Research Operations Director

About Trail of BitsTrail of Bits helps secure the world’s most targeted organizations and products. We combine high-end security research with a real-world attacker mentality to reduce risk and fortify code.As a cybersecurity research and consulting firm, we serve clients in the defense, tech, finance, and blockchain industries. We help with their most difficult security challenges by designing and building new technology, researching new techniques to advance the state of practice, and reviewing the security of the latest available technology products before they hit the market.Our team consumes, produces, and presents research as a natural part of doing business. When we make new discoveries or developments, we strive to share our knowledge and release our tools as open-source. It’s a practice that’s earned us industry accolades and helped contribute to our double-digit bottom-line growth.Role Working closely with the research & engineering practice director, the research operations director, will serve as a key problem-solver for the research & engineering practice. They will support the research & engineering director in the organization, management and execution of projects. They will be responsible for ensuring key initiatives are delivered in a timely fashion with a high level of accuracy. The mission of this role is to be project focused and operate effectively so that initiatives are all broken into timelines, milestones, and deliverables. This is a critical role on the team; to drive the success of the research & engineering team’s operations. The research operation director needs to be technically minded to understand the specifics of each project; e.g., the assignment, feedback from our SMEs (project managers, technical editors, finance, people operations etc.) and accurate project implementation. The research operations director also needs to be strategically minded to fit each project  into the big picture of the organization’s growth plan. 

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the day to day workflow of all research & engineering practice operations. 
• Develop and manage externally funded research programs involving partners and government agency interactions.
• Participate in managing internal research projects, help to define, scope and plan projects and monitor their progress. 
• Give guidance, proofread papers and reports, and participate in peer reviews.
• Write and review research project proposals.
• Identify and track key performance indicators for the practice.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of experience in research & engineering and/or an operational role within the cybersecurity industry.
• Self Motivated, strong learner, interested in cross-topic projects within cybersecurity, able to translate research & development methodologies and framework learned in one specialty to other topics.
• Experience and comfort interacting across all levels of an organization, from management and partners to entry-level professionals.
• Well-honed project management skills with the ability to manage multiple disparate projects.
• Systems thinking and the ability to imagine and drive the creation of new structures or processes required for business success.
• Agility to multitask and prioritize in a rapidly changing environment in the face of many competing priorities.

Company Perks

• Before, during and after COVID-19, our workforce works flexibly. Many employees choose to work from home around the globe. As long as you deliver against your goals, we encourage you to harness your personal working style to let you work best.
• Liberal expense policy for acquiring the equipment and software that help you do your job. If we need hardware to work effectively, we buy it. 
• We offer exceptional and tailored technical, leadership and organizational training for our team members. Everyone is encouraged to identify additional opportunities for personal professional growth with working at Trail of Bits.
• We routinely highlight the amazing work our employees do via our blog, product offerings, and conference talks. We celebrate you!
• We're at the forefront of a number of markets and have the internal expertise and the ambition to capitalize on those opportunities. Our employees see their work in use and valued by many others.

Benefits US Employees

• Multiple generous health, vision, and dental insurance plans including no-monthly-premium options supporting individuals and families through JustWorks.
• Ancillary benefits including life and disability insurance, pre-tax commuter benefits, free Citi Bike membership, access to a HealthAdvocate, a healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and a free One Medical membership.
• 4 months paid parental leave.
• 401k with 5% company matching through Betterment.
• Moving expenses: $5,000 one-time.
• Charitable donations matching up to $2,000.
• One time $1,000 at home office expense stipend.
• $500/year personal learning & development budget. 
• Executive coaching for managers and above.
• Options for co-working space (some restrictions may apply). 
• Bonuses for recruiting, public speaking, tool releases, blog posts, academic posters, proposals, and whitepapers, and end-of-year bonuses based on company, team, and personal performance.
• 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) per year.
• 15 company holidays per year.
• Carbon offsets for your personal and corporate carbon emissions through Project Wren.
• Manage your student loans right alongside your 401(k) in Betterment.

Dedication to diversity, equity & inclusionTrail of Bits is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace where our employees can thrive and be themselves! We welcome all persons into our community. We embrace the diversity of gender, gender identity or expression, race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical and mental disabilities, medical condition, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, marital status, family care or medical leave status, military or veteran status, or perceived membership in any of these groups.