Shift5

Engineer

• Architect and define FPGA-based detection capabilities which identify anomalies, unexpected protocol behavior, and threatening behavior in serial buses communications.
• Integrate detection capabilities with data acquisition and transmissions capabilities.
• Design and model detection logic for avionic serial busses (e.g., MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429) in Simulink, and use HDL Coder to automatically generate, verify, and implement this logic on FPGAs.
• Manage the full model-based design lifecycle for serial bus detections: from algorithm conception and simulation to hardware implementation and in-system validation.
• Perform investigations of real-world anomalies across OT communication buses, using your protocol expertise to enhance detection algorithms.
• Work with hardware validation and software QA engineers to conduct rigorous testing, including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation for FPGA designs.
• Collaborate with vulnerability researchers to translate novel exploit techniques into detectable signatures suitable for FPGA-based serial bus monitoring.
• Read technical documentation such as avionic standards, and device datasheets to inform your algorithm and model design.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues across hardware, firmware, and software.
• Document your algorithms, models, and verification results for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Be ready to learn and be flexible, contributing to a wide variety of work in support of Shift5 priorities.
• Work from Shift5 HQ in Rosslyn VA, 2-3 days a week, and occasionally travel (<15%).

Firmware Detections Engineer

• Work with hardware, software, field, and research engineers
• Develop software modules for Shift5 products designed to detect anomalies in OT systems and serial networks. You will primarily write software in C++/Rust/Golang/Python for detection modules, testbeds, and tools you develop.
• Work with cross-functional teams to build out robust and performant capabilities related to our product’s ability to perform real-time detection and prevention.
• Work with QA and Test Engineers ensuring end to end testing of team’s detection modules and algorithms.
• Distinguish between anomalous and benign traffic within large repositories of serial bus data.
• Perform investigations of real-world customer anomalies in order to determine root cause, enhance detections, or inform the development of new detections.
• Design and deliver technical training, usage guides, and operational best practices to enable customers to effectively interpret and triage detection observations, and optimize software configurations for accurate identification of cybersecurity and maintenance issues.
• Effectively communicate technical information about cyber threats to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to fundamental frameworks that describe types of threats to OT systems and provide a common language to share information about identified threats.
• Read technical documentation such as specifications, technical standards, and interface control documents to understand the data we are analyzing.
• Document your work for technical and non-technical audiences. This includes engineering documentation, technical reports, and presentations.
• Collaborate with vulnerability researchers to develop detection methodologies for novel attacks against OT systems leveraging a wide range of exploitation techniques.
• Be ready to learn and be flexible. You’ll be engaged in a wide variety of work in support of Shift5 priorities, which often change in a growing company.
• Occasionally travel <10%.

Detections Engineer

Full-stack Engineer

• Develop and optimize high-performance Rust software for real-time data processing on custom, resource-constrained Linux systems.
• Design and implement type-safe hardware abstractions, managing complex build dependencies and FFI boundaries with memory safety.
• Build and maintain code generation pipelines for protocol specifications and translation tables into strongly-typed Rust structures.
• Implement robust and efficient parsers for complex wire protocols, working at the bit level for accurate data models.
• Optimize software for specific hardware capabilities using deep Linux systems knowledge, profiling, and metrics.
• Design and implement concurrent data pipelines with message-passing architectures and lock-free data structures.
• Investigate and debug complex issues across hardware, protocol specifications, FFI, and concurrent timing.
• Write comprehensive unit, functional, and integration tests for protocol parsing, data processing, and hardware integration.
• Document designs, data flows, architectural decisions, and safety-critical code patterns.
• Integrate with existing C-based APIs and libraries using Rust's FFI, including CMake, autotools, and bindgen.
• Evolve and maintain core processing software for long-term stability, performance, and adaptability.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including hardware and API/UI engineers, forward deployed engineers embedded with customers, security researchers, data engineering and analytics, and product and program managers.

