At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop secure digital hardware for cutting-edge cryptographic technologies.
- Company: Join a leading firm in hardware security with a remote-first culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, flexible remote work, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with significant ownership and exposure to advanced technologies.
- Why this job: Make an impact in the future of secure technology while working with innovative teams.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in digital hardware design or 2+ years with a PhD in a related field.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
We are seeking an experienced Digital Design Engineer with a passion for hardware security, cryptography, and secure silicon design. This is an opportunity to work on cutting-edge security technologies for next-generation connected devices, developing highly optimized cryptographic hardware for ASIC and FPGA platforms.
You will contribute across the full digital design lifecycle, from architecture and RTL development through verification, synthesis, timing closure, and silicon implementation. Working alongside hardware, verification, and embedded software teams, you will help deliver secure, high-performance solutions for resource-constrained environments.
What You'll Be Doing
- Design, develop, and verify secure digital hardware modules for ASIC and FPGA implementations.
- Implement and optimize cryptographic algorithms and security primitives including AES, SHA, and True Random Number Generators (TRNGs).
- Develop efficient architectures optimized for area, power consumption, memory footprint, and performance.
- Apply secure hardware design methodologies and implement countermeasures against side-channel attacks.
- Participate in the complete development flow including specification, architecture definition, RTL design, synthesis, static timing analysis (STA), formal verification, and validation.
- Collaborate closely with hardware, firmware, software, and verification teams to integrate security functionality into complex systems.
- Develop Python-based automation, verification, and analysis tools to improve design productivity and quality.
- Contribute to technical discussions, architectural decisions, and continuous improvement of secure hardware design practices.
Required Experience
- 5+ years of industry experience in digital hardware design, or 2+ years of industry experience combined with a PhD in Cryptography, Hardware Security, or a related field.
- Strong understanding of cryptographic algorithms and their hardware implementations, including both symmetric and asymmetric cryptography.
- Proven experience designing and optimizing digital systems for low-power and resource-constrained environments.
- Expertise in Verilog and/or VHDL development.
- Strong understanding of RTL design methodologies, simulation, verification, and testbench development.
- Experience with ASIC and FPGA development flows.
- Practical knowledge of synthesis, timing analysis, and hardware verification techniques.
- Strong analytical and debugging skills with the ability to solve complex technical challenges.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate within distributed engineering teams.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
- Deep understanding of digital design principles and secure hardware architectures.
- Experience using Python or similar scripting languages for automation, analysis, and verification workflows.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving technical requirements.
Nice to Have
- Experience implementing Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms in hardware.
- Knowledge of Root of Trust architectures, Secure Elements, Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), and Secure Boot technologies.
- Exposure to RISC-V processor architectures and microarchitecture concepts.
- Familiarity with side-channel analysis techniques and hardware countermeasure implementations.
- Experience with formal verification methodologies and security-focused hardware validation.
Why Join?
- Fully remote working environment.
- Work on advanced hardware security and cryptographic technologies.
- Opportunity to influence architecture and technical direction.
- Collaborative engineering culture with significant ownership and autonomy.
- Exposure to cutting-edge ASIC, FPGA, and secure silicon development.
- Competitive salary, benefits, and long-term growth opportunities.
2 x Teams calls for an asap start.
Cryptography Engineer in Doncaster employer: X4 Technology
Join a forward-thinking company that champions innovation in hardware security and cryptography, offering a fully remote working environment tailored for professionals across the UK and Europe. With a collaborative culture that promotes significant ownership and autonomy, you'll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies while enjoying competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and ample growth opportunities in your career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Cryptography Engineer in Doncaster
✨Get Active on Cybersecurity Forums
Join platforms like Stack Exchange and Reddit’s r/cybersecurity to hang out with industry pros, learn the latest, and share your insights. This will not only boost your visibility but also help you connect with potential clients who might need your freelance services.
✨Show Off Your Skills with Public Projects
Create a few open-source projects or contribute to existing ones that showcase your cybersecurity skills. Use GitHub to display your work, as this is an excellent way to attract clients looking for freelancers with a proven track record.
✨Attend Local Conferences and Meetups
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Set up a professional website that showcases your portfolio, expertise, and client testimonials. Optimise it for SEO with relevant keywords so potential clients searching for cybersecurity freelancers can easily find you. Don’t forget to link to your site on all your social media and profiles!
We think you need these skills to ace Cryptography Engineer in Doncaster
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Skills Through a Strong Portfolio:Since you're applying for a freelance role in cybersecurity, it's crucial to showcase your technical skills through a detailed portfolio. Include case studies of projects you've worked on, any security tools you've developed or assessed, and specifics on the methodologies you’ve used. This will help X4 Technology understand what you're capable of.
Certifications Matter!:Make sure to list any relevant certifications you hold, such as CISSP, CEH, or CompTIA Security+. Freelance clients often value these credentials as they reflect your expertise and commitment to the field. If you’re actively pursuing more certifications, don’t hesitate to mention that too!
Rates, Availability, and Your Work Style:In your application, it’s essential to be clear about your freelance rates and availability. Clients appreciate transparency. Mention how many hours a week you can dedicate and your preferred working hours, as this sets expectations from the start and shows you're organised and professional.
Tailor Your CV to Highlight Cybersecurity Experience:When crafting your CV, make sure to tailor it specifically to cybersecurity. Highlight projects, tasks, and achievements related to security assessments, vulnerabilities you've mitigated, or compliance work you've undertaken. Keywords relevant to the job can grab attention and increase your chances of landing a spot at X4 Technology.
How to prepare for a job interview at X4 Technology
✨Showcase Your Cybersecurity Skills
As a freelancer in cybersecurity, it’s crucial we demonstrate not just our knowledge but our practical skills too. Be ready to discuss specific tools you’ve used, like Wireshark or Metasploit, and share relevant experiences where you identified vulnerabilities or mitigated risks in past projects.
✨Prepare Your Portfolio
Unlike traditional roles, freelancing relies heavily on your portfolio. Let’s curate a selection of past work that showcases our best projects. If we’ve handled penetration tests, audits, or incident responses, be sure to highlight these in your portfolio, and share any client testimonials if we have them.
✨Stay Updated on Trends and Tools
Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, so we should be prepared to chat about recent developments and how they impact our work. Familiarise ourselves with the latest threats, tools, and frameworks, like MITRE ATT&CK, that are pertinent to the projects we’re pitching.
✨Pitching Your Value as a Freelancer
When freelancing, we often need to negotiate our rates and value propositions. Be ready to explain how our skills can help X4 Technology protect their assets and manage risks. It can help to outline some potential strategies or improvements we could implement for them based on their current setup.