Job Description

Our Opportunity

We are seeking an Applied Cryptography & Cybersecurity Software Engineer – Post‑Quantum Focus to join our Practice in Irvine, CA, Los Angeles, CA, or Menlo Park, CA.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of cryptography research, cybersecurity architecture, and hands‑on software engineering, and who is passionate about securing real‑world, mission‑critical systems. You will contribute to impactful projects across sectors including defense, utilities, and other critical infrastructure domains, helping to design and implement secure, resilient systems that can withstand today’s and tomorrow’s adversaries.

You will work on cryptographic modernization and post‑quantum transition efforts, architect secure systems and protocols, and help build robust software and data infrastructure that “bakes in” security from the ground up. You’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of engineers, data scientists, and domain experts to solve complex, applied security problems in production environments.

You will be responsible for

  • Designing and architecting secure software systems and services, with strong emphasis on cryptography, key management, and secure protocol design
  • Leading post‑quantum cryptography assessments and migration planning, including algorithm selection, hybrid approaches, and performance/latency tradeoff analysis
  • Evaluating, integrating, and hardening cryptographic libraries, modules, and products, including FIPS‑validated components where applicable
  • Developing and reviewing secure communication protocols, authentication schemes, and data‑at‑rest / data‑in‑transit protection mechanisms
  • Performing security architecture reviews for new and existing systems
  • Wearing multiple hats across data engineering and software teams to incorporate cryptographic controls and security best practices into data pipelines, APIs, and microservices
  • Supporting the development of policies, standards, and technical guidance related to cryptographic modernization (including PQC) and cybersecurity architecture
  • Translating complex cryptographic and cybersecurity concepts into clear requirements, design documents, and presentations for both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, including senior government clients
  • Ensuring security controls and cryptographic implementations align with federal and industry standards (., NIST PQC, CNSS, DoD directives, FedRAMP) and client‑specific compliance requirements
  • Contributing to internal R&D and prototyping efforts in areas such as PQC benchmarking, secure enclaves, zero‑trust architectures, and secure DevSecOps pipelines

    • You will have the following skills and qualifications

  • . in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related scientific/engineering field with a focus in cryptography, cybersecurity, or information security
  • OR . plus 5+ years of post‑degree industry or government experience in applied cryptography, cybersecurity architecture, or secure software engineering
  • Deep expertise in modern cryptography, including:
  • Public‑key and symmetric cryptography, key exchange, digital signatures, hashing, and MACs
  • Understanding of post‑quantum cryptography concepts and NIST PQC standards (., Kyber, Dilithium, other lattice‑based or code‑based schemes)
  • Familiarity with cryptographic protocols (., TLS, IPsec, SSH) and their failure modes
  • Demonstrated experience designing and reviewing secure system and software architectures for mission‑critical or sensitive environments
  • Strong software engineering skills, including:
  • Proficiency in at least one systems or backend language (., Python, C/C++, Go, Rust, or Java)
  • Experience building, testing, and maintaining production‑grade software using version control (Git or similar)
  • Familiarity with secure coding practices, code review, and CI/CD or DevSecOps workflows
  • Experience integrating cryptography into real‑world systems, including:
  • Using and evaluating cryptographic libraries (., OpenSSL, BoringSSL, libsodium, Bouncy Castle, AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, or equivalent)
  • Implementing or integrating key management, HSMs, or hardware‑backed trust (., TPM, secure enclaves)
  • Working knowledge of cybersecurity concepts and frameworks, such as:
  • Zero‑trust architectures, identity and access management, network segmentation, logging and monitoring
  • NIST SP 800‑series guidance, DoD or IC security policies, or similar regulatory frameworks
  • Experience communicating complex technical material clearly and concisely to diverse audiences, including senior leadership and non‑technical stakeholders
  • Strong writing skills to enable generation of concise, clear, and accurate standards and guidance documentation
  • Ability to work independently and in multidisciplinary teams, managing priorities across concurrent projects

    • Highly desirable experience

  • Hands‑on work in post‑quantum cryptography transition or evaluation (., performance benchmarking, hybrid key exchange, impact analysis on existing protocols)
  • Experience with DoD, IC, or other . Government clients, including familiarity with cryptography‑related policies and guidance
  • Experience architecting secure solutions on major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including use of managed key management and cryptographic services
  • Background in secure networking, endpoint protection, or security operations as it relates to cryptographic controls
  • Experience with formal methods, protocol verification, or side‑channel and implementation‑level attack considerations
  • Relevant certifications (., CISSP, GSEC, CSSLP, GIAC, or similar)

    • Security requirements

    Our contracts with the United States Government for this position require:

  • Proof of . citizenship
  • The possession of, or ability to obtain, a . DoD Security Clearance (Secret or higher)

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