Senior Software Engineer

Solutions Engineer

• Perform detailed vehicle system analysis and trade studies to define integration requirements and ensure compatibility with existing platforms (e.g., electrical power, cooling, space, weight).
• Contribute to system architecture and detailed cable harness design specifications, including selecting components, defining routing, and creating installation procedures.
• Interpret and apply engineering data, including avionics wiring schematics (e.g., block diagrams, interconnect diagrams) and mechanical drawings to plan and execute system installations.
• Execute the installation of hardware on aircraft and other weapon systems, including rack mounting, cable routing, termination, and securing components per military and industry standards.
• Develop, execute, and document test plans and procedures to perform system testing (e.g., functional, environmental, EMI/EMC) on integrated hardware and software.
• Troubleshoot complex system anomalies, isolate root causes in hardware or wiring, and implement corrective actions.
• Draft, provide input, and maintain technical documentation, including detailed technical reports, integration plans, and risk management and planning documents (e.g., hazard analysis, FMECA).
• Apply a strong understanding of government certification processes (e.g., FAA, military airworthiness standards like MIL-HDBK-516) to ensure all design and installation activities meet regulatory compliance.

Integration Engineer

• Develop, optimize, and maintain real-time embedded software for custom Linux-based hardware platforms
• Design and implement low-level hardware interface layers: memory-mapped register access, DMA transfer, and efficient hardware/software communication protocols
• Write and maintain Linux kernel drivers and userspace APIs for custom hardware, ensuring robust integration and performance
• Profile, analyze, and tune embedded software for low-latency, high-throughput, high-reliability data acquisition and processing
• Investigate hardware, firmware, and software issues and understand the interactions between each layer
• Write comprehensive unit, functional, and integration tests
• Document designs, data flows, hardware and software interfaces
• Lead and participate in rigorous code review and hardware/software interface specification processes
• Support bring-up and troubleshooting of new hardware platforms, including board-level debugging with oscilloscopes and logic analyzers
• Collaborate closely with hardware, FPGA, and data analytics teams to define requirements and deliver end-to-end solutions

Embedded Software Engineer

• Provide Technical Expertise: Act as the technical authority for our customers, guiding them through the deployment and operationalization of our technologies.
• Problem-Solve: Develop engineered solutions to difficult and ambiguous problems, working as part of a cross-functional team.
• Customer Advocacy: Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, serving as a liaison to manage expectations and ensure effective problem resolution.
• Travel: Be comfortable with up to 40-75% travel within the U.S. to customer sites.

Field Engineer – Forward Deployed

• Report to Manager, Detections on the Research team and support the larger Shift5 technology organization
• Understand how cyber threat actors could attack OT systems (particularly serial data networks and embedded OT devices) and emulate a wide variety of attacks
• Develop software modules for Shift5 products to detect anomalies in OT systems and serial networks using C++/Rust/Golang/Python
• Work with hardware, software, field, and research engineers and cross-functional teams to build real-time detection and prevention capabilities
• Work with QA and Test Engineers to ensure end-to-end testing of detection modules and algorithms
• Distinguish between anomalous and benign traffic within large repositories of serial bus data
• Perform investigations of real-world customer anomalies to determine root cause and enhance detections
• Design and deliver technical training, usage guides, and operational best practices for customers
• Communicate technical information about cyber threats to technical and non-technical audiences
• Contribute to frameworks describing threats to OT systems and provide a common language to share identified threats
• Read specifications, technical standards, and interface control documents to understand analyzed data
• Document work for technical and non-technical audiences, including engineering documentation and technical reports
• Collaborate with vulnerability researchers to develop detection methodologies for novel attacks against OT systems
• Assist with developing frameworks and testbeds to ensure efficacy of detections
• Be ready to learn, be flexible, and engage in a wide variety of work in support of Shift5 priorities
• Work from Shift5 HQ 2-3 days a week, and occasionally travel <10%

