DoD PenTest Senior Principal Cybersecurity Engineer

SAIC; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC in San Diego, CA seeks a Senior Principal Cybersecurity Engineer to advance secure Navy communications systems. This on-site role requires deep engineering expertise, offensive security experience, and a proven track record securing classified environments. You will work with engineers, PMs, and government personnel to deliver resilient systems.

Requires DoD/IC experience, active Top Secret clearance to start, and the ability to obtain TS/SCI after start. Travel up to 10% may be required.

Qualifications

• This role requires a Bachelors in Cybersecurity, CS or Engineering with 9+ years experience; Masters with 12+ years is preferable.
• Hands-on cybersecurity engineering with DoD/IC experience and penetration testing/red team background.
• Experience with air-gap architecture, data diodes, and secure offline transfer mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute penetration test exercises against systems, networks, and applications.
• Perform network traffic analysis and threat detection using Wireshark and other tools.
• Architect and harden IT systems in classified environments and align with DoD standards.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments and develop mitigation strategies per DISA STIGs.
• Document vulnerabilities with risks and recommendations to improve security posture.
• Stay current on exploits, hacking techniques, and security tools for government reporting.

Skills

Penetration testing

Threat detection

Network security

Scripting

Security frameworks

Education

Bachelor's in Cybersecurity/CS/Engineering

Tools

Wireshark

HSM/TPM/PKI

VMware ESXi/Hyper-V/Docker

Job description

SAIC in San Diego, CA seeks a Senior Principal Cybersecurity Engineer to advance secure Navy communications systems. This on-site role requires deep engineering expertise, offensive security experience, and a proven track record securing classified environments. You will work with engineers, PMs, and government personnel to deliver resilient systems.

Requires DoD/IC experience, active Top Secret clearance to start, and the ability to obtain TS/SCI after start. Travel up to 10% may be required.