National Laboratory of the Rockies · 1 month ago
Senior Electric Grid Cybersecurity Researcher
Golden, CO
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$141K/yr - $254K/yr
9+ years expNational Renewable Energy Laboratory (NLR) is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development. They are seeking a Senior Electric Grid Cybersecurity Researcher to lead the Energy Threat Analysis Center portfolio, focusing on cybersecurity research to protect the nation's energy infrastructure.
Clean EnergyCleanTechEnergyRenewable Energy
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Provide technical leadership supporting multi-partner programs, coordinating with program office leadership, tasking and mentoring staff in support of program objectives
Lead adversarial research initiatives targeting energy sector systems, including threat emulation, cyber range experimentation, and model-based simulation, defining experimental objectives and strategies
Independently design, execute, and evaluate complex adversary–defender studies, including multi-stage attack-chain modeling, vulnerability exploration, and defense validation, ensuring reproducible and rigorous research outcomes
Proven leadership in offensive cybersecurity research and program management, including planning and executing complex experiments with strategic impact
Advanced proficiency in Python, PowerShell, C/C++, or other languages, enabling automation, data-driven analysis, and modeling integration across projects
Expert-level knowledge of ICS, OT, and energy sector systems, including protocols, architectures, and security considerations
Writing high-quality intelligence assessments and briefings for both senior-level and technical audiences
Contribute specialized knowledge to collaborative response efforts based on cyber incidents
Provide technical thought-leadership by proposing and leading new areas of work
Support quick reaction tasking requiring research into areas of government concern
Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in adversarial TTPs, cybersecurity mitigations, best practices, and reverse engineering
Serve as a SME within our growing supply chain security portfolio of work
Collaborate with fellow researchers, Department of Energy staff as well as industrial partners to ensure research relevance and impact
Qualification
Required
Relevant PhD and 9 or more years of experience. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 12 or more years of experience. Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 14 or more years of experience
Applies advanced scientific technical principles, theories and concepts
Contributes to the development of new principles and concepts
Considered a national subject matter expert
Demonstrates leadership in a number of areas, including all team, task and/or project lead responsibilities
Demonstrated management of complex and/or impactful projects
Excellent technical writing, interpersonal and communication skills
Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance at the Q/TS/SCI level
Knowledge of and demonstrated experience in power systems engineering principles and practices
Demonstrated experience leading cybersecurity programs for national security partners
Demonstrated experience in adversarial cybersecurity practices (e.g., red teaming, reverse engineering, threat hunting)
Demonstrated experience with threat hunting or detection engineering
Experience deploying and configuring operational technology system components (e.g., SCADA RTUs, PLCs, and HMI)
Familiarity with applicable security frameworks, best practices and guidance as provided by IEC62443, NERC CIP, NIST and IEEE
Understanding of MITRE ATT&CK for ICS to develop real-world security test strategies
Excellent leadership, communication, problem solving and project management skills
Strong writing and public speaking skills demonstrated through proposals, presentations, business development and/or customer engagement
Benefits
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
Tuition reimbursement
Company
National Laboratory of the Rockies
The U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for energy systems research and development.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$166.09MKey Investors
US Department of EnergyARPA-E
2024-09-04Grant
2023-09-21Grant· $1M
2023-05-22Grant· $150M
Leadership Team
Clay Sumner
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Jennifer L.
Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2026-01-16
Clean Technica
2025-11-27
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