About this role
Salary: £41,000 - 81,000 per year
Requirements: Proven experience leading or contributing to advanced vulnerability research initiatives across multiple roles or organisationsStrong expertise across telecom technologies such as 4G/5G, fibre broadband, and OpenRANDeep understanding of hardware and software development lifecycles, and how they introduce security risksPractical knowledge of cryptographic systems, including encryption, authentication, and digital signaturesSolid grasp of data structures, distributed systems, virtualisation, and containerisationExpert-level understanding of network protocols and software internals, from low-level assembly to high-level languagesExperience with embedded systems, OS internals, and hardware debugging techniquesStrong knowledge of Linux internals, with the ability to quickly adopt new programming languagesDemonstrated experience identifying and exploiting memory corruption vulnerabilities, including bypassing modern protections (ASLR, stack canaries, etc.)Proficiency in reverse engineering, using tools such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, or equivalentSkilled in using debugging tools (e.g., GDB) and advanced exploitation techniquesExperience building custom tools, research platforms, or test environments to support vulnerability discoveryAbility to commute to our UKTL offices in Birmingham at least twice a weekAbility to meet the necessary security standards, including DV clearance with no restrictions; SC clearance may be acceptable to start while DV is in progress Responsibilities: Lead advanced vulnerability research across carrier-grade telecom systemsDrive investigations into complex, real-world technologies and uncover deep, previously unknown security weaknessesShape the vision for vulnerability research within our organisationDefine priorities, methodologies, and tooling approaches for research effortsProvide technical leadership across multiple domains and guide teams through ambiguous and complex problem spacesDesign and develop advanced research tooling and environmentsCreate bespoke fuzzers, software-defined radio solutions, or entirely new frameworks to enable large-scale experimentation and discoveryPrototype, iterate, and push technical boundaries by leading by exampleSupport and develop other researchers through mentoring, knowledge sharing, and work reviewsFoster a culture of curiosity and technical excellenceApply structured research methodologies to understand complex systems, how they behave, where they fail, and how they can be securedConnect insights across hardware, software, and networks to solve real-world security challengesOperate within a cutting-edge research environment and explore systems at scaleDesign and evolve the infrastructure that underpins advanced telecom security research Technologies: EmbeddedHardwareSupportLinuxNetworkSecurityC++ More:
We are UKTL, building leading-edge telecoms testing facilities to keep our telecommunications networks safe, accelerate the roll-out of new technologies, and grow our world-leading telecoms sector with greater resiliency and security. Successful candidates will join a state-of-the-art facility and work alongside our infrastructure and cybersecurity professionals to test and research the latest technologies and innovations in the industry. We work with standards bodies, academia, government departments, communications service providers, and equipment vendors, and are part of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), a world-leading centre of excellence that underpins prosperity and quality of life in the UK through cutting-edge measurement science, engineering, and technology. We offer above-industry-standard benefits including an enhanced pension scheme, flexible working, and more, and we are committed to diversity, equality of opportunity, reasonable adjustments, and a supportive, inclusive environment.
last updated 35 week of 2026