Security Researcher

About us

‘The people we rely on to make the world go round – they rely on Thales’. In a fast-changing and increasingly unpredictable world full of opportunities, people come to us with big ambitions – to make your life better and more secure. Our employees, who are part of a unique and varied team with many different fields of expertise and a wide range of talents and cultures, develop and deliver outstanding high-tech solutions. Thales employs 81,000 highly talented people in 68 countries. Almost 3,000 of these are based in the Netherlands. We are one of the largest high-tech employers in the field of security and protection.

We help our customers think smarter and act faster in the fields of defense, aerospace, aviation technology and cyberspace, to manage and control their increasingly complex processes and make the best possible business decisions. This is why we play a leading role in digital transformation, focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Big Data & Data Analysis, Connectivity, Mobility, Internet of Things, Cyber Security.

In the Netherlands, we are located in four cities: Huizen, Delft, Eindhoven and Hengelo (head office). Together with an extensive ecosystem of knowledge partners, customers and suppliers, we work on radar systems for seagoing vessels, cyber security solutions, transport systems, communications equipment for land forces, cryogenic cooling solutions, R&D for radar technology (in collaboration with TU Delft), as well as R&D for serious gaming (in collaboration with the University of Twente).

About Thales Advanced Development/Studies Systems

The Delft location is one of the innovation hubs of Thales Netherlands. ADSS acts as the bridge between scientific research and the global core business of Thales. This pertains to both knowledge and technical solutions for military and civilian applications, including decision-making in public order and safety, crisis management, cybersecurity, and decision-support through artificial intelligence. Within ADSS, several key research domains have been identified, namely Human Factors, Artificial Intelligence, Security, and Collaborative Architectures. The Delft team comprises of approximately 25 dedicated researchers/developers, most of whom concentrate on one of these research domains. For optimal results, we work intensively with the TU Delft, University Twente, TNO, and other (inter)national knowledge institutions.

About the Role

The Advanced Development/Studies Systems department (ADSS) based in Delft is seeking a security researcher to help find and address future security challenges in interoperability, information-driven operations, and maritime cyber-security. The security researcher is expected to contribute to (cyber-) security and resilience solutions for the business lines that productise our new concepts. You will collaborate closely with teams both within and outside the department.

ADSS is the innovation department for Thales Netherlands, with its office in Delft. You will join the Security team and collaborate closely with multidisciplinary researchers and engineers both within ADSS and with external partners. In particular, you will work alongside the Collaborative Architecture, Human Factors, and Artificial Intelligence research teams to investigate approaches for designing and building secure and user-centric demonstrators. In this role, you will contribute to the definition of the security research roadmap, and present your ideas and concepts to the research and innovation community across the Thales Group. You will support the development and refinement of both your own ideas and those of the team, working towards their integration into new and existing products. Our activities span the development of concepts from low to mid Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 3 – 6), as well as facilitating the transfer of our research outcomes into business applications. Security represents a critical and rapidly expanding domain within Thales Netherlands, and personal and professional development is strongly encouraged and supported.

During a typical workweek, you will participate in multiple research projects, sometimes together with engineers from the business lines and at other times with external (research) partners. These projects are partly carried out independently and partly in collaboration with other members of the Security team. As a security research engineer, you will serve as the point of contact for security-related project issues. Depending on the nature of the project, this may involve matters related to security-by-design and zero-trust architectures, or implementation issues concerning supporting technologies for cyber defense systems. The latter involves research on cyber-security monitoring, incident detection, and remediation.

Main Responsibilities:

• Identifying new (cyber-)security concepts and applying them to practical, Thales-relevant use cases.
• Adapting (partially) existing security concepts and applications, specifically for critical systems, distributed use cases, and complex environments.
• Understanding and implementing state-of-the-art developments in (cyber)security principles.
• Contributing to the Security research agenda and assisting in developing the ADSS Security portfolio.
• Translating and transferring security innovations to the product lines.

About You

• Knowledge of techniques for monitoring cyber systems, incident detection & handling, and CTI interpretation
• Knowledge in the field of security architectures, particularly regarding zero-trust architectures and data-centric security
• Ability to apply cryptographic algorithms and protocols in distributed systems
• Proven experience in programming languages, primarily Java and Python, and the capability to implement ideas autonomously into simple prototypes
• Familiarity with virtualization and container security
• Familiarity with data science techniques and concepts of statistics
• A team player who is also able to work independently

• A research and innovation mindset able to operate in an environment accepting uncertainty, in which doubt, self-reflection, criticism, and individual initiative are valued
• Able to convey newly acquired knowledge to colleagues within and outside ADSS

You are:

• A team player but can also get a job done without much supervision
• Oriented towards research and innovation
• Experienced in system engineering
• Highly proficient in integrating components into functional systems
• Adept at translating workflows and interaction patterns into practical, interactive components
• Unafraid to tackle new challenges
• Able to convey newly acquired knowledge to colleagues within and outside ADSS
• Willing to regularly travel to Hengelo
• Proficient in both Dutch and English

You have:

• A master’s degree (HBO/WO) in software development, computer science, systems engineering, or a related field.

What's in it for you?

• A challenging job in a great team within our high-tech, innovative work environment. Includes the freedom for initiative and good ideas.
• Room for personal and professional growth within our organization, for example in regards to technical, commercial or international skills.
• Valuable international collaboration with coworkers from 68 different countries around the globe.
• A comfortable work space in a modern environment, with a focus on flexibility and the right work life balance.
• You can usually work where and whenever you want. Within Thales, we aim for a 60/40 balance, where you work from home at least two days a week, when your role allows this.
• A good salary, fitting travel allowance, and the ability to personalize your employment conditions: for instance, you can trade PTO for internet costs, our bicycle plan, company fitness and relocation costs.
• 40 days off per year (PTO).

Diversity Statement

We actively support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions. That means that equal opportunities, inclusion and an informal culture are integral to our success. It also means that your well-being and happiness matter to us! That’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, remote working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times.

Security Requirements

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in The Netherlands and employment and/or education history. This vacancy requires a security clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please refer to the General Intelligence and Security Service.

“Bij Thales krijg ik alle kansen en de ruimte om mijzelf verder te ontwikkelen, en dat als onderdeel van allerlei gave processen en projecten binnen de organisatie!”
Anoek Trainee

“Wat het voor mij aantrekkelijk maakt om hier te werken, is de diversiteit in opdrachten en het werken in verschillende teams met diverse disciplines. Zo blijf je jezelf ontwikkelen binnen het cyberdomein.”
Maurits Cyber Engineer