Principal Reverse Engineering/Vulnerability Research Engineer at Clarity Innovations in Herndon, VA

Job description

• The ideal candidate is a dynamic, highly adaptable software engineer who thrives in complex environments, seamlessly bridging the gap between strategic infrastructure design and hands-on development. With deep expertise spanning Linux operating systems, version control administration, and the strategic deployment of virtual machines and container orchestration, this engineer expertly tailors technical solutions to the mission at hand. They are adept at evaluating project requirements to choose the right tools for the job—whether deciding between compiled and scripted languages, breaking down complex features into actionable tasks, or engineering ingenious synchronization workflows for disconnected and air-gapped systems.
• Beyond their technical acumen, this candidate is a collaborative force multiplier deeply committed to mission success. They actively look forward to partnering with vulnerability researchers and reverse engineers, expertly taking raw proofs of concept and refining them into robust, rigorously tested tools with a reliable release cycle. Driven by a customer-centric mindset and transparent communication, this engineer is capable of making complex software practices accessible to non-technical peers. They bring a wealth of practical, real-world experience—ready to share their journey through technical "story-time"—and are eager to channel their problem-solving expertise into tangible, impactful results for the team and the broader mission.

Responsibilities

• Works to achieve operational targets with a significant impact on the job area often influence departmental results.
• Responsible for making adjustments or recommending enhancements to systems and processes to solve problems or improve effectiveness of job area.
• Communicates and collaborates within and occasionally outside of own job area and may work to influence parties within own job area at an operational level.
• May provide guidance and assistance to junior individual contributors.

Requirements

• Typically has a University Degree (BA/BS) or equivalent experience and minimum 5 years of prior relevant experience.
• Works to achieve operational targets with a significant impact on the job area often influence departmental results.
• Responsible for making adjustments or recommending enhancements to systems and processes to solve problems or improve effectiveness of job area.
• Communicates and collaborates within and occasionally outside of own job area and may work to influence parties within own job area at an operational level.
• May provide guidance and assistance to junior individual contributors.
• Requires practical knowledge of job area typically obtained through advanced education combined with experience.
• Deep experience with the Windows OS architecture, kernel, hardware abstraction layer, Win32 API, memory management, and security mitigations
• Expert-level understanding of Windows binary formats, calling conventions, and execution flows
• Advanced knowledge of Windows-related file systems
• Knowledge of Windows networking stack and proprietary protocols
• Strong knowledge of static and dynamic analysis tools and methods
• Fluent in x86/x64 assembly, ARM assembly, C/C++, and Python
• Experience with creating and orchestrating automated AI workflows, integrating traditional reverse engineering tools
• Experience with frontier models (e.g., GPT-5, Claude), Binary Ninja, Ghidra, IDA Pro, WinDbg
• Great communication skills and ability to integrate work products with other tools

Skills

Required

• Great communication skills
• Collaborative
• Customer-centric mindset
• Transparent communication
• Adaptable
• Dynamic
• Windows OS architecture
• Kernel
• Hardware abstraction layer
• Win32 API
• Memory management
• Security mitigations

Benefits

• Salary Range: $113,000 - $338,000