Staff Embedded Systems Security Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Hybrid role with required on-site work near Denver or Colorado Springs, Colorado; the position also lists Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA.

Base salary: $200,000–$305,000 per year, plus equity and benefits.

Company

hirify.global builds autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors for space security and defense.

What you will do

• Own security architecture, threat modeling, and defensive controls for spacecraft platforms, flight computers, firmware, FPGA gateware, cryptographic implementations, and secure boot.
• Build security platforms, tooling, foundational services, and automated test frameworks for secure-by-default embedded systems.
• Design PKI for resource-constrained spacecraft, including device authentication, firmware signing, secure boot, certificate lifecycle management, key storage, and HSM integration.
• Implement cryptographic systems aligned with FIPS 140-3, CNSA 2.0, and CCSDS SDLS, including migration toward post-quantum cryptography.
• Harden flight software build and deployment pipelines, test environments, dependencies, and third-party components against supply-chain attacks.
• Lead security assessments and penetration testing while partnering with flight software, hardware, and test engineering teams.

Requirements

• Active security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.
• U.S. person status or eligibility for required ITAR authorizations is required.
• Deep hands-on experience in embedded, hardware, and firmware security, including side-channel attacks, fault injection, secure boot, hardware attack surfaces, and HSMs.
• Strong C and C++ development skills, with experience in low-level programming, assembly, firmware, debugging, data structures, algorithms, and API design.
• Expert-level PKI and applied cryptography experience for embedded and resource-constrained systems, including certificate management, secure key storage, and government standards.
• Principal-level impact in setting security strategy, leading hardening initiatives, prioritizing risks, mentoring engineers, and influencing teams without direct authority.

Nice to have

• Formal FIPS validation experience, including CMVP processes.
• Experience with real-time or safety-critical systems, aerospace, defense, avionics, medical devices, or industrial control systems.
• Hardware reverse engineering, firmware analysis, FPGA/VHDL security, RF security, HIL/SIL infrastructure, or embedded Linux.
• Supply-chain security, build-pipeline hardening, published CVEs, security research, conference talks, or open-source contributions.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on technical leadership within a Platform Security team working on high-assurance space systems.
• AI-native environment using AI to accelerate development, analyze security data, and solve complex engineering problems.
• Health, dental, vision, HRA/HSA options, paid time off, paid holidays, 401(k), parental leave, and equity.
• Hybrid work environment with some work performed on site.