SDET

• Shift5 is redefining the future of onboard operational technology (OT). As a fast-growing scale-up, we specialize in cutting-edge cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, and compliance for OT systems across defense, aerospace, and rail. We are a team of passionate, innovative professionals who thrive in a collaborative environment, driven by a shared mission to revolutionize how fleets operate. By unlocking and democratizing the vast potential of onboard OT data, we help our customers’ fleets run smarter, safer, and more efficiently. Ready to be part of the next frontier in transportation and critical infrastructure? Come join us.
• Our Values: Embrace Truth and Integrity; User-Centric Focus; Collaborative & Adaptable.
• Role: full-time Software Test Engineer to join our Product Engineering team; ensure quality of features; test, verify, and provide high-quality tech stack.
• Responsibilities include creating regression test suites, automation, working with DevOps, and collaborating with multiple engineering teams.
• Required: see above; Preferred: see above.

Software Test Engineer

• Shift5 is redefining the future of onboard operational technology (OT). As a fast-growing scale-up, we specialize in cutting-edge cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, and compliance for OT systems across defense, aerospace, and rail. We are a team of passionate, innovative professionals who thrive in a collaborative environment, driven by a shared mission to revolutionize how fleets operate. By unlocking and democratizing the vast potential of onboard OT data, we help our customers’ fleets run smarter, safer, and more efficiently. Ready to be part of the next frontier in transportation and critical infrastructure? Come join us.
• Our Values: Embrace Truth and Integrity; User-Centric Focus; Collaborative & Adaptable.
• Shift5 is seeking a full-time Embedded Software Test Engineer to join our growing team. In this role, you will drive the integration, validation, and quality assurance of real-time, high-performance embedded software systems deployed on custom Linux-based hardware platforms.
• You will be instrumental in building robust automated test and deployment pipelines, performing hands-on exploratory testing, and collaborating across multi-disciplinary teams to ensure resilient and reliable software releases in mission-critical environments.
• If you\'re passionate about testing complex systems, optimizing test processes through automation, and thrive in a collaborative environment with endless opportunities to take ownership and expand your skills, Shift5 might be the right fit for you.
• In this role you will be expected to:
- Integrate and test embedded software across diverse Linux-based custom hardware platforms
- Author and maintain test plans including functional, integration, and full system test cases
- Develop custom test tools and harnesses that control and interact with hardware
- Build and maintain automated deployment, monitoring, and test pipelines for production-like environments simulating operational use
- Conduct manual exploratory testing to uncover vulnerabilities, bugs, and edge cases in complex systems
- Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to validate software releases
- Work closely with other test engineers covering different areas of Shift5’s software stack
- Support full software lifecycle integration, including environment setup, test execution, regression analysis, and root cause identification
- Interface software components with FPGAs and sensor hardware for system-level validation
- Contribute to the evolution of CI/CD infrastructure, enabling automated test, build, and deployment processes
- Perform profiling, debugging, and system monitoring using tools such as perf
• Required:
- BS or MS in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics
- 5+ years of experience in software integration and/or testing, preferably for embedded or real-time systems
- Proficiency in C, C++, or Rust software development
- Proficiency with scripting languages, such as Python
- Proficiency with Linux systems and development tools
- Experience with network performance analysis and system health monitoring
- Ability to set up and configure test environments consisting of both hardware and software components
- Experience working with software teams, demonstrating advanced skill in automated and manual testing
- US Citizenship
• Preferred:
- Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering
- Advanced knowledge of and experience with software development in Rust
- Prior experience building out QA processes in a startup environment
- Prior experience with Jira test management plugins such as Zephyr, TestRail, etc
- Prior experience with advanced profiling tools such as VTune, eBPF
- Prior experience with serial bus technology: CANbus, MIL-STD-1553, SAE J1939, ASCB, ARINC 429, Ethernet
- Prior experience with FPGA and custom x86 hardware platforms
- Prior experience with lab test equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, signal generators, and digital multimeters
- Active (or ability to hold/obtain a) US Government Top Secret security clearance
• Compensation & Benefits:
- Uncapped paid time off policy
- Flexible work & remote work policy
- Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA)