Penetration Tester

Leidos; Huntsville (TN); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

11 paid holidays

401K with 6% company match

Flexible schedules

Discounted stock purchase plans

Technical upskilling

Education and training support

Parental paid leave

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Penetration Tester for our Huntsville, AL office to perform live assessments and deliver detailed mitigation guidance. You will conduct tests across enterprise systems, web apps, and cloud environments, and develop red-team tooling to enhance security postures.

Ideal candidates will have 4–8 years of pentesting or a related master’s with experience, strong Linux/Windows skills, and hands-on exploit development capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security, Computer Science, or related technical field.
• 4–8 years of pentesting/red team experience, or master’s plus 2 years.
• Proficient with Linux and Windows OS.
• Experience with scripting languages (bash, Python).
• Hands-on pentesting, vulnerability assessments, and security analysis of enterprise systems.
• Web app pentesting including OWASP Top 10.
• Cloud security assessments (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native testing.
• API security testing (REST, SOAP, GraphQL) and auth mechanisms.
• Strong TCP/IP and network security concepts.
• On-site in Huntsville, AL; US Citizen with TS/SCI eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Perform live penetration tests for customers and deep-dive prep analyses.
• Recommend mitigations and test at multiple stages of the SDLC.
• Develop red team tools for stand-alone and networked systems.
• Ensure survivability and resiliency of customer systems and deliver after-action reports.

Skills

Penetration testing

Red team experience

Cloud security

Web application testing

Scripting (Python, Bash)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cyber Security/related field

Tools

Nmap

Nikto

Burp Suite

OWASP ZAP

Metasploit

Cobalt Strike

Empire

ScoutSuite

Prowler

Pacu

Job description

Leidos has a new and exciting opportunity for a Penetration Tester in our INTEL Sector’s Cyber & Analytics Business Area (CABA). Our talented team is at the forefront in Security Engineering, Computer Network Operations (CNO), Mission Software, Analytical Methods and Modeling, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Cryptographic Key Management. 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!

Primary Responsibilities:

This is a full-time position with the Leidos office in Huntsville, AL. The position consists of performing live penetration tests for customers and performing deep-dive preparatory analysis for any system under test. The position also includes recommending specific mitigation strategies to the customer for discovered vulnerabilities, and testing at multiple stages of the system development/acquisition lifecycle. This also includes red team tool development for use in stand-alone and network-connected systems. The position is responsible for ensuring survivability and resiliency of customer systems under test, and timely delivery of development updates and after-action reports after each assessment.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related Technical Degree

• 4-8years of experience in penetration testing/red teams or related security field, or a master’s degree in a related field with +2 year of experience. Experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

• Proficient with Linux (preferably Kali, Parrot, or similar distros) and Windows Operating systems

• Experience with using scripting languages such as bash, python, etc

• Hands-on experience performing penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, and security analysis on enterprise systems

• Proven experience with web application penetration testing, including OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities

• Experience conducting cloud security assessments (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native penetration testing

• Familiarity with API security testing (REST, SOAP, GraphQL) and authentication/authorization mechanisms

• Strong understanding of TCP/IP network architecture, protocols, and network security concepts

• Candidate must be located in Huntsville, AL area or be willing to relocate to the Huntsville, AL area as this is an ON-SITE Position.

• Candidate must be a US CITIZEN and be able to obtain a TS/SCI security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

Tools & Technical Skills:

Extensive experience with reconnaissance and scanning tools (Nmap,Nikto, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, etc.)

Extensive experience with exploitation frameworks and tools (Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, Empire, etc.)

Demonstrated ability to develop custom exploits and automation scripts using Python, Bash, PowerShell, or similar languages

Experience with cloud security tools and methodologies (ScoutSuite, Prowler, Pacu, etc.)

Professional Experience:

Prior Department of War (DoW) experience or work with government/defense sector clients

Certifications & Continuous Learning:

Completion of or active pursuit of industry certifications such as OSCP, GPEN, GWAPT, GCIH, GSEC, CPTS, CEH, or equivalent technical certifications

RF security experience or amateur (HAM) radio certification is a plus

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.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and 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.