Tech Lead, Offensive Security

Hadrian Automation
Los Angeles, CA
Hybrid

Who this role is best for

Geared toward senior offensive security professionals comfortable with red-team operations and AI-driven tooling, this role demands deep technical expertise and the ability to build from scratch in a manufacturing and defense domain.

Best fit for

  • Senior offensive security experts with a background in red-team operations and AI tooling development
    — “hands-on principal role for someone who has done elite red-team work
  • Candidates with a proven track record in finding and weaponizing real-world vulnerabilities
    — “track record of finding and weaponizing real vulnerabilities
  • Individuals who have experience standing up a red team or offensive program from zero
    — “Experience standing up a red team or offensive program from zero

Things to consider

  • Must be a U.S. person to comply with ITAR export regulations
    — “Must be a U.S. person under ITAR
  • This role requires independent strategic ownership and execution at the outset
    — “Ability to operate fully autonomously — set strategy and own outcomes without a team beneath you at the start

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience in reverse engineering firmware and embedded systems in your resume and interview
    — “reverse engineering and vulnerability research on firmware, embedded controllers
  • Emphasize AI-driven offensive tooling development in your application materials
    — “Develop AI-driven offensive tooling to scale coverage
  • Showcase external contributions like talks at DEF CON or published research
    — “Recognized external presence — talks at DEF CON, Black Hat, or Recon
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · CompanyLevel · Principal

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • building and leading offensive security capability
  • performing reverse engineering and vulnerability research
  • developing AI-driven offensive tooling
Typical background
deep, hands-on red-team and penetration-testing experiencestrong reverse engineering skills

Skills & requirements

Required

Red Team OperationsPenetration TestingReverse EngineeringAi-driven Offensive ToolingVulnerability Research

Preferred

Hardware SecurityAI And Autonomy Systems Security

Stack & domain

Offensive SecurityRed-team OperationsPenetration TestingAdversary EmulationReverse EngineeringVulnerability ResearchAi-driven Offensive ToolingPythonGoC/c++Firmware ExtractionIndustrial ProtocolsAI And Autonomy SystemsItar-controlled FactoriesLeadershipProblem SolvingAttention To DetailCommunicationTeamworkAdaptabilityInnovationSecurityAIManufacturingRoboticsAutonomous Factories

About the role

Original posting from Hadrian Automation via Ashby

HADRIAN - MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost.

Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built.

Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen.

If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.

The Role:

As our Tech Lead overseeing Offensive Security, you will build and lead Hadrian’s offensive security capability from the ground up. Hadrian’s software-defined, ITAR-controlled factories are a high-value target, and your job is to find what an adversary would find first — across our manufacturing software, robotics and OT, cloud, corporate systems, physical devices, and AI. This is a hands-on principal role for someone who has done elite red-team work and wants to own an entire offensive function.

What You’ll Do

  • Build and run Hadrian’s offensive security function: red-team operations, penetration testing, and adversary emulation across software, robotics/OT, cloud, and physical devices.
  • Perform reverse engineering and vulnerability research on firmware, embedded controllers, and third-party components in our manufacturing environment.
  • Develop AI-driven offensive tooling to scale coverage, and assess the security of Hadrian’s own AI and autonomy systems.
  • Drive findings to remediation with engineering and the blue team, run purple-team exercises, and measure risk reduction over time.
  • Represent Hadrian’s security posture to customers, auditors, and DoD stakeholders.

What We’re Looking For

  • Deep, hands-on red-team and penetration-testing experience at a top-tier engineering organization (e.g., Block, Stripe, Anthropic, Google, AWS).
  • Strong reverse engineering skills (Ghidra, IDA Pro, or Binary Ninja) and a track record of finding and weaponizing real vulnerabilities.
  • Proficiency building offensive tooling in Python, Go, or C/C++ and leveraging AI to accelerate offensive work.
  • Ability to operate fully autonomously — set strategy and own outcomes without a team beneath you at the start.
  • Must be a U.S. person under ITAR (see requirements below).

What Will Set You Apart

  • Hardware, embedded, or OT/ICS security experience (JTAG/UART, firmware extraction, industrial protocols).
  • Recognized external presence — talks at DEF CON, Black Hat, or Recon, and published research or CVEs.
  • Experience attacking or securing AI and agentic systems.
  • Background in aerospace, defense, robotics, or manufacturing.
  • Experience standing up a red team or offensive program from zero.

BENEFITS FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

  • Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
  • 401k
  • Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
  • Flexible vacation policy
  • Equity

ITAR REQUIREMENTS

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987.

USE OF AI IN HIRING

Hadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy https://www.hadrian.co/privacy-policy.

HADRIAN IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

It is the Company’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race inclusive of traits historically associated with race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin (including, in California, possession of a drivers license), ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, height or weight, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, exercise of reproductive rights, any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws, or any combination of the above characteristics. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

Source: Hadrian Automation careers (Ashby)

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