Research Operations Director

Research Operations Director

at Trail of Bits

Worldwide – Remote

About Trail of Bits

Trail 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 director, the research operations director will serve as a key problem-solver driving the success of the Research & Engineering practice’s operations. This individual will support the Research & Engineering Director in organizing, managing, and executing projects, and will be responsible for ensuring that key initiatives are delivered in a timely fashion and with a high level of accuracy. This is a project-focused role whose mission is to ensure that all initiatives are broken into timelines, milestones, and deliverables.

The research operations director needs to be technically minded to understand the technical details related to each project, such as the assignment details, feedback from our SMEs (e.g., project managers, technical editors, those on the Finance and People Operations teams, etc.), and the requirements of an 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

• Manage 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 by helping to define, scope, and plan projects and monitor their progress.
• Give guidance to researchers on the Research & Engineering team, 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 roles related to research and engineering and/or operational roles within the cybersecurity industry.
• Proven history as a self-motivated, strong learner who is interested in cross-topic projects within cybersecurity; the ability to translate research and development methodologies and frameworks of one specialty to other specialties.
• Experience and comfort in interacting across all levels of an organization, from management roles and partners to entry-level professionals.
• Well-honed project management skills with the ability to manage multiple disparate projects
• A systems-thinking mindset and the ability to imagine and drive the creation of new structures or processes required for business success.
• The agility necessary to multitask and prioritize projects and tasks in a rapidly changing environment in the face of many competing priorities.

The US estimated base salary for this full-time W2 employee role is $150,000-$300,000, not including bonus and benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, location, and employment type. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by a variety of factors, include but not limited to work location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

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.

Highlighting some of our US & Canadian Employee Benefits:

• Multiple generous health, vision, and dental insurance plans.
• Ancillary benefits including life and disability insurance.
• Retirement plan with 5% company matching.
• 4 months paid parental leave.
• 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 & above.
• 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 PTO per year for vacation, sick, and personal time off.
• 15 company holidays per year.
• Carbon offsets for your personal and corporate carbon emissions through Project Wren.

Dedication to diversity, equity & inclusion

Trail 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.