Cybersecurity Researcher

Posting TitleCybersecurity 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 NRELThe National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Join the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NREL stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future.  Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.

At NREL, you’ll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

Learn about NREL’s critical objectives: NREL's Mission and Vision.

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 working within complex cybersecurity programs, 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, knowledge, and experiences include:

• Knowledge of adversarial tactics principles and practices
• Skill in translating operational requirements into security controls
• Knowledge of threat intelligence principles and practices
• Knowledge of critical infrastructure systems and software
• Knowledge of industry hardware and software commercial vendors and their associated configuration and maintenance practices
• Knowledge of systems security engineering (SSE) principles and practices
• Perform cybersecurity testing of developed applications and systems
• Knowledge of cybersecurity threat characteristics
• Knowledge of cyber defense tools and techniques
• Knowledge of evaluation and validation principles and practices
• Skill in systems integration testing
• Skill in performing and interpreting test results
• Ability to 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 technical writing, presentation of research materials at conferences, symposia, and sponsor review meetings, direct customer and stakeholder engagement
• Skill in writing scripts and developing applications to automate data collection, processing, and analysis tasks in cybersecurity contexts

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Basic QualificationsResearcher IV:
Relevant 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 .
Researcher III:
Relevant PhD . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience .

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE (Q) security clearance and SCI access. SCI access may require a polygraph examination. 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.

Researcher IV:

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.

Researcher III:

Demonstrates broad understanding and wide application of engineering technical procedures, principles, theories and concepts in the field. General knowledge of other related disciplines. Demonstrates leadership in one or more areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated experience in management of projects. Very good writing, interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to use various computer software programs.

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

Job Profile: Researcher III / Annual Salary Range: $81,500 - $146,700

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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Equal Opportunity 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.

Reasonable Accommodations

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