--- title: 'CNE Developer-TS Required at SixGen, Inc.' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/cne-developer-ts-required-sixgen-inc-columbia-dnf19bzh4mr8' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-26' --- # CNE Developer-TS Required at SixGen, Inc. - **Company:** SixGen, Inc. - **Location:** Columbia, MD - **Posted:** 2025-10-17 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-26 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sixgeninc/jobs/4958435008 ## Job description SIXGEN’s mission is to deliver agile, mission-ready cybersecurity solutions that empower government and critical infrastructure organizations to stay ahead of advanced cyber threats. We combine innovation, deep expertise, and cutting-edge capabilities to uncover vulnerabilities, protect vital systems, and ensure operational superiority in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Position: CNE Developer Job Type: Full Time On-site WFH Friday Location: Columbia, MD Clearance Requirements: TS SCI Eligible with ability to pass CI polygraph Travel: 0% We are seeking a Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) Developer to research vulnerabilities, develop specialized software capabilities, and support authorized operations. This role combines low-level software development, reverse engineering, and vulnerability research to address complex technical challenges across operating systems, applications, and network protocols. The ideal candidate is comfortable working with unfamiliar codebases, investigating undocumented system behavior, and turning research findings into reliable, maintainable software. The developer will collaborate with researchers, systems engineers, and testing personnel throughout the development lifecycle. ## Responsibilities - Design, develop, test, and maintain software supporting authorized CNE research, capability development, and mission requirements. - Conduct vulnerability research and root-cause analysis of operating systems, applications, services, and network protocols. - Reverse engineer compiled software, firmware, and proprietary protocols to understand functionality, identify weaknesses, and assess technical feasibility. - Develop proof-of-concept implementations and mature validated research into documented, testable capabilities. - Write and debug software - Analyze platform internals, including memory management, process execution, system calls, access controls, and interprocess communication. - Build development and testing environments that reproduce relevant system configurations and support repeatable evaluation. - Develop modular components with clearly defined interfaces to support integration, maintenance, and adaptation to changing requirements. - Collaborate with independent testing and quality assurance personnel to validate functionality, reliability, compatibility, and failure handling. - Participate in code reviews, configuration management, and technical planning - Document software architecture, research findings, build procedures, dependencies, limitations, and test results. Required Qualifications - Professional experience in systems programming, reverse engineering, vulnerability research, or closely related software development. - Strong proficiency in software development - Experience using debuggers, disassemblers, and decompilers such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, GDB, WinDbg, or LLDB. - Understanding of operating system internals on one or more platforms - Familiarity with common vulnerability classes, memory safety issues, and platform security mitigations. - Knowledge of TCP/IP networking and experience analyzing network traffic and application protocols. - Experience with Git, structured build processes, and software debugging and testing. - Ability to independently investigate technical problems and communicate findings clearly through written documentation and technical discussions. ## COMPENSATION & BENEFITS Salary range: $225,000 to $250,000 The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. The final salary offer will be determined after a thorough review of the candidate's background and alignment with the role. Additionally, SIXGEN offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: - Employer-paid health insurance premiums (medical, dental, vision) for you and your family - Employer-paid short/long term disability insurance and basic life/AD&D insurance - 401K with a 4% employer contribution - Professional development reimbursement options available (training, certification, education, etc)​ - Flexible and remote work policies for most positions - Flexible PTO and holiday schedule ## OUR COMMITMENT SIXGEN is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We ensure that all applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, marital status, ancestry, projected veteran status, or any other protected group or class. ## About SixGen, Inc. ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: SIXGEN is a cybersecurity company that provides mission-aligned cyber capabilities, tools, and operations to protect government, defense, and critical infrastructure organizations from global adversaries. - **Entity Type**: Private (acquired by Washington Harbour Partners in November 2023) - **Headquarters**: Annapolis, Maryland, United States - **Founded**: 2014 - **Founders**: Ethan Dietrich ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Cybersecurity, Defense & Aerospace, Critical Infrastructure Protection - **Target customers**: Government agencies (U.S. and allied), Defense & Aerospace contractors, Energy & Utilities, Telecommunications, Commercial Enterprises, and other Critical Infrastructure sectors (B2B, B2G) - **Mission or purpose statement**: To reveal threats, secure operations, and empower missions. They provide the tools, automation, insights, and tradecraft needed to adapt and operate in constantly shifting threat environments with a focus on the purposeful integration of machine speed and human expertise. [sixgen.io](https://www.sixgen.io/) ## Products & Services - **Cyber Operations Services**: Highly skilled operators conduct research, assessments, and red team operations based on real-world threats, emulating global adversaries to report detailed and actionable findings on critical assets and infrastructures. - **Applied Research, Reverse Engineering, & RF Development**: Services that involve deep technical analysis and tool development to uncover vulnerabilities and solve complex cyber challenges. - **Cyber Training**: Train operators to execute across the full spectrum of cyber operations. - **Automation, AI & Data Science**: Building tools that integrate machine speed with human expertise for threat detection, data security, and scalable growth-oriented solutions. - **Infrastructure Security**: Services focused on IT/OT visibility, proactive mitigation, automated compliance, and unified visibility for legacy and modern systems. