Android Security Researcher in Cheltenham

As an Android Security Researcher, you will be responsible for conducting cutting‑edge research on the Android platform, developing working prototypes, reverse engineering (static and dynamic) and testing software to identify implementation vulnerabilities. Your expertise in Android internals, application modification, software modification, and firmware modification will enable you to analyze and understand the underlying mechanics of the Android ecosystem. You will deliver complex projects working individually or within/leading a team, delivering industry leading research and critical capabilities to our customers.

Tasks may range from understanding Android and building AOSP, researching its internals for opportunities and its applications inside out and, not limited to network forensics, forensics, SRE both static and dynamically and building/pathing APK’s. By their nature, these tasks are often objective‑driven and require an inquisitive mindset to develop innovative solutions that may not be immediately obvious. In this role you will be researching new emerging technologies in Android to understand and evaluate features and functions that impact our customers. This includes identifying any vulnerabilities or opportunities in their implementation to design bespoke PoC solutions to take advantage of these. The role will also involve developing, modifying & building AOSP images for research and testing PoC’s.

Our team use a wide range of tools and programming languages but of particular interest for this role are C/C++, Arm assembly and Frida with a focus on Android. If you are currently working as an Android/iOS developer and have an interest in moving to security research and reverse engineering, we would be interested in having a chat.

You will have:

• Experience in Android security research or a related field
• In-depth knowledge of Android internals, including system services, APIs, and device drivers
• Proficiency with Frida, including scripting and API usage
• Static and Dynamic Analysis of Mobile Applications including Frida
• Experience building and customizing AOSP for research purposes
• Strong understanding of application modification, software modification, or firmware modification techniques
• Excellent programming skills in languages such as Java/Kotlin, C, C++, and Python
• Knowledge of low-level programming languages such as Assembly or ARM
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to think creatively and outside the box

Nice to have:

• Experience with other mobile platforms (e.g., iOS, Harmony)
• Familiarity with Linux kernel development and debugging
• Participation in bug bounty programs or capture‑the‑flag (CTF) competitions
• Publications or presentations on Android security research topics
• Network and Protocol analysis

Work Benefits:

• Promotions are based on technical excellence and reviewed regularly
• 25 days holiday per year (with bank holidays on top), option to buy up to 5 days per year
• Level up with an extra day of holiday per year, up to an extra 5 days, starting from 2 years' service
• We offer financial support to cover HMRC allowable costs of relocating if you’re moving to the area
• Training and development opportunities to support your career aspirations
• O'Reilly books subscription which provides access to huge range of technical books
• Regular events including internal technical conferences, company socials and pizza‑fuelled lunchtime seminars
• Free seasonal fruit, tea, coffee, milk, squash and hot chocolate

Health benefits - Private medical including access to Private online GP, and a helpline to speak with various healthcare professionals. Physiotherapists, osteopaths or chiropractors for muscle, bone, and joint pain. Mental health - counselling, and specialist consultations and treatment with psychologists and cognitive behavioural therapists. Annual Health assessment.

Financial Benefits:

• A company bonus scheme so that everybody is rewarded for company success. This is an annual award that is based on the company hitting its targeted forecast. We have achieved this every year to date.
• 8% company contribution to pension with no minimum requirement for employee contribution.
• Death in Service cover of 4x base salary.

Lifestyle Benefits:

• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave: 12 weeks maternity leave at full pay as soon as you join, further enhanced to 20 weeks full pay from 2 years’ service.
• 2 weeks paternity leave at full pay as soon as you join, further enhanced to 4 weeks full pay from 2 years’ service.
• Enhanced cycle-to-work scheme including the ability to purchase a bike over £1,000 (e-bikes, specialist cycles and trikes allowed).

Salary:

We are recruiting staff at all levels in this team, and are able to support market‑leading salaries for every grade within our sector/location. We reward staff based on technical excellence and not years of experience, so it's important to us to speak with you to see which grade you would fit into - it's not always obvious from a CV! Your interviewer will spend time during your first interview speaking with you about how your skills and experience map against our grades, and discuss a salary band so that you know early what you can expect if you receive an offer from us. The technical interview will provide a deeper assessment of your skills against your mapped grade which ultimately determines whether you receive an offer and the exact salary.

Location:

We are based in the centre of Cheltenham in a stunning new build contemporary office, 5 minutes walk from the local shops and cafes.