 years of threat research, offensive cyber operations, and software development experience
• Expert-level operational cyber security experience in Digital Network Exploitation Analysis (DNEA), Exploitation Analyst (EA) operations, Advanced Penetration Testing/Red Teaming, or Senior-level Threat Hunting
• Deep expertise in the MITRE ATT&CK framework with proven track record developing and implementing advanced adversary TTPs
• Expert-level experience operating and extending Cobalt Strike, Metasploit, custom C2 frameworks
• Extensive experience integrating and analyzing diverse threat intelligence sources
• Advanced proficiency in persistence mechanisms, defense evasion techniques, counter-forensics, and anti-analysis methods
• Expert containerization and orchestration experience using Docker and Kubernetes
• Advanced programming and software architecture skills in Python and Golang
• Expert-level experience writing complex graph queries and developing graph-based analytical tools using Neo4j or similar
• Comprehensive knowledge of cybersecurity across network security, application security, secure coding, cryptography, and security architecture
• Extensive practical experience in offensive cyber operations including payload development, post-exploitation frameworks, C2 infrastructure, and multi-stage attack chains
• Expert knowledge of red team methodologies including campaign planning, OPSEC, adversary simulation

Leadership & Communication Skills

• Proven ability to lead technical projects and mentor engineering teams
• Strong communication skills with ability to explain complex offensive techniques to diverse audiences
• Experience conducting thorough code reviews and establishing development standards for security tools
• Track record of driving technical decision-making and influencing strategic direction

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field; Master's degree preferred, or equivalent practical experience