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (acquired, so no public market cap) - **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue of **$15.3 million** | Total Funding: **$500,000** (Seed round in 2017) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parent company is **Washington Harbour Partners LP** (acquired in Nov 2023). Previously acquired **Fourcast Management and Analysis** (July 2022). Board member includes **Stu Shea**. - **Growth Signals**: - Year-over-year headcount growth of **+11.7%** (currently approximately 80 employees). - Active job postings have increased **+87.5% year-over-year**. - Expanded into the United Kingdom. - Secured by a private equity backer, providing capital for further expansion. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep Government & Defense Ties**: A large portion of their workforce comes from elite government and military backgrounds (NSA, US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps). - **Mission-Focused Approach**: They position themselves as a “non-traditional defense contractor” that combines innovation with deep expertise rather than bureaucratic processes. - **Proven Track Record of Acquisitions**: The acquisition of Fourcast Management and Analysis shows their ability to integrate new capabilities and grow through M&A. - **Full-Spectrum Cyber Operations**: They cover the entire range from offensive cyber (CNO, CNE, Red Teaming) to defensive and intelligence operations. ## Strategic Focus - **Post-Acquisition Growth**: Under Washington Harbour Partners, the company is aggressively hiring (87.5% more job postings year-over-year) and expanding its market reach. - **Space & Emerging Domains**: Actively hiring for roles like "Senior Intelligence & Cyber Analyst – Space Systems," indicating a push into securing space-based infrastructure. - **Purposeful AI Integration**: Focused on integrating AI and data science not for its own sake, but to solve specific operational challenges in threat detection and automation. - **Industry Diversification**: While rooted in defense, they are growing their commercial offerings in energy, utilities, and telecommunications. ## Why Work Here - **Meaningful Mission**: Employees work on “missions that matter” involving national security and critical infrastructure protection against real-world adversaries. - **Comprehensive Benefits**: - **Health**: 100% paid health, dental, and vision premiums for employees and family. HRA funds up to $3,000. Coverage starts on day one. - **Financial**: 4% direct employer 401(k) contribution regardless of employee participation. Short/long-term disability and basic life/AD&D insurance (3x salary up to $300k). - **Time Off**: Flexible time off and paid holidays. Flex time allows for work-life balance across pay periods. - **Leave**: Parental leave, jury duty, military leave, and voting leave. - **Professional Development**: Support for training, certifications, and conferences (DEF CON, IITSEC, etc.). - **Culture**: Described as valuing innovation, integrity, and purpose. High percentage of technical staff (38%). - **Work Model**: Mix of on-site (Fort Meade, Annapolis, Reston, Sterling, Huntsville, Columbia), hybrid (DMV Area), and some remote roles. - **Compensation**: Competitive salaries; example ranges from LinkedIn data: Software Engineer ~$121,945/year, Offensive Cyber Operator ~$92,363/year. ## Sources 1. [sixgen.io](https://www.sixgen.io/) 2. [Greenhouse Jobs at SixGen, Inc.](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sixgeninc) 3. [SIXGEN Careers Page](https://www.sixgen.io/careers) 4. [LinkedIn Company Page - SIXGEN](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sixgenio) 5. [Tracxn Company Profile - SIXGEN](https://tracxn.com/d/companies/sixgen/__A6y0Vd77YhuDDhLrOmjxwRZ5q2qK4dqrOLR876uKVQk) ## Other roles at SixGen, Inc. - [Reverse Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/reverse-engineer-sixgen-inc-arlington-z4js9qvdy85y) — Arlington, VA - [Threat Hunter/Purple Team Operator](https://feeny.ai/job/threat-hunter-purple-team-operator-sixgen-inc-remote-ae086bkajcxq) - [Platform Devops Engineer-TS/SCI & CI POLY](https://feeny.ai/job/platform-devops-engineer-ts-sci-ci-poly-sixgen-inc-columbia-ptna9cqzyrbv) — Columbia, MD - [AI/ML Engineer-TS/SCI & CI POLY](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-ml-engineer-ts-sci-ci-poly-sixgen-inc-columbia-m9vd24ettw6x) — Columbia, MD - [Reverse Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/reverse-engineer-sixgen-inc-sterling-5qn6hq1z9zad) — Sterling, VA - [Red Team Operator and Infrastructure SME](https://feeny.ai/job/red-team-operator-and-infrastructure-sme-sixgen-inc-1jmjd9t9d7am) - [IT Specialist (TS Required)](https://feeny.ai/job/it-specialist-ts-required-sixgen-inc-sterling-es0hawa4r9da) — Sterling, VA - [Senior Malware Analyst (Media, Malware, and Analysis – MMA) MD TS/SCI CI POLY](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-malware-analyst-media-malware-and-analysis-mma-md-ts-sci-ci-poly-sixgen-xswbcg9zt0xf) — Ft Meade, MD - [Senior Cost Estimator/Analyst-TS/SCI & Poly](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-cost-estimator-analyst-ts-sci-poly-sixgen-inc-annapolis-junction-qsnwzxget7j5) — Annapolis Junction, MD - [Senior CNO Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-cno-developer-sixgen-inc-annapolis-junction-m9n8g5r8dtbp) — Annapolis Junction, MD