Finite State partners with product security teams, the guardians of our connected world, to create transparency for their connected devices and supply chains. Our platform handles connected devices and embedded systems across all industries, including those found in enterprises, healthcare, utilities, connected vehicles, manufacturing facilities, critical infrastructure, and government entities.
We are a fast-growing series-B company with a fully distributed workforce. Led by a team of seasoned experts, we are a mission-driven team passionate about arming our customers with the actionable insights, critical vulnerability data, and remediation guidance necessary to mitigate product risk and protect the connected attack surface. We are committed to a remote first culture.
Role Summary
Finite State is seeking an experienced IoT / ICS / OT and Penetration Tester to join our growing Services team. In this role you will conduct hands-on security assessments of connected devices, embedded systems, industrial control systems, and automotive platforms on behalf of our customers. You will combine deep hardware and firmware expertise with a consultative mindset to deliver clear, actionable findings that help manufacturers and operators understand and reduce risk.
Responsibilities
- Plan and execute penetration tests and security assessments against IoT, ICS/OT, and automotive targets, including connected consumer devices, industrial controllers, and automotive ECUs and telematics units.
- Perform hardware interaction and firmware extraction using techniques such as JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI, I2C, eMMC, and NAND flash dumping; solder and rework PCBs as needed to gain access to debug interfaces.
- Conduct firmware reverse engineering using tools such as Ghidra and Binary Ninja to identify vulnerabilities including memory corruption, authentication bypasses, hard-coded credentials, and insecure update mechanisms.
- Assess wireless protocols common in IoT and automotive environments, including Bluetooth / BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Cellular (LTE/5G), CAN bus, LIN, and automotive Ethernet.
- Perform source code review, primarily in C, C++, and related embedded languages, to identify security weaknesses in firmware and embedded software.
- Conduct supply chain and software composition analysis, including SBOM review and analysis of third-party open-source components, to identify known vulnerabilities and license risks.
- Evaluate customer products and programs for compliance with relevant regulations and standards, including EN 303 645, the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), EU Radio Equipment Directive (CE RED), UNECE WP.29 / ISO 21434 for automotive, and the US IoT Cyber Trust Mark.
- Produce high-quality written reports that clearly communicate technical findings, risk ratings, and remediation guidance to both technical and executive audiences.
- Leverage AI-powered security tooling and LLM-assisted workflows to accelerate analysis, triage, and reporting; maintain awareness of evolving AI capabilities relevant to embedded security research.
- Collaborate with the product, engineering, and research teams to feed pentesting findings back into the Finite State platform and improve detection capabilities.
- Support customer-facing engagements including scoping calls, technical debriefs, and remediation follow-up.
- Contribute to internal knowledge sharing, tooling development, and methodology improvement.
- Participate in industry conferences, publish research, and represent Finite State externally as opportunities arise.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in IoT, embedded, ICS/OT, or automotive security.
- Demonstrated experience performing hardware-level security assessments: JTAG/SWD debugging, SPI/I2C/UART communication, flash memory extraction, and PCB soldering and rework.
- Proficiency with firmware reverse engineering tools, specifically Ghidra and/or Binary Ninja; ability to analyze ARM, MIPS, PPC, x86, and x64 architectures.
- Experience testing IoT and automotive wireless protocols, including BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, CAN bus, and cellular interfaces.
- Ability to read and review source code in C and C++ to identify memory safety issues, authentication flaws, and other security weaknesses in embedded software.
- Familiarity with SBOM concepts, formats (CycloneDX, SPDX), and the use of SBOMs in vulnerability management.
- Working knowledge of relevant regulations and standards, including at least a subset of: EU CRA, CE RED / EN 303 645, UNECE WP.29, ISO 21434, or the US IoT Cyber Trust Mark.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to write clear, well-structured technical reports and present findings to diverse audiences.
- Experience with scripting and automation using Python and Bash to support tooling and workflow efficiency.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted security tooling and an interest in applying LLM-based workflows to accelerate security analysis and reporting.
- Hands-on automotive security experience: OBD-II assessment, ECU flashing and analysis, V2X protocols, or automotive HSM evaluation.
- Experience with industrial control system (ICS/SCADA) security assessments and familiarity with protocols such as Modbus, DNP3, EtherNet/IP, or OPC-UA.
- CVE or responsible disclosure history demonstrating original vulnerability research in embedded or IoT targets.
- Relevant certifications such as OSCP, GPEN, GICSP, or vendor-specific automotive security credentials.
- Familiarity with static and dynamic analysis platforms and SAST/DAST tooling in the context of firmware and embedded software.
- Experience with ML-based vulnerability detection models or AI-augmented reverse engineering pipelines.
- Experience working on small, fast-moving consulting or product security teams.
- Comfort operating in AWS or similar cloud environments used to support analysis pipelines or customer deliverables.
Why Finite State?
- Be part of building the leading platform for connected device cybersecurity
- Join a fast-moving team that values transparency, innovation and impact
- Work fully remotely with a high degree of autonomy and ownership
- Comprehensive benefits
- Investment: learning stipends to support your professional development
- Equity: share in our growth and success
- Help solve some of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges facing connected device manufacturers and the millions of people who depend on them
At Finite State, we're on a mission to secure the connected world. Our platform empowers product security teams to detect vulnerabilities, manage software supply chain risks, and ensure compliance across complex device ecosystems. From IoT to critical infrastructure, we provide unparalleled visibility into firmware and software components, helping organizations protect their products and customers.
We move with urgency and intent — we’re transparent, own outcomes, put customers first, speak up, and learn fast — turning evidence into action. CLARITY is how we move fast without breaking trust.
- C - Customer first - Learn from customers. Ship with urgency.
- L - Leverage - Outsource the routine. Own the result.
- A - Agency - We take responsibility—end to end.
- R - Results - Ship value. Improve fast.
- I - Integrity - Speak up. Experiment boldly. Be kind.
- T - Transparency - Clear context. Faster decisions.
- Y - "Why" - Our mission—securing the connected products humanity depends on—is the reason Finite State exists. CLARITY is how we make that mission real, every day, at speed
Bold Innovation – We push boundaries, explore new ideas, and take initiative to solve complex problems.
The Finite State platform brings visibility and control to the supply chains that create connected devices and embedded systems—all in a simple to use platform and at the scale manufacturers need to keep device production on time and on budget. After unpacking and analyzing every file, configuration, and setting in a firmware build, the platform generates a complete bill of materials for software components, identifies known and 0-day vulnerabilities, shows a contextual risk score, and provides actionable insights that product teams can use to secure their software
We are proud to be an Equal Employer Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Finite State is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities.
Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
- Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
