Job Title: Electronics Exploitation SME
Position Number: EE SME 01
Location: Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD) Indian Head, MD
Worksite: Expeditionary Exploitation Unit ONE (EXU-1)
Travel: Approximately 25%
Status: Full Time
Clearance: DoD TOP SECRET w/SCI Eligibility
Date Posted: 07.23.2026
Job Summary:
The Electronic Exploitation SME (EE SME) will support the Expeditionary Exploitation Unit ONE (EXU-1) Electronic Exploitation Division (N2E) and will also provide support to the Readiness and Training Department (N7). The EE SME will perform electronics exploitation, critical technical forensic engineering, reverse engineering, and threat analysis on recovered electronic hardware, complex weapon systems, RF communication modules, and digital storage media. The EE SME will operate in specialized laboratory environments and deployable environments worldwide; this role bridges the gap between hardware engineering and technical intelligence.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Support the N7 to develop and provide high fidelity training aids, based on current adversary weapons systems, in support of EXU-1 units of action to ensure that Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP) requirements are met for platoon certification.
- Perform component-level diagnostics, extract and decode complex signals, recover data from compromised memory systems, and generate authoritative technical schematics and intelligence briefings for senior military and civilian DOW decision-makers.
- Technical Intelligence & Leadership Briefings: Translate highly complex electrical and RF findings into clear, actionable intelligence. Author Exploitation reports, and deliver technical briefings to military commanders, intelligence analysts, and civilian agency leadership.
- System Exploitation & Characterization: Analyze, dismantle, and characterize recovered electronic subsystems from conventional weapons, improvised threat devices, and autonomous/unmanned systems. Identify operational capabilities, technical vulnerabilities, and design lineage.
- Electronic Data Recovery (EDR) & Forensics: Perform advanced forensic extractions (both logical and physical) on damaged or locked media storage devices, cellular phones, microcontrollers, and non-volatile memory chips. Utilize industry-standard hardware and software forensic suites (e.g., Cellebrite UFED, XRY, FTK, EnCase) to retrieve, reconstruct, and analyze high-value data.
- Signal Demodulation & Analysis: Capture, isolate, demodulate, and decode analog and digital signals. Utilize specialized software and hardware decoding tools to analyze RF waves, extract intelligence payloads, and identify communication profiles.
- Perform systematic, non-destructive, and destructive teardowns of unknown multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs).
- Visually and electronically identify discrete components, microcontrollers, logic gates, power regulation circuits, switching mechanisms, and proprietary integrated circuits (ICs). Conduct extensive documentation research using datasheets and engineering registers to determine component origin, specifications, and potential uses.
- Identify and tap hardware debug interfaces including JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI, and I2C protocols to extract firmware or monitor system buses in real-time.
- Demonstrate expert-level proficiency in leaded and lead-free micro-soldering, board rework, and repair under stereomicroscopes. Have hands-on experience working with fine-pitch Surface Mount Technology (SMT), Ball Grid Array (BGA) components, and through-hole configurations down to 0201 packages.
- Perform trace repairs, run jumper wires (bypasses), and safely desolder non-volatile flash memory chips (TSOP, BGA, eMMC) for off-board reading.
- Reverse-engineer physical, unmapped multi-layer PCBs and reconstruct their electrical architecture.
- Utilize Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and schematic capture software (e.g., Altium Designer, KiCad, Eagle, OrCAD) to draft highly accurate, production-grade component-level schematics of analyzed devices.
- Characterize transmitter and receiver modules, identifying operational frequency ranges, bandwidth, modulation types (e.g., FSK, ASK, QAM), duty cycles, and power outputs.
- Evaluate antenna performance, impedance matching, and transmission lines.
- Assess RF interference, signal propagation, and overall wireless behavior in complex electromagnetic environments.
- Demonstrate hands-on, expert-level competency in configuring, calibrating, and operating advanced benchtop diagnostics and test equipment:
- Oscilloscopes: Mixed-Signal (MSO) and Digital Storage Oscilloscopes (DSO) for real-time signal integrity, bus decoding, and transient capture.
- Spectrum Analyzers & VNAs: Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs) and Spectrum Analyzers to measure S-parameters, track RF signals, and map frequency spectrums.
- Signal Generators: RF and arbitrary waveform generators to simulate signals and inject test patterns.
- Logic Analyzers: Multi-channel logic analyzers for bus sniffing, timing diagrams, and protocol analysis.
- Power & Diagnostic Tools: Variable DC benchtop power supplies (monitoring active current draw changes to detect device state changes) and high-accuracy handheld/bench Digital Multi-Meters (DMMs).
- Other duties as assigned and/or specified in the contract Performance Work Statement tasks as directed by the R3 Program Manager.
- Complete annual training requirements (e.g., Cybersecurity Awareness, Insider Threat Awareness, Counterintelligence Awareness and Security Brief & etc.) required by the COR, client, and R3 to ensure compliance with contractual requirements.
- Perform duties effectively with minimal supervision.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Associates degree desired, or equivalent work experience performing the duties of the job may substitute for the degree requirement.
- A minimum of five years of related work experience.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills required.
- Proficient with MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Outlook.
- Ability to pass pre-employment (and random) drug screens and background investigation.
- U.S. Citizen.
EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability
