Penetration Tester, Senior

Peraton • Herndon, VA

1d

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled and innovative Penetration Tester to join our team in the greater DMV area, supporting the Army National Guard. Responsibilities Plan and lead advanced penetration testing operations (Network Assistance Visits, Persistent Penetration Testing) to emulate adversary threat models against Army networks. Execute complex network, host, and web application assessments to identify vulnerabilities, lateral attack paths, privilege escalation, and control weaknesses. Design and conduct advanced phishing and social‑engineering campaigns to evaluate user awareness and defensive effectiveness. Support Network Damage Assessments: validate suspected compromises, determine adversary presence/scope/impact, and provide technical findings to inform containment and remediation. Produce timely technical reports, evidence bundles, and executive‑level briefings to support incident response and leadership decision‑making. Coordinate testing activities with cybersecurity, SOC/CIRT, operations, and engineering teams to deconflict missions and enable rapid mitigation and retest. Translate assessment results into actionable recommendations: detection enhancements, configuration changes, and resilience improvements. Maintain pentest toolchains, develop repeatable test procedures, and mentor junior testers to build sustained offensive capability. #ENOCS Qualifications Qualifications Minimum of 5 years with BS/BA; Minimum of 3 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 0 years with PhD Clearance: Active TS/SCI clearance. Candidate must meet ONE of the following: Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field; OR Relevant DoD/military training (documented advanced offensive/cyber operations training); OR Relevant professional certification or equivalent experience (examples: CISSP‑ISSEP; ISC2 CSSLP; GIAC GWAPT). Required experience and skills: Offensive security, red‑team, or penetration testing experience with at least 3 years leading complex, high‑impact assessments in enterprise or DoD environments. Expert proficiency in reconnaissance, exploitation, post‑exploitation, web application testing (OWASP), phishing/social‑engineering tactics, and evidence preservation. Hands‑on experience with advanced tooling (e.g., Burp Suite, Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, custom exploit development) and validation of detection/response capability. Proven ability to produce executive‑grade reports, technical evidence packages, and decision‑grade remediation recommendations under time pressure. Strong coordination skills for multi‑team operations, adherence to rules of engagement, and safe execution in operational environments. Desired: Prior DoD/ARNG CDAP, red/blue team, or Persistent Penetration Testing mission experience. Background in malware analysis or exploit development and experience integrating findings into detection engineering and SOC tuning. #ENOCS Peraton Overview Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure. Target Salary Range $86,000 - $138,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. EEO EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years with BS/BA; Minimum of 3 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 0 years with PhD
• Clearance: Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Candidate must meet ONE of the following: Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field; OR Relevant DoD/military training (documented advanced offensive/cyber operations training); OR Relevant professional certification or equivalent experience (examples: CISSP‑ISSEP; ISC2 CSSLP; GIAC GWAPT).
• Offensive security, red‑team, or penetration testing experience with at least 3 years leading complex, high‑impact assessments in enterprise or DoD environments.
• Expert proficiency in reconnaissance, exploitation, post‑exploitation, web application testing (OWASP), phishing/social‑engineering tactics, and evidence preservation.
• Hands‑on experience with advanced tooling (e.g., Burp Suite, Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, custom exploit development) and validation of detection/response capability.
• Proven ability to produce executive‑grade reports, technical evidence packages, and decision‑grade remediation recommendations under time pressure.
• Strong coordination skills for multi‑team operations, adherence to rules of engagement, and safe execution in operational environments.

Nice To Haves

• Prior DoD/ARNG CDAP, red/blue team, or Persistent Penetration Testing mission experience.
• Background in malware analysis or exploit development and experience integrating findings into detection engineering and SOC tuning.

Responsibilities

• Plan and lead advanced penetration testing operations (Network Assistance Visits, Persistent Penetration Testing) to emulate adversary threat models against Army networks.
• Execute complex network, host, and web application assessments to identify vulnerabilities, lateral attack paths, privilege escalation, and control weaknesses.
• Design and conduct advanced phishing and social‑engineering campaigns to evaluate user awareness and defensive effectiveness.
• Support Network Damage Assessments: validate suspected compromises, determine adversary presence/scope/impact, and provide technical findings to inform containment and remediation.
• Produce timely technical reports, evidence bundles, and executive‑level briefings to support incident response and leadership decision‑making.
• Coordinate testing activities with cybersecurity, SOC/CIRT, operations, and engineering teams to deconflict missions and enable rapid mitigation and retest.
• Translate assessment results into actionable recommendations: detection enhancements, configuration changes, and resilience improvements.
• Maintain pentest toolchains, develop repeatable test procedures, and mentor junior testers to build sustained offensive capability.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees