Principal/Sr Principal Penetration Tester
About The Position
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking a Principal or Senior Principal Cyber Protection Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals conducting penetration and cybersecurity testing activities in San Antonio, TX. In this role, the Cyber Protection Engineer assesses and tests system cybersecurity requirements, system security architecture, and system security layout. The candidate will operate in a team environment and collaborate across the organization (as required) to accomplish team goals by coordinating with customers and other testing organizations.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree and 5 years of related experience; or a Master's degree and 3 years of related experience. Note: 9 years of related experience may be considered in lieu of degree. (for Principal Engineer)
- Bachelor's Degree and 8 years of related experience; or a Master's degree and 6 years of related experience. Note:12 years of related experience may be considered in lieu of degree. (for Sr. Principal Engineer)
- US Citizenship is required
- Active US Government Top Secret Security Clearance is required with the ability to obtain an SCI.
- Must possess a DoD 8570 Certification for IAT Level II or higher(Sec+, CCNA, CySA+ or CND).
- Experience conducting penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, or security assessments against cloud, enterprise, or hybrid environments.
- Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure, including familiarity with IAM, networking, storage, logging, and security services.
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipeline technologies and concepts, including GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
- Experience or familiarity with containerization and virtualization technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or VMware.
- Knowledge of Windows and Linux operating systems, networking fundamentals, and common enterprise architecture.
- Experience using scripting or automation languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell to support testing, analysis, or operational workflows.
- Familiarity with offensive security methodologies, vulnerability management processes, and common attacker TTPs.
Nice To Haves
- Ability to analyze technical findings and contribute to assessment reports, presentations, and client deliverables, and communicate findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience assessing cloud-native technologies, including Kubernetes, containers, serverless functions, or Infrastructure-as-Code deployments.
- Familiarity with cloud security assessment tools, vulnerability scanners, and offensive security frameworks.
- Familiarity with Terraform, Ansible, ARM templates, CloudFormation, or Infrastructure-as-Code concepts.
- Experience with logging, monitoring, and detection technologies such as Splunk, Sentinel, ELK, Defender, or CrowdStrike.
- Familiarity with RMF, A&A activities, STIGs, SCAP, ACAS, or cybersecurity compliance frameworks.
- Ability to rapidly learn emerging technologies, cloud attack methodologies, and evolving threat landscapes.
- Relevant certifications such as AWS Security Specialty, Azure Security Engineer Associate, PenTest+, CySA+, CEH, AZ-500, SC-200, CRTO, GPEN, GXPN, OSCP, or similar cybersecurity certifications preferred.
Responsibilities
- Conduct cloud-focused penetration testing and security assessment activities to identify vulnerabilities, attack paths, and potential threat vectors across cloud-native and hybrid environments.
- Support offensive security operations targeting cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, containerized workloads, applications, and enterprise services within AWS, Azure, and related platforms.
- Assists with development of attack methodologies, testing procedures, and technical analysis while collaborating with senior operators and engineers.
- Apply cybersecurity knowledge to evaluate cloud security posture, validate security controls, and contribute to technical reporting, operational recommendations, and remediation guidance.
Benefits
- Relocation assistance may be available
- health insurance coverage
- life and disability insurance
- savings plan
- Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
- overtime
- shift differential
- discretionary bonus
- Annual bonuses
- Long Term Incentives (for Vice President or Director positions)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
