Senior Security Technology Engineer, Testing and Investigations

Senior Security Technology Engineer, Testing & Investigations

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Hybrid / On-Site

IPVM is hiring a Senior Security Technology Engineer to independently test physical security technologies, investigate technical and commercial claims, and publish evidence-based findings that influence major purchasing decisions, industry practices, and public policy.

This is a hands-on engineering and technical investigation role. You will test real products, analyze how systems work, challenge vendor claims, interview knowledgeable sources, troubleshoot technical problems, and turn the evidence into clear published conclusions.

You do not need prior experience in the physical security industry. We are particularly interested in engineers and technical investigators who learn unfamiliar systems quickly, design rigorous tests, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and consistently bring difficult work to completion.

What You Will Do

Lead technical tests and investigations from the initial question through testing, analysis, review, and publication.

Design and conduct hands-on evaluations of cameras, access control systems, video analytics, AI products, and other physical security technologies.

Configure competing products and systems and develop practical methodologies for comparing performance.

Rapidly learn unfamiliar technologies, architectures, companies, and markets.

Troubleshoot hardware, software, networking, configuration, and integration problems encountered during testing.

Evaluate product performance, technical documentation, manufacturer claims, interviews, and other evidence.

Identify findings that are important, unexpected, or contrary to prevailing industry assumptions.

Distinguish clearly between established facts, reasonable inferences, and unresolved questions.

Interview manufacturers, developers, integrators, users, and other knowledgeable sources when necessary.

Write clear, concise reports for security professionals, technology providers, policymakers, and other decision-makers.

Explain and defend your methodology, evidence, and conclusions through rigorous internal review and external scrutiny.

Manage multiple investigations with defined turnaround times, typically measured in days or weeks rather than months.

Improve testing methodologies and strengthen IPVM's technical and investigative practices.

Develop deep subject-matter expertise and become an independent, recognized voice on important security technology issues.

What a Typical Investigation Looks Like

You might begin with a disputed claim about an AI-enabled security product.

Over the following several weeks, you could:

Learn how the product and competing systems work.

Configure and deploy the systems in IPVM's test environment.

Develop a methodology for testing the claim.

Troubleshoot technical and configuration problems.

Run and document repeatable tests.

Analyze the results and determine what they do—and do not—establish.

Interview manufacturers, users, or other experts.

Challenge conflicting explanations or disputed claims.

Write and publish a report explaining what you found and why it matters.

The objective is not simply to collect information. It is to reach a useful, defensible conclusion and publish it.

What Success Looks Like

The strongest IPVM engineers combine intellectual depth with urgency.

They:

Learn quickly.
Become productive in unfamiliar technical areas without requiring extensive direction.

Finish important work.
Move investigations from broad questions to useful, published conclusions rather than allowing complexity to create indefinite research.

Exercise judgment.
Know when additional testing could materially change a conclusion—and when additional work would simply delay a decision.

Test rigorously.
Design credible tests, verify important claims, document evidence, and avoid conclusions the facts do not support.

Troubleshoot effectively.
Work through unfamiliar technical problems rather than waiting for perfect documentation or outside assistance.

Write clearly.
Explain complex technical issues directly and precisely without unnecessary jargon or academic abstraction.

Think independently.
Challenge vendor claims, conventional industry wisdom, and their own initial assumptions.

Handle scrutiny.
Explain and defend their methods, evidence, and conclusions when challenged.

Prioritize impact.
Focus on findings that can meaningfully change decisions, practices, or understanding.

Take ownership.
Identify obstacles, resolve problems, and remain accountable for delivering high-quality work on schedule.

Strong Candidates Typically Have

A STEM degree or an equivalent record of technically demanding professional work.

Significant experience in engineering, systems testing, product evaluation, technical intelligence, military technical operations, investigations, or another evidence-driven technical field.

Strong analytical, experimental, and troubleshooting skills.

The ability to understand unfamiliar hardware and software systems quickly.

Strong professional writing and communication skills.

A demonstrated record of independently completing complex projects under firm deadlines.

The ability to turn ambiguous questions into practical testing and investigative plans.

Intellectual curiosity combined with a strong bias toward execution.

The judgment to make careful decisions without becoming paralyzed by incomplete information.

The confidence to defend a conclusion and the discipline to revise it when stronger evidence emerges.

Experience with physical security, surveillance systems, video, access control, networking, AI/computer vision, embedded systems, or security systems integration is useful, but it is not required.

More important is your ability to learn unfamiliar systems, test claims rigorously, troubleshoot independently, exercise sound judgment, and communicate useful conclusions.

Why This Role Is Different

Many engineering positions focus on designing, deploying, or maintaining a single company's products.

At IPVM, your responsibility is different: figure out what is actually true.

You will work across products, manufacturers, and technologies rather than being tied to a single platform. Your findings will be published and scrutinized by manufacturers, engineers, security professionals, journalists, policymakers, and other experts.

For someone who enjoys hands-on engineering but also wants to investigate difficult questions, challenge unsupported claims, write about what they discover, and have their work influence an entire industry, this role offers an unusual combination.

About IPVM

IPVM is an independent research and investigative organization focused on physical security technologies, companies, and markets.

Our testing and reporting influence major purchasing decisions, industry practices, and public policy.

IPVM's work has been cited by BBC, Financial Times, The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other leading publications. IPVM has also been profiled by The Atlantic, Time, and Wired.

You will work alongside engineers, technical analysts, and investigative reporters who routinely test products, investigate disputed claims, and publish findings that security professionals around the world use.

This position is particularly well-suited to someone who wants to build deep technical expertise, publish influential work, and become a leading independent voice in the security technology industry.

Location and Work Structure

This position is based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

You must be able to work from IPVM's research and testing facility at least three days per week. Additional on-site work may be required when product testing demands it.

Limited hybrid flexibility is available when the work permits it.

How to Apply

Please submit your résumé along with concise responses to the following questions:

Why does IPVM's work interest you?

Describe a technically complex project that you personally drove to completion under a firm deadline. What was your role, and what did you deliver?

How did you determine that you had gathered enough evidence to reach and communicate a conclusion?

What remained unresolved, and why did it not justify delaying the final deliverable?

We care more about the substance and clarity of your answers than their length.

Learn More About IPVM

The Atlantic: The Small Company Exposing China's Surveillance State

Wired: The Surveillance Industry's Most Die-Hard Critic

Keywords: security technology, physical security, security systems, systems engineering, test engineering, product testing, technical investigation, video surveillance, cameras, access control, video analytics, artificial intelligence, computer vision, networking, technical research, systems testing, technical intelligence.