Junior Vulnerability Automation Engineer

Flashpoint is the pioneering leader in threat data and intelligence. We empower commercial enterprises and government agencies to decisively confront complex security challenges, reduce risk, and improve operational resilience amid fast-evolving threats. Through the Flashpoint Ignite platform, we deliver unparalleled depth, breadth and speed of data from highly relevant sources, enriched by human insights. Our solutions span cyber threat intelligence, vulnerability intelligence, geopolitical risk, physical security, fraud and brand protection. The result: our customers safeguard critical assets, avoid financial loss, and protect lives. Discover more at flashpoint.io

At Flashpoint, we understand that data isn't just a resource; it's the stepping stone to delivering critical intelligence that keeps organizations safe. As a Junior Vulnerability Automation Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring our operational data is transformed into actionable insights through automated processes. This is an incredible opportunity for an entry-level candidate to tackle big data problems with elegant, efficient code while gaining deep expertise in vulnerability intelligence, analysis, and collection. You will join a global team dedicated to providing timely, high-quality, and comprehensive intelligence to the security market, allowing you to see the direct impact of your work as you help build scalable systems that navigate a constantly shifting vulnerability landscape.

We have a role for you if, you:

• Possess a deep-seated passion for solving complex data challenges at scale, underpinned by a mastery of computer science fundamentals and elegant design patterns.

• Like to create and maintain efficient, scalable, and well-organized code

• Have experience architecting and navigating complex distributed data systems to unlock critical insights

• Have experience working with Search Engines and API implementations

• Have strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify data-related issues and implement effective solutions

• Have a versatile, creative temperament, and the ability to think out-of-the box while defining sound and practical solutions

• Are self-motivated and can work independently and in collaboration with others

• Have compassion for customer needs and a desire to work in a client focused business

What you will get to do on our team:

• Analyze vendor security advisories, research vulnerability reports, mailing lists, product changelogs, news articles, bug trackers, commits, exploits, and many other sources to identify issues that constitute legitimate vulnerabilities (sources are provided) in order to use automation to author a detailed vulnerability entry based on findings

• Navigate messy HTML, quirky site structures, and a constantly shifting vulnerability landscape

• Develop maintainable and scalable code to acquire, parse, and transform scraped data, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of valuable insights to our customers

• Design and implement robust, cutting-edge automation technologies to build efficient and scalable data workflows and pipelines

• Drive continuous process improvement by contributing to the evolution of software processes (requirements, design, implementation, testing, and validation) and pioneering innovative, tech-forward approaches to overcome our most complex data challenges

• Collaborate with other teams such as Product, Engineering, and Customer Success to solve customer challenges, clarify technical content, and be customer-oriented

• Apply your honesty, strong sense of morals and ethics, and sense of responsibility towards making Flashpoint and those around you smarter, stronger, and kinder

What you will achieve

• Within 30 days

  • Configure your development environment

  • Get familiar with the current data infrastructure

  • Get an understanding of the data: the inputs, the outputs, and its consumption by the team

  • Get familiar with the vulnerability ingestion pipeline

• Within 60 days

  • Begin working on automation projects: from maintenance tasks to new additions

  • Get an in-depth understanding of the data pipeline: how components are interacting at a more technical level

  • Be involved in automation and data discussions (internal and external) and contribute to solutions’ designs

• By 90 days

  • Collaborated with other teams such as Product, Engineering, and Customer Success to solve customer challenges and clarify technical content.

  • Be able to determine if a source should be escalated to more complex scraping systems

  • Respond to help requests related to automation

  • Contribute to complex scraping projects

  • Be responsible for the implementation of a new data feature, which could be a request from the team or an improvement to the current data pipelines

  • Start becoming an expert in data processing at scale

To be successful in this role, you will need

• Familiarity with Software Development Life Cycle processes

• Interest in web scraping (prior experience is a plus, but not required)

• Experience with Python or similar object oriented language

• Familiarity with git, or willingness to learn

• Experience with orchestration frameworks like Apache Airflow/NIFI or willingness to learn

• Knowledge of system integration

• Familiarity of postgresql or other relational databases

• Knowledge of vulnerabilities a bonus

Why Flashpoint is a Great Place to Work:

• Diversity.  Flashpoint is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity. We recognize that diversity is key to achieving our vision. We believe that every person and their experiences contribute to building a work environment and products and services that will change the world.

• Culture and Belonging.  Our company’s culture isn’t something you join, it’s something you build and shape, and each person's unique backgrounds and experiences contribute to who Flashpoint is and will become.  You will have ample opportunities to connect with coworkers through various communication channels and company-funded virtual events: book clubs, happy hours, committees, DIBE discussion group, Donut mixers, local team member meetups and much more. 

• Perks. Flashpoint understands that personal wellness is one of the keys to a happy, healthy and productive work environment.  That’s why we also prioritize health and wellness perks like gym reimbursements, expensed lunches, cool cultural initiatives and inclusive employee events.

• Career Growth. Flashpoint is invested in the growth of our team members and understands that frequent, two-way feedback is critical to that growth. We encourage regular one-on-ones with your manager, a regular schedule of performance reviews, learning and development opportunities, and guidance through formalized career paths; whether that be towards being a great manager, being a great individual contributor, or a lateral move to gain breadth of knowledge and experience.

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