Mid-Level Offensive Cyber Engineer

Leidos; Lawton (OK); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

11 paid Holidays

401K with a 6% company match and vest

Flexible Schedules

Discounted Stock Purchase Plans

Technical Upskilling

Education and Training Support

Parental Paid Leave

Job summary

Leidos in Lawton, OK is seeking a Mid-Level Offensive Cyber Engineer (Penetration Tester) to conduct comprehensive security assessments on enterprise and government systems. You will develop exploits, run tests, and translate findings into actionable detections.

The role requires 6+ years in pentesting, TS/SCI eligibility, and on-site work in Lawton, with opportunities for professional growth and access to education and training benefits.

Qualifications

• Requires 6+ years hands-on penetration testing, red teaming, or offensive cyber operations.
• US Citizenship and ability to obtain/maintain TS/SCI clearance.
• Proficiency with Linux distributions and Windows at admin level; scripting in Python/Bash/PowerShell.
• Strong understanding of networking (TCP/IP) and security assessment methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop custom exploits, payloads, and automated testing tools for identified vulnerabilities.
• Plan and execute penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, and network protocol analyses.
• Collaborate with CRS and detection engineering teams to tune threat detectors based on TTPs.
• Travel to operational testing events to verify exploit effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
• Research technical docs, system architectures, and security classification guides.
• Author comprehensive reports, remediation roadmaps, and after-action summaries for technical and leadership audiences.
• Mentor early-career engineers and assist in planning future operational tests.

Skills

Penetration testing

Red teaming

Python scripting

Linux/Windows admin

Networking concepts

Threat detection alignment

Team mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity

Master's degree in related field

Tools

Burp Suite

Metasploit

Cobalt Strike

Nmap

OWASP ZAP

Job description

Description

At Leidos, we offer competitive benefits, including

• Paid Time Off
• 11 paid Holidays
• 401K with a 6% company match and immediate vesting
• Flexible Schedules
• Discounted Stock Purchase Plans
• Technical Upskilling
• Education and Training Support
• Parental Paid Leave

and much more. Join us and make a difference in National Security!

The Mid-Level Offensive Cyber Engineer (Penetration Tester) will have detection engineering capabilities to conduct comprehensive security assessments on enterprise and government systems. In this role, you will perform offensive security evaluations while partnering closely with defensive teams (CEMA Resiliency System) to translate offensive tactics into resilient threat detections. This position is located in Lawton, OK.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop custom exploits, payloads, and automated testing tools tailored to identified system vulnerabilities.
• Plan and execute penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, and network protocol analyses across enterprise, government, and classified environments.
• Collaborate with CEMA Resiliency System (CRS) team and detection engineering teams to develop, validate, and tune threat detectors based on adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
• Travel to operational testing events to assess and verify exploit effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
• Research technical documentation, system architectures, and security classification guides.
• Author comprehensive technical reports, remediation roadmaps, and after-action summaries for both technical teams and leadership stakeholders.
• Mentor early-career engineers and assist in the planning of future operational test events.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline with 6+ years of relevant experience; OR a Master’s degree with 4+ years of experience; OR an additional 4 years of related experience in lieu of a degree (10+ years total).
• 6+ years of hands‑on experience in penetration testing, red teaming, or offensive cyber operations.
• Proficiency with Linux distributions (e.g., Kali, Parrot) and Windows operating systems at a deep‑system/administrative level.
• Demonstrated experience developing custom scripts and tools using languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell.
• Strong understanding of networking concepts, TCP/IP architecture, and security assessment methodologies.
• Must be a US Citizen and be able to obtain and maintain an active Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.
• Willingness to work on‑site in Lawton, OK (or relocate prior to start date) and travel to testing events as required.

Preferred Technical Experience

• Certifications: Industry‑recognized credentials such as OSCP, GPEN, GWAPT, CPTS, GXPN, or CEH.
• Testing & Exploitation Tools: Extensive experience with tools such as Burp Suite, Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, Nmap, and OWASP ZAP.
• Cloud Assessments: Practical experience assessing cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) using security tools (e.g., ScoutSuite, Pacu, Prowler).
• Defensive Alignment & MITRE: Practical experience mapping exploits to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, detection engineering, or SOC operations.
• Low‑Level Analysis: Knowledge of binary analysis, reverse engineering, and low‑level exploitation techniques.
• Government / Defense Background: Prior experience supporting DoD programs and working within classified security environments.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting

October 29, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

• competitive compensation
• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave and Retirement

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.