About the Role
As an Associate Vulnerability Researcher in Telecommunications, you will contribute to the UK’s capability to understand and secure telecom systems. This role is designed for individuals early in their research careers who are motivated to grow their technical depth and become experts in vulnerability research within telecom environments.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Develop a strong foundation in vulnerability research by analysing systems to understand how and why they fail.
- Identify, validate, and articulate security issues, applying learning to improve the resilience of telecom technologies.
- Contribute to the analysis of carrier‑grade telecom infrastructure, gaining exposure to complex systems and protocols.
- Operate within broad research themes, exploring areas of interest, adapting to new findings, and developing innovative approaches.
- Collaborate with experienced researchers and stakeholder groups including academia, industry, and government.
- Prototype tools such as fuzzing frameworks, reverse‑engineering software, software‑defined radio interfaces, and other specialised tooling across multiple programming languages and environments.
About You
- Curious, driven, and motivated to understand how complex systems behave.
- Early in your career but demonstrate a strong interest in security research through academic work, personal projects, or professional experience.
- Foundational understanding of software, systems, and networking concepts.
- Familiarity with one or more programming languages and a willingness to learn others.
- Interest in how vulnerabilities arise, including common classes such as memory corruption issues.
- Awareness of core security concepts and mitigations (e.g., ASLR, NX, stack protections).
- Working knowledge of Linux environments and system internals.
Exposure to embedded systems, low‑level debugging, or hardware interaction would be beneficial but is not essential.
Most importantly, you are eager to learn, experiment, and develop your skills.
Successful applicants must be able to commute to the UKTL offices in Birmingham at least twice a week.
Security Clearance
The role requires DV clearance with no restrictions. You may begin in the post with SC clearance while your DV clearance is in progress. Candidates without SC clearance will not be able to start until the clearance has been granted.
Equality and Diversity
We actively recruit citizens from all backgrounds. NPL welcomes applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age. Applications from women, disabled, and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates are encouraged. All disabled candidates who satisfy the minimum criteria will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.
Associate Vulnerability Researcher employer: National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is an exceptional employer that prioritises a strong security culture and offers a collaborative work environment where your contributions truly matter. With a commitment to employee growth, NPL provides tailored training programmes and opportunities for professional development, ensuring you can thrive in your role as a Security Culture Lead & Behavioral Change Strategist. Located in a vibrant area, NPL also fosters a culture of innovation and teamwork, making it a rewarding place to build a meaningful career.
Contact Details:
National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Recruitment Team
