Applied Cryptography & Cybersecurity Software Engineer – Post Quantum Focus (M.S. or Ph.D.)

Our Opportunity

We are seeking an  Applied Cryptography & Cybersecurity Software Engineer – Post‑Quantum Focus to join our Practice in  Irvine, CA, Los Angeles, CA, or Menlo Park, CA .

This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of cryptography research, cybersecurity architecture, and hands‑on software engineering, and who is passionate about securing real‑world, mission‑critical systems. You will contribute to impactful projects across sectors including defense, utilities, and other critical infrastructure domains, helping to design and implement secure, resilient systems that can withstand today’s and tomorrow’s adversaries.

You will work on cryptographic modernization and post‑quantum transition efforts, architect secure systems and protocols, and help build robust software and data infrastructure that “bakes in” security from the ground up. You’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of engineers, data scientists, and domain experts to solve complex, applied security problems in production environments.

You will be responsible for

• Designing and architecting secure software systems and services, with strong emphasis on cryptography, key management, and secure protocol design
• Leading post‑quantum cryptography assessments and migration planning, including algorithm selection, hybrid approaches, and performance / latency tradeoff analysis
• Evaluating, integrating, and hardening cryptographic libraries, modules, and products, including FIPS‑validated components where applicable
• Developing and reviewing secure communication protocols, authentication schemes, and data‑at‑rest / data‑in‑transit protection mechanisms
• Performing security architecture reviews for new and existing systems
• Wearing multiple hats across data engineering and software teams to incorporate cryptographic controls and security best practices into data pipelines, APIs, and microservices
• Supporting the development of policies, standards, and technical guidance related to cryptographic modernization (including PQC) and cybersecurity architecture
• Translating complex cryptographic and cybersecurity concepts into clear requirements, design documents, and presentations for both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, including senior government clients
• Ensuring security controls and cryptographic implementations align with federal and industry standards (., NIST PQC, CNSS, DoD directives, FedRAMP) and client‑specific compliance requirements
• Contributing to internal R&D and prototyping efforts in areas such as PQC benchmarking, secure enclaves, zero‑trust architectures, and secure DevSecOps pipelines

You will have the following skills and qualifications

Highly desirable experience

Security requirements

Our contracts with the United States Government for this position require :