Senior Cybersecurity Researcher

Posting TitleSenior Cybersecurity Researcher

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LocationCO - Golden

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Position TypeRegular

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Hours Per Week40

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Working at NREL

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see how NREL is focused on saving the planet.

We invite all interested candidates to apply for this opportunity. While we recognize that job seekers may hesitate if they don’t meet every requirement, we encourage dedicated individuals who meet all the basic and additional required qualifications of the role to submit an application. We value the opportunity to consider those who believe they have the necessary skills and ambition to succeed at NREL.

Job Description

The Cybersecurity Threat Analysis Group (CTAG) within NREL’s Cybersecurity Research Center performs research to make cybersecurity an enabling part of the energy transition. This is primarily accomplished through engaging with energy sector partners, government program offices, and national security organizations. Research areas within CTAG include energy system modeling and simulation, threat to consequence risk analysis, hardware & software security, and supply chain security. 

  

Researchers within CTAG have the opportunity to drive NREL research in energy system security and advance a rapidly growing cybersecurity portfolio. Team members work alongside current NREL research staff to utilize the best-in-class ARIES Cyber Range to deploy applicable large scale test environments, perform hardware-in-the-loop technology experiments, and collaborate with other laboratory and government partners. 

  

CTAG is seeking an experienced senior cybersecurity research security professional to lead the execution of its growing portfolio of work. The successful candidate will bring a strong technical security background with a focus on developing and executing cybersecurity research within a laboratory environment, knowledge of cutting-edge adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, experience leading complex cybersecurity programs across a matrixed organization, a passion for leading and driving new research in the space, and the ability to collaborate with partners from across national labs, the Department of Energy, industry, and national security partners. 

Responsibilities include:

• Provide technical leadership supporting multi-partner programs, coordinating with program office leadership, tasking and mentoring junior staff in support of program objectives
• Lead the technical development and execution of research within the ARIES Cyber Range
• Developing program objectives, decomposing objectives into actionable milestones
• Provide technical thought-leadership by proposing and leading new areas of work
• Support quick reaction taskers requiring research into areas of government concern
• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in adversarial TTPs, cybersecurity mitigations, best practices, and reverse engineering
• Serve as a SME within our growing supply chain portfolio of work
• Collaborate with fellow researchers, Department of Energy staff as well as industrial partners to ensure research relevance and impact
• In addition to technical research, the role requires significant technical writing, presentation of research materials at conferences, symposia, and sponsor review meetings, direct customer and stakeholder engagement

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Basic QualificationsRelevant PhD and 4 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 7 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 9 or more years of experience . Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of laws, regulations, principles, procedures and practices related to specific field. Excellent leadership, communication, problem solving and project management skills. Ability to use various computer software programs.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading cybersecurity programs for national security partners
• Demonstrated experience in adversarial cybersecurity practices (e.g., red teaming, reverse engineering, etc)
• Experience deploying and configuring operational technology system components such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), RTUs, PLCs, and HMIs
• Familiarity with applicable security frameworks, best practices and guidance as provided by IEC62443, NERC CIP, NIST and IEEE
• Understanding of MITRE ATT&CK for ICS to develop real-world security test strategies
• Excellent leadership, communication, problem solving and project management skills
• Strong writing and public speaking skills demonstrated through proposals, presentations, business development and/or customer engagement
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance at the Q/TS/SCI level. Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE O 472.2A for additional information. Polygraph may be required.

Preferred Qualifications

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Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)Job Profile: Researcher IV / Annual Salary Range: $97,800 - $176,000

NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits SummaryBenefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement*. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.

* Based on eligibility rules

Badging RequirementNREL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.

Drug Free Workplace

NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

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EEO Policy

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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