Technical Program Manager, Hardware Security and Provenance

Natcast (short for The National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology) is a new, purpose-built, non-profit entity created to operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) consortium, established by the CHIPS Act of the U.S. government.

Working at Natcast represents an opportunity to help extend America’s leadership in semiconductor technology, significantly reduce the time and cost of moving from idea to commercialization, and build and sustain a semiconductor workforce development ecosystem.

These efforts to advance semiconductor technology and seed new industries built on the capabilities of a wide range of advanced chips hold the potential to benefit the country and the world for generations to come.

Technical Program Manager, Hardware Security and Provenance

Tempe, AZ

In this role, you will lead Natcast's hardware security initiatives, developing and implementing comprehensive programs that address critical vulnerabilities in the semiconductor supply chain while advancing trusted computing capabilities. This leadership position within Natcast’s Program Management Office (PMO) offers broad latitude to ideate, initiate, and manage large-scale R&D programs aimed at securing the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain and introducing hardware foundations for computing security and privacy.

You will work with NSTC members to identify shared R&D priorities for the research agenda, develop and launch large-scale R&D programs pursuing differentiated technical opportunities, and collaborate closely with R&D teams nationwide to bring meaningful results to fruition and guide them toward commercialization in relevant stakeholder communities.

Natcast stands at the forefront of semiconductor research and engineering, serving as a crucial hub for innovation in the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem. Through the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), Natcast drives technological advancement through collaborative partnerships, cutting-edge facilities, and a commitment to maintaining U.S. leadership in semiconductor technology.

To thrive in this role, you must be an influential, collaborative visionary with relevant hardware security expertise, connections across the semiconductor industry, and the program management skills needed to effect meaningful, nation-scale progress.

Key Responsibilities:

• Align the NSTC membership around priorities for security aspects of the NSTC research agenda.

• Lead the development of nation-scale hardware security programs and initiatives, incorporating modern security risk management frameworks such as NIST SP 800-161, ISO 28000, and SLSA.

• Drive initiatives in verifiable manufacturing, provenance, and secure design and manufacturing practices to strengthen hardware assurance.

• Orchestrate and oversee both internal and external R&D projects focused on countering hardware Trojans, hardware counterfeiting, and side-channel attacks.

• Promote and develop standards and protocols for hardware verification and validation, tamper-evidence, tamper-resistance, and secure boot mechanisms.

• Advance trusted computing capabilities including secure enclaves, trusted execution environments (TEEs), secure elements, physically unclonable functions (PUFs), trusted platform modules (TPMs), and hardware security modules (HSMs).

• Guide implementation of zero trust architectures, vulnerability assessment, and fault injection attack mitigation techniques.

• Explore next-generation security solutions such as post-quantum cryptography and hardware-based confidential computing.

• Assess and evangelize progress to prepare the NSTC community for the adoption of R&D results.

• Inspire and mentor others to strengthen the national community of hardware security researchers and practitioners.

• Develop whitepapers and presentations to communicate research findings.

• Contribute to proposals for new research initiatives in secure hardware and related technology areas.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

• 10+ years of experience in hardware and supply chain security.

• Deep understanding of threat modeling, vulnerability assessment, and security risk analysis frameworks.

• Demonstrated knowledge of secure hardware lifecycle management, including secure boot, tamper resistance, and hardware random number generation.

• Recognized authority in broad segments of the semiconductor industry.

• Experience with government-funded semiconductor and/or national security programs.

• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional leadership abilities.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Ph.D. in a relevant technical field.

• Proven track record of managing nation-scale R&D programs.

• Hands-on experience with zero trust architectures and penetration testing techniques.

• Familiarity with standards like MQA, S2C2F, and processes for ensuring secure-by-design and secure-by-default hardware.

Ready to advance semiconductor innovation through security excellence? Join our team and help protect the technologies that will strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities for generations to come. Apply now to contribute to this critical mission!

Natcast is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or any protected attribute. We encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply and join us in our mission. If you require accommodation at any stage of the application process due to a disability, please let us know.

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Originally posted on Himalayas