Hardware Security Engineer

Cybersecurity Mid-level (L4 equivalent) 2-5 years

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The job description

Tech stack. Side-channel analysis (ChipWhisperer), fault injection techniques, Verilog and VHDL reading, secure element architectures, JTAG and logic analyzers, Python, cryptography fundamentals, lab instrumentation

About the role

You will attack and defend the silicon itself for a semiconductor company whose chips safeguard payments, identities, and critical infrastructure worldwide. The team evaluates secure elements and processors against physical attacks including power analysis, clock glitching, and micro-probing. You will run lab evaluations, review hardware designs, and support formal certifications with hard evidence. This role matters because software security guarantees mean nothing if the hardware leaks cryptographic keys through its power consumption, and you are the engineer who proves the silicon either resists real attackers or must be fixed before it ships. You will also maintain the lab itself, from calibrated instrumentation to a library of reference targets for regression testing. Repeatability and honest negative results are core values of your daily experimental work.

What you will achieve

Perform side-channel evaluations on new secure element designs, with all findings remediated before tapeout or certification submission.
Build and operate fault-injection test rigs validating glitch resistance of boot sequences and cryptographic operations.
Review RTL and firmware for hardware security flaws that automated static analysis tools consistently miss.
Support Common Criteria and EMVCo evaluations with complete evidence packages designed to pass on first submission.
Publish internal attack playbooks so product teams design against physical threats from the earliest architecture stage.

What you will bring

Must-haves

2 to 5 years in hardware security, embedded security, or chip design with a dedicated security focus.
Understanding of side-channel attack classes: timing analysis, power analysis, and electromagnetic emanation techniques.
Familiarity with fault injection concepts: voltage glitching, clock manipulation, and laser fault approaches.
Ability to read Verilog or VHDL and reason carefully about hardware trust boundaries and asset isolation.
Hands-on lab skills: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and soldering for building reliable test fixtures.
Solid cryptography fundamentals plus knowledge of how implementations fail catastrophically in practice.
Methodical experimental discipline: controlled setups, repeatable measurements, and honest negative results.

Nice-to-haves

Experience with ChipWhisperer or commercial side-channel analysis platforms.
Knowledge of Common Criteria, FIPS 140, or EMVCo evaluation processes and documentation.
Published hardware security research or conference presentations.
Familiarity with secure manufacturing and anti-counterfeiting techniques.