Penetration Tester Junior

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT); Ashburn (VA); On-site; USD 91,000 - 124,000; Full time

Job summary

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) seeks a Penetration Tester Junior to support CBP cybersecurity operations in the Ashburn, VA area. The role focuses on identifying vulnerabilities, performing tests across apps, endpoints, networks, and cloud systems, and coordinating remediation with technical teams.

You will use tools like Nmap, Nessus, Burp Suite, and Metasploit, document findings, and assist in producing security reports for stakeholders in a fast-paced federal environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three (3) years of cybersecurity or vulnerability assessment experience.
• Experience executing penetration tests, gathering evidence, documenting vulnerabilities, and validating system weaknesses.
• Experience with common penetration testing tools to run scripts and support senior testers.
• Strong analytical and documentation skills.
• Understanding of exploit development concepts and offensive tooling.
• Ability to develop structured documentation and communicate with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Preferred certifications: CompTIA PenTest+; eJPT / eCPPT.

Responsibilities

• Assist in performing penetration tests across applications, endpoints, networks, cloud systems, and mission-critical environments to uncover security gaps.
• Run discovery and enumeration tasks using industry-standard testing tools such as Nmap, Nessus, Burp Suite, Metasploit, and similar utilities.
• Execute basic exploitation steps under the direction of senior testers to help validate identified vulnerabilities.
• Gather and document exploitation artifacts, screenshots, logs, payload outputs, and supporting evidence for audit trails.
• Support post-exploitation analysis by capturing privilege escalation paths and lateral movement opportunities.
• Document vulnerabilities with clear descriptions, reproduction steps, and severity scoring.
• Contribute to penetration testing reports by drafting technical sections and summarizing findings for stakeholders.
• Collaborate with system owners, developers, engineers, and cybersecurity teams to clarify findings and support remediation.

Skills

Cybersecurity Operations

Incident Response

Network Penetration Testing

Security Operations

Vulnerability Remediation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, cybersecurity or a related field preferred.

Tools

Nmap

Nessus

Burp Suite

Metasploit

Job description

Type of Requisition:
Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:
None

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:
None

Public Trust/Other Required:
BI Full 6C (T4)

Job Family:
Cyber and IT Risk Management

Job Qualifications:

Skills:
Cybersecurity Operations, Incident Response, Network Penetration Testing, Security Operations, Vulnerability Remediation
Certifications:
None
Experience:
3 + years of related experience
US Citizenship Required:
Yes

Job Description:

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Cyber Security Directorate (CSD) is leading one of the most comprehensive, mission critical cybersecurity operations in the federal government, protecting the digital infrastructure that safeguards America’s borders. This multifaceted program spans 24/7/365 Security Operations Center (SOC) monitoring, advanced threat intelligence, forensics, incident response, cloud and network security engineering, zero trust modernization, vulnerability assessment, and enterprise-wide risk and compliance activities. The Penetration Tester Junior will support teams at the forefront of national security, supporting sophisticated cyber operations that defend vital systems, enable secure mission execution, and counter rapidly evolving threats. You will find this work uniquely impactful, fast-paced, and deeply collaborative, offering the opportunity to lead high performing technical teams, shape CBP’s cybersecurity strategy, and contribute directly to the protection of the nation.

MEANINGFUL WORK AND PERSONAL IMPACT

The Penetration Tester plays a critical role in strengthening enterprise cybersecurity by ensuring vulnerabilities are accurately identified, validated, documented, and communicated. Through hands-on testing and collaboration with technical teams, the Penetration Tester Junior helps reduce risk exposure and supports the continuous improvement of security controls across mission-critical systems. The candidate will:

• Assist in performing penetration tests across applications, endpoints, networks, cloud systems, and mission-critical environments to uncover security gaps.
• Run discovery and enumeration tasks using industry-standard testing tools such as Nmap, Nessus, Burp Suite, Metasploit, and similar utilities.
• Execute basic exploitation steps under the direction of senior testers to help validate identified vulnerabilities.
• Gather and document exploitation artifacts, screenshots, logs, payload outputs, and supporting evidence to ensure complete audit and reporting trails.
• Support post-exploitation analysis by capturing privilege escalation paths, lateral movement opportunities, or insecure configurations.
• Document vulnerabilities with clear descriptions, reproduction steