Principal Embedded Systems Security Engineer

What you will do

Your mission

Embedded systems security for space operations poses unique challenges: remote systems that must operate in adversarial RF environments, resource- constrained hardware, and trade-offs between security and performance in real-time systems. As our Principal Embedded Systems Security Engineer, you'll own the security of our spacecraft, radio systems, and hardware platforms. You'll build security platforms and foundational services that enable our hardware and software teams to develop secure embedded systems by default.

This role demands deep security expertise and the rigor that comes from engineering systems that cannot fail. As part of the Platform Security team, you'll work hands-on across C++ flight software, embedded C firmware within microcontrollers and radiation-hardened SoCs, FPGA designs, and real-time operating systems. Your work will impact the spacecraft's critical subsystems, from flight computer through command and control, RF, and payload.

Posted pay

$225K–$330K

a year

Compared with similar jobs

This base pay is above the median for principal security engineering jobs in other US places.

Median: $225K a year
Other jobs in the group: 51

We compare the middle of each posted range. This is base pay as posted. The group does not include this job.

Location

Denver, CO +1

Work type

Not given

Level

Principal

Skills in the job text

Posted

Sep 8, 2026

Last check

9 h ago

Job type

Security engineering

What you will do

Your mission

What you need

Required Qualifications

Active security clearance, or the ability to obtain and maintain one.
Deep, hands-on expertise in embedded, hardware, and firmware security — including hardware attack surfaces, side-channel and fault-injection attacks, firmware security, secure boot, and hardware security modules (HSMs).
Strong software development skills in C and C++, plus solid engineering fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, API design, and debugging
production systems) and comfort working across multiple languages and at low levels (assembly, firmware).
Proven track record of building production security platforms, tooling, and foundational services used by hardware and embedded engineering teams.
Deep, expert-level PKI knowledge with hands-on experience designing and operating PKI for embedded and resource-constrained systems —certificate-based device authentication, firmware signing certificate chains, secure boot PKI hierarchies, certificate provisioning and rotation for constrained devices (where rotation isn't trivial, e.g., spacecraft in orbit), secure key storage, and HSM integration.
Expert-level applied cryptography: implementing and reasoning about cryptographic systems to stringent government standards (FIPS 140-3, and familiarity with CNSA 2.0 and CCSDS SDLS), and experience with the practical challenges of post-quantum cryptography migration. Strong familiarity with common NIST publications (e.g., the 800-series).
Experience applying security testing methodologies for hardware and firmware, and building the tooling and frameworks to automate that testing at scale across engineering teams.
Demonstrated principal-level impact: setting security strategy and technical direction across an organization, independently identifying and prioritizing the risks that matter most, driving hardening initiatives end to end, raising the security bar and mentoring other engineers, thriving on ambiguous and novel problems, and influencing and aligning teams without direct authority.

Additional requirements

Work Location—this role will be onsite at our Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA offices. The expectation is a minimum of 3 days per week in the office.
Work environment—the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
Physical demands—the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

This position will be open until it is successfully filled. To submit your application, please follow the directions below. #LI-Onsite

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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Principal Embedded Systems Security Engineer

What you will do

Your mission

Principal Embedded Systems Security Engineer

What you will do

Your mission

Responsibilities

What you need

Required Qualifications

Additional requirements

Nice to have

Pay and benefits

About True Anomaly

Our mission

Our values

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Company facts

True Anomaly

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