Cyber Penetration Tester - Subject Matter Expert

Peraton; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 104,000 - 166,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is looking for a Cyber Penetration Tester - Subject Matter Expert to join their dynamic team in Arlington, VA. This role involves leading penetration tests, identifying vulnerabilities, and ensuring compliance with security standards. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in cyber security, a strong background in penetration testing tools, and the ability to lead and mentor junior testers. Join a forward-thinking company committed to innovative solutions that protect national security and make a significant impact in the field of cyber defense.

Qualifications

• 9 years of experience in Cyber Security or 7 years with a Master's degree.
• 5 years of experience in penetration testing and vulnerability assessment.

Responsibilities

• Lead penetration tests to assess security of customer systems.
• Identify vulnerabilities and recommend remediations.

Skills

Penetration Testing

Vulnerability Assessment

Kali Linux

NIST 800-53

Root Cause Analysis

Scripting (Bash, Python)

Networking Principles

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Tools

Nmap

Burp Suite

Metasploit

Job description

Cyber Penetration Tester - Subject Matter Expert

Job Locations

US-VA-Arlington

Requisition ID

2025-156192

Position Category

Cyber Security

Clearance

Top Secret

Responsibilities

Peraton is seeking an experienced, Cyber Penetration Tester - Subject Matter Expert to become part of Peratons' Department of State (DoS) Diplomatic Security Cyber Mission (DSCM) program providing leading cyber and technology security experience to enable innovative, effective and secure business processes.

Location: Arlington, VA.

In this role, you will:

Support the Department of State Red Cell Team by performing and leading penetration tests to assess the security of customer systems.
• Identify vulnerabilities and develop recommended remediations to satisfy mandated NIST 800-53 security controls.
• Report and demonstrate findings to system owners and engineers.
• Maintain Red Cell infrastructure.
• Develop or modify tools to automate discovery or exploitation.

#DSCM

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree and 9 years of experience, or a Master's Degree and 7 years of experience. In lieu of a degree, 4 years of additional experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years experience working in and with penetration testing.
• Possess one of the following certifications, OR be able to obtain before start date:
  CASP+ CE, CCNA Cyber Ops, CCNA-Security, CCNP Security, CEH, CFR, CISA
  CISSP (or Associate), Cloud+, CySA+, GCED, GCIA, GCIH, GICSP, SCYBER, VCA DCV, PPDA, Agile IC, or SNOW App Dev
  
• Demonstrated experience with Kali Linux.
• Demonstrated penetration testing tools experience with Nmap, Burp Suite, Metasploit, etc.
• Demonstrated ability in evaluating vulnerabilities, performing root cause analysis, and reporting findings utilizing assessment methodologies such as NIST SP 800-115, Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), Information Systems Security Assessment Framework (ISSAF), OWASP Web Security Testing Guide (WTG), etc.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a penetration test and guide Senior/Junior Penetration Testers.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Possess an active Secret security clearance.
  • Ability to obtain a final Top Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Possess an Active Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance.
• One of the following certifications or an alternate, verifiable certification demonstrating IT security competence:
  • CompTIA CASP+, ISC2 Certified Information Security Professional (CISSP), ISC2 Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), ISC2 Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (ISSEP).
• One of the following certifications or an alternate, verifiable certification demonstrating practical penetration testing competence:
  • Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Hack the Box Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS), TCM Security Practical Network Penetration Tester (PNPT), or GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester (GXPN).
• Zero Point Security Red Team Ops II
• Advanced understanding of the following:
  • NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) and the Assessment and Authorization (A&A) process.
  • Security principles such as CIA, IAAAA, access control models, risk management, etc.
  • Networking principles and technologies such as IP routing, TCP/UDP, VPNs, firewalls, NAT, etc.
  • Common network protocols such as SSH, FTP, SMTP, SMB, HTTP, etc.
  • Operating system principles such as process management, device management, user management, file systems, etc.
  • Data processing principles such as encoding, hashing, encryption, etc.
  • Scripting and programming languages such as Bash, Python, PowerShell, JavaScript, etc.
  • Common application vulnerabilities and exploits such as outdated components, permissions misconfigurations, lack of input validation, logging/monitoring failures, etc.
  • Common web application vulnerabilities and exploits such as XSS, SQLi, LFI, file uploads, broken authentication mechanisms, etc.
  • Active Directory (AD) enumeration and attacks such as kerberoasting, AS-REP roasting, abusing misconfigured privileges, crafting golden tickets, etc.
  • Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and navigating IT environments implementing multifactor authentication.
  • Cloud technologies and platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), etc.

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

$104,000 - $166,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.