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Principal Cyber Security Scientist
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What they do
A Research Scientist is responsible for designing, undertaking and analyzing information from controlled laboratory-based investigations, experiments and trials.
$103,577 / year median in Virginia
Job Description
Principal Cyber Security Scientist Riverside Research United States, Virginia, Fairfax Sep 01, 2026 Principal Cyber Security Scientist
Location US-VA-Fairfax
ID 2026-4367
Category Research & Development Position Type Full Time Salary Riverside Overview Riverside Research is an independent National Security Nonprofit dedicated to research and development in the national interest. We provide high-end technical services, research and development, and prototype solutions to some of the country's most challenging technical problems. All Riverside Research opportunities require U.S. Citizenship. Position Overview Riverside Research is seeking a principal research scientist to support R D of cutting-edge security technologies and lead technical business development to continue to grow the reach of our research. As a key member of our Secure and Resilient Systems team, the research scientist will lead efforts to prototype new security technologies in core research areas such as offensive cyber, systems security engineering, formal methods, and systems security software, working at the intersection of multiple areas to push the boundaries of security. Our goal is to get ahead and stay ahead of attackers in cost-effective ways. As a premier cyber research organization, we are committed to advancing the state of the art through sustained open source releases of our tooling (see some examples here: https://github.com/riversideresearch). We value our team culture of adaptability and experimentation in our research, delivery of capability to our customers, and technical excellence in all we do. Responsibilities Develop relationships with new customers and develop R D opportunities with them to expand the reach of our technology and R D services to improve national security
Foster an entrepreneurial spirit and eagerness to engage in technical marketing and business development
Lead the technical execution of existing and new research efforts by developing strong relationships with company leadership and technical contributors
Mentor technical contributors and help them grow in their careers
Develop rigor into technical execution of research programs to ensure timely delivery of high-quality technology solutions to customer problems
Work closely with program management staff to ensure proper staffing of research efforts
Share research results across the company and across industry
Qualifications Required Qualifications:
- BS with 20 years related experience, MS with 16 years related experience, PhD with 12 years related experience in a technically relevant degree
- Leadership skills to develop, organize and execute significant capture activities, including building industry teams, assessing win probability, and executing customer call plans
- Outstanding technical abilities in multiple areas of computing
- Strong grasp on the research process (e.g., reading & writing academic papers, ideation for inventing solutions to hard problems)
- TS/SCI Clearance
- Self-starter and ability to manage time and technical tasks independently without direct supervision
- Superior written and verbal communications skills
Motivated collaborator who's comfortable communicating to both technical and non-technical audiences Global Comp $200,000 - $260,000 This represents the typical compensation range for this position based on experience, location and other factors. Closing Statement Riverside Research Institute is a not-for-profit, technology-oriented defense company, where service to our customers and support of our staff is our overall mission. Riverside is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. Riverside offers comprehensive compensation and benefit packages to our employees.
Riverside bases its employment decisions solely on technical experience, qualifications and other job-related criteria related to our organizational purpose as a not-for-profit company, and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran's status or any other status legally protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.