Penetration Tester / Active Secret

Peraton; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 86,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Peraton is hiring a Cyber Penetration Tester in Arlington, VA. The candidate will lead penetration tests and identify vulnerabilities in systems while supporting a federal cybersecurity program.

The position requires collaboration with the Red Cell Team and a strong background in security protocols and tools. Candidates should have a degree in a relevant field and an active security clearance, with a salary range of $86,000 to $138,000.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 5 years of experience, or Master's degree with 3 years of experience.
• Minimum 2 years of penetration testing experience.
• Possess relevant security certifications or ability to obtain them.

Responsibilities

• Lead and perform penetration tests to assess security.
• Identify vulnerabilities and recommend remediation.
• Report findings to system owners.

Skills

Penetration testing

Kali Linux

Nmap

Burp Suite

Metasploit

Security+ CE

Python

Education

Bachelor of Science

Master of Science

Tools

Assessment methodologies

Job description

Job Locations

US-VA-Arlington

Requisition Details

• Requisition ID: 2026-167558
• Position Category: Cyber Security
• Clearance: Top Secret

Responsibilities

Peraton is seeking an experienced Cyber Penetration Tester to become part of Peraton's Federal Strategic Cyber programs.

Location: Northern VA; Hybrid - flexible as long as person can come on-site as & when needed.

In this role, you will:

• Support the 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.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science and 5 years experience, or a Master's of Science and 3 years of experience. In lieu of a degree, 4 years of additional experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 2 years with penetration testing experience.
• Possess one of the following certifications, OR be able to obtain before start date:
• CCNA Cyber Ops, CCNA-Security, CEH, CFR, Cloud+, CySA+, GCIA, GCIH, GICSP, SCYBER, Security+ CE, SSCP
• 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.
• An active Secret security clearance.
• Must have the ability to obtain a final Top Secret security clearance.

Preferred:

• 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)
• Hack the Box Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS)
• TCM Security Practical Network Penetration Tester (PNPT)
• 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 mis-configurations, 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 mis-configured 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

$86,000 - $138,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO

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