Differential Privacy Research Engineer

About Galois

Galois tackles the hardest problems in computer science. Our mission is to assure trust in critical systems that protect the privacy and integrity of information in the real world.  ​Core to​ ​this​ ​is​ ​the​ ​application​ ​of​ ​formal​ ​analysis​ ​techniques​ ​that​ ​allow​ ​systems​ ​to​ ​be​ ​modeled, analyzed,​ ​and​ ​mathematically proven​ ​correct to ensure​ ​that a​ ​system​ ​behaves​ ​exactly​ ​as​ ​we​ ​intend​ ​under​ ​all​ ​circumstances.

We are a community of researchers, engineers, and operations people who are dedicated to creating trustworthiness in critical systems in every functional area of the organization. Our organization is highly collaborative, and we pursue working from first principles, transparency, building deep trust, learning and innovating, and creating space for you to be authentically you. Our unique organizational structure enables us to adapt to the needs of the innovative projects we deliver.

We are employee-owned and aspire to provide employees with a sense of freedom to pursue passions in and out of work — whether it be opportunities to learn, career growth, a sense of community, or whatever else brings you value as a person. 

Research Engineers at Galois design and develop advanced technologies for safety- and security-critical systems, networks, data science, and their applications. Engineers work in small team settings and must successfully interact with clients, partners, and other employees in a highly cooperative, collaborative, and intellectually challenging environment.

Our research engineers work in small teams and successfully interact with clients, partners, and other employees in a highly collaborative environment. We’re looking for people who can invent, learn, think, and inspire.

For more on our organizational structure, visit Life at Galois.

About This Role

Galois is hiring a Software Engineer/Researcher to join our team! This role will primarily focus on advancing the state of the art in data privacy and statistical methods and include applications of programming language technologies to software engineering problems.

Responsibilities

As a Research Engineer, you will have the following responsibilities: 

• Data privacy: leverage state of the art approaches for implementing systems with formal data privacy guarantees, e.g., using differential privacy. Design and implementation of new algorithms for data privacy. Empirical evaluation of privacy protection guarantees, e.g., using adversarial machine learning methods. Review and evaluation of software implementing or applying formal privacy techniques.
• Applied programming languages research: develop embedded DSLs for data science domains that enforce data privacy properties by construction, interface with existing languages, and support client-specified user workflows.
• Requirements gathering: engaging the client in a series of discussions, where each iteration refines the needs of the client, and leads to the suggestion of means to meet those needs.
• Architecture and design: constructing high-level architectural descriptions of software systems, and constructing deeper program designs by fleshing out architecture prototypes. Architectures must be designed with assurance in mind, determining where and how formal methods are to be applied.
• Implementation: extending design prototypes with care taken to ensure robustness and ease of use. 
• Testing and validation: constructing and regularly conducting system, unit, and regression tests, and conducting semi-formal validation and verification.
• Technology research and development: conducting speculative research and development of cutting-edge technology and incorporating that technology into demonstration prototypes. 
• Technical infrastructure development: developing (designing, implementing, and maintaining) tools to be used within Galois and developing library code to be shared among projects.

Key Qualifications

• Education - A minimum of a Masters degree in computer science or equivalent is required. A PhD in CS or a related field is desirable but optional.
• Required Technical Expertise
• Formal definitions and variations of differential privacy
• Design and application of differentially private algorithms
• Programming language techniques for differential privacy, one or more of:
• DSL design
• Static program analysis
• Dynamic program analysis
• Testing
• Verification
• Candidates who have technical expertise primarily in formal privacy but secondarily in some domain other than applied programming languages research will still be considered.

• Required General Skills
• Must work well with customers, including building rapport, identifying needs, and communicating with strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Must be highly motivated and able to self-manage deadlines and quality goals.
• Preference will be given to candidates with one or more of the following technical expertise:
• Differentially private algorithm design
• Statistical programming (R, Stata, SAS, Python)
• Statistical analysis
• Privacy attacks (reconstruction, membership inference, attribute inference)
• Other privacy frameworks (K-anonymity, l-diversity, statistical disclosure avoidance)

Security and Citizenship Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• The candidate may be subject to a background investigation and will need to meet eligibility requirements for access to sensitive information.
• The candidate must not require a U.S. government export license to authorize access to export-controlled technology and software required to perform this role. 

Location

We enjoy a hybrid work environment, and being co-located with one of our offices is preferred - locations in Arlington, VA, Dayton, OH, Minneapolis, MN, and Portland, OR. Potential for remote work is possible.

Benefits

We offer a robust benefits package to provide for your and your family’s well-being, including:

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• 401(k) retirement plan with 5% employer match and immediate vesting
• Fully paid medical insurance plans and dental and vision reimbursement plan
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with generous employer contributions
• Mental health and wellbeing support through our employee assistance program
• 5 weeks of paid time off and 9 days of paid company holidays each year
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave (available for birth, adoption, and fostering)
• 1 week of fully paid “Blue Sky” innovation time each year to pursue your interests

For more information on our benefits, visit Careers at Galois.

Compensation

Compensation is based on the value of your results, not your value as an employee or person. The compensation process, individual salaries, and criteria for salary changes are transparent to the entire company.

For more information about our forward-looking and transparent approach to pay, visit Compensation.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Galois is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, pregnancy or childbirth, disability, age, religion, creed, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We encourage and respect different viewpoints and experiences as being essential to the process of innovation. We strive to acquire, grow, and maintain a diverse and inclusive workplace that applies principles and standards equitably while supporting the needs and accommodations of the individual employee.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and federal and state laws, it is the policy of Galois, Inc. to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing the employment application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact [email protected].