Principal Engineer – Senior Level

Principal Engineer

Location: Cedar Springs, MI / Washington, D.C. / Quantico, VA
Travel: Minimal / As needed
Clearance: Top Secret security clearance
Citizenship: US Citizenship required

About Grimm

Grimm is an innovative, forward-looking cybersecurity organization focused on solving complex technical challenges across hardware, firmware, and software systems. Our teams specialize in reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and security engineering, supporting mission-critical efforts across national security, defense, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Our work is rooted in real-world operational experience identifying advanced threats, uncovering critical vulnerabilities, and developing meaningful solutions to complex problems. Grimm engineers operate across embedded systems, vehicles, IoT, and enterprise technologies, with a focus on understanding systems deeply and demonstrating real-world impact.

We are a highly technical and hands-on organization. Our engineers and researchers specialize in breaking systems, discovering vulnerabilities, and improving resilience—working directly with real hardware and software to understand how systems function and how they fail.

About the Role

Grimm is seeking a Principal Engineer to support the VAIL program, an FBI-focused effort centered on reverse engineering, vulnerability research, exploitation, and mission-driven cyber operations.

This role is ideal for a senior technical leader with deep experience in software development, exploit development, malware reverse engineering, vulnerability analysis, and offensive cyber operations. The selected candidate will help manage and execute complex reverse engineering and vulnerability research efforts while informing operational approaches for mission-critical systems.

We're looking for someone who can provide hands-on technical leadership, guide complex analysis efforts, and contribute to the development of new cyber operations concepts, tradecraft, and technical capabilities.

What You'll Do

• Manage and conduct reverse engineering and vulnerability analysis of complex software systems
• Lead technical research efforts involving exploitation, malware reverse engineering, and offensive cyber operations
• Leverage analysis tools such as disassemblers, decompilers, debuggers, virtual machines, and hex editors
• Research adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures to support mission objectives
• Develop exploitation capabilities for Linux environments
• Take defined vulnerabilities from concept through exploited proof of concept
• Analyze operating systems, application behavior, network traffic, and malware/exploit activity
• Apply vulnerability analysis, network mapping, exploitation, defensive, and IT logging experience to support cyber operations
• Leverage knowledge of ports, protocols, networking devices, and data network protocols
• Support analysis of LTE, 4G, and 3G cellular technologies and architecture
• Apply leading-edge principles, theories, and technologies to complex cyber operations challenges
• Contribute to new cyber operations concepts, tradecraft, and technical approaches
• Collaborate with engineers, researchers, mission stakeholders, and customer teams

Required Qualifications

• 12 years of related experience in software engineering, reverse engineering, vulnerability research, exploit development, malware analysis, or related technical disciplines
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related discipline, or equivalent experience and training
• Experience with software development
• Experience in exploit development or malware reverse engineering
• Experience working with full-stack technologies, including Java and scripting languages such as:
  • JavaScript
  • Perl
  • PHP
  • Python
  • PowerShell
• Experience developing exploitation capabilities for Linux environments
• Experience taking a defined vulnerability from concept to exploited proof of concept
• Experience using industry-standard analysis tools, including:
  • Disassemblers
  • Decompilers
  • Debuggers
  • Virtual machines
  • Hex editors
• Experience with LTE, 4G, or 3G cellular technologies and architecture
• Knowledge of operating systems, including:
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
• Understanding of application behavior and network traffic analysis to identify malware and exploits
• Knowledge of TCP/IP and data network protocols
• Must be a US Citizen
• Top Secret security clearance

Preferred / Nice to Have

• Active TS/SCI clearance preferred
• Experience supporting FBI, DOJ, DoD, Intelligence Community, or law enforcement customers
• Experience leading reverse engineering, vulnerability research, or exploit development teams
• Experience with offensive cyber operations or CNO mission environments
• Experience with embedded systems, firmware analysis, or low-level software analysis
• Experience with mobile platform security, cellular protocol analysis, or wireless exploitation
• Experience with Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, or similar reverse engineering platforms
• Experience developing custom tooling for analysis, exploitation, automation, or mission support
• Experience mentoring junior and mid-level engineers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical findings to mission stakeholders

Benefits

Grimm offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement benefits, paid leave, and opportunities for tuition assistance and ongoing professional development.

Why Grimm

You'll be working alongside highly specialized engineers and researchers tackling challenging problems in embedded security and reverse engineering. Our work directly supports national security missions and requires a high level of technical ownership, creativity, and precision.

If you enjoy working hands-on with hardware, digging into complex systems, and pushing your technical skills further, you'll find this environment both challenging and rewarding.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Grimm is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.