SCA Analyst / Infrastructure Engineer
Website PQShield
The Company
PQShield is a spinout from the University of Oxford specialising in post-quantum cryptography and cybersecurity. Our mission is to innovate and create solutions for the world’s most imminent security challenge: quantum computers. Our cryptosystems will ensure unparalleled internet security and data protection on a global scale across several industries – keeping us all safe as quantum computing technology develops.
Headquartered in Oxford, with additional teams across the UK and in the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the US, our quantum-secure cryptographic solutions work with companies’ legacy systems to protect devices and sensitive data now and for years to come. We are well-funded and VC backed, having recently closed our $20m series A funding round.
PQShield is a highly innovative deep tech company that considers our people to be our most important assets, and so our core value is to provide them with a work environment that promotes personal and professional growth. Hard work and loyalty are always met with acknowledgement, appreciation, and reward. We promote openness and flexibility, resulting in a friendly, family like environment.
Our corporate social responsibility centres around making sure our products are used in a constructive and positive way – we would like to think that our products will contribute to the greater good rather than be just another money-making commodity.
The role
PQShield is looking for an engineer or researcher to drive the operationalising of non-invasive side-channel security testing within the company. You will be responsible for building and maintaining shared infrastructure for FPGA and microcontroller based testing of side-channel secure cryptographic implementations. This includes managing the physical hardware (FPGA development boards, Oscilloscopes, host PCs), writing software which implements standard side-channel tests (TVLA, correlation power analysis) and orchestration of capturing power traces across hardware/software and co-designed implementations of cryptographic primitives. You will work closely with product teams to help them integrate these side-channel analysis flows into their projects. There is also considerable scope and freedom for research into how to effectively apply side-channel analysis techniques to new PQC algorithms. As a driver of PQC testing standards, you’d also interact with testing labs and standardization bodies on the practical aspects of side-channel testing for PQC implementation.
We’d expect you to have an understanding of:
- Side-channel analysis of symmetric cryptographic primitives (e.g. AES).
- Issues around secure embedded implementations of cryptography.
- Theoretical understanding of common side-channel countermeasures: hiding, masking (DOM, TI).
- Practical power and EM side-channel analysis implementation. Including but not limited to: target device communication, data storage, analysis techniques and optimizing for speed of analysis.
- Continuous integration and testing for hardware and software.
- FPGA development, specifically with the ChipWhisperer 305 platform.
- Microcontroller development (STM32 or similar platforms).
- Python and C language programming.
Other useful skills:
- Implementation of PQC algorithms, or an understanding of their main implementation issues.
- Understanding of pre-silicon simulation based trace collection.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- An enthusiasm for excellent documentation of code and deliverables.
- Understanding of computer architecture (ARM, RISC-V etc)
- Knowledge of standards for non-invasive side-channel testing (FIPS 140-3, ISO, Common Criteria).
- Use of Docker or similar tools to manage isolated access to shared hardware resources.
You’ll be working with a small and very productive team in the early stages of developing new IPs, with a chance to have a big impact on everything we do.
PQShield is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We’re passionate about talent and proud to foster an inclusive environment; all applicants will be considered regardless of their gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and age.
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