Cyber Software and AI Group Lead

Overview:

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.

Job Description Summary:

Draper’s Cyber Effects Group is seeking a Group Leader to lead and execute current and future reverse engineering, tool development, and cyber effects projects across a variety of domains supporting the United States of America's national interest. Due to the variety of USG organizational needs, our technical efforts and opportunities vary from conventional cyber operations enablement tooling to embedded vulnerability research and exploit development on a wide range of devices and systems.
We are looking for enthusiastic leader to grow our staff and programs and innovate for the greater good of our Nation's security. As the Group Leader of the Draper Cyber Effects team, you will drive the design and development of cyber software tools and capabilities, perform static and dynamic analysis on diverse firmware and software, and share your expertise with others via mentoring and technical leadership opportunities.
You will champion a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in a wide array of technologies and skills such as embedded systems, compiler theory, threat intelligence, fuzzing, binary analysis, and vulnerability research.

Job Description:

Duties/Responsibilities

• Manage administrative details and career development for group members.

• Convey relevant information from management to group members.

• Lead, mentor, build depth in their area of expertise, and conduct performance evaluations of group members.

• Maintain awareness of staffing requirements, write job requisitions (responsibilities and qualifications) for hiring as required, review and disposition incoming resumes, conduct interviews.

• Serve as Lead Subject Matter Expert for area of specialty.

• Shape Draper’s technology offerings and open new business areas based on program and technical experience.

• Analyze Draper strategy and work with management to build capability in key areas that align Draper's capabilities with customers' strategic priorities.

• Maintain cognizance of group member activity and address issues.

• Conduct performance evaluations of group members.

Skills/Abilities

• Excellent communication and written skills.

• Excellent ability with presenting technical material to various levels of the engineering organization and customers.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

• Strong ability to supervise a team of 10-20.

Education
Requires a degree in Engineering or related discipline.
Experience
7+ years of experience in the engineering; design, development, and management of complex systems.

Additional Job Description:

• Management and oversight of roughly 15 (and growing) staff including hiring, promotions, annual reviews, staffing, mentoring, and growth.
• Contribute to Draper cyber strategy, R&D, and business winning opportunities.
• Plan, lead, and execute cyber programs that involve frequent client communication, hands on development with teammates, and a solid grasp on project management and leadership skills.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively and openly with multi-disciplinary program team members, program leadership, and non-technical personnel.
• Drive solutions to complex problems with limited direction – contribute to requirements. development, propose ways forward, and adapt appropriately to changes in requirements.
• Identify program/system-level technical risks and develop and execute mitigation strategies.
• Build tools and capabilities for the purpose of achieving cyber effects goals on a broad range of boutique embedded systems or standard compute.
• Perform deep reverse engineering of interconnected systems for the purpose of identifying cyber effects opportunities.

Software Development and Program/Binary Analysis:

• Expertise in building and using custom low-level software tools within complex cyber effects development pipelines.
• Expertise in building reverse engineering automation tools and analysis frameworks.
• Expert at using contemporary program analysis methodologies and techniques (static and dynamic). Relevant tools include Ghidra, Ida, Binary Ninja, Radare, Angr, debuggers (GDB, winDBG), emulation tools (Qemu), fuzzers (AFL++), etc.
• Experience with techniques that prevent reverse engineering and employ obfuscation or diversification.
• Proven background in understanding and exploiting software vulnerabilities. 
• Proficiency using secure coding practices and mitigation techniques against software attack vectors.
• Expert at using programming languages and their build systems such as: C, C++, Python, GoLang, Rust.
• Experience in compiler toolchain development such as building custom LLVM passes and experience with leveraging the different stages of compilation i.e. intermediate representation.
• Experience in building high-quality code and helping others to meet those same coding standards.

System and Architecture:

• Proficiency with the core workings of operating systems (user mode, kernel mode, boot processes), especially in Windows, GNU/Linux, or RTOS contexts.
• Proficiency in leveraging a variety of computing architectures and their associated assembly languages (e.g. x86, ARM, RISCV, etc.).

Leadership and Business Development:

• Proven track record of leading tasks and projects. Knowledge and expertise in creating project timelines, executing task delegation, and prioritizing project goals in order to meet contractual obligations.
• Experienced in communicating project progress and goals to clients/sponsors. Ability to receive feedback and adapt to changes in project schedule/goals given client/sponsor needs.
• Effective use of different communication styles depending on team needs. Experience communicating during difficult situations.
• Experience with presenting technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience participating in proposal writing and business winning.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with creating technical strategies at the organization level. Able to leverage knowledge of the state-of-the-art, a company’s expertise and niche skills, and client/sponsor needs to generate technical goals for an organization.
• Experience with seeing a project through from inception to delivery.
• Experience in leveraging machine learning (where appropriate) to automate cyber software tool development and program analysis.
• History of business winning; proven experience leading proposals that resulted in new business.
• Background in proposing and executing R&D projects and exploring novel, cutting-edge concepts that are high risk, high reward. History of transitioning these projects to client/sponsor funded programs.

Connect With Draper for Future Opportunities! If you don't find the right posting in our Career Opportunities, you may submit your resume for future consideration.

Job Location - City:

Cambridge

Job Location - State:

Massachusetts

Job Location - Postal Code:

02139-3563

The US base salary range for this full-time position is

$95,000.00 - $245,000.00

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Union ranges will be in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement's approved rates by location and role. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.  Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and does not include bonuses or benefits.

Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers.

Draper is committed to creating an inclusive environment. We understand the value of inclusivity and its impact on a high-performance culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Draper is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, please contact [email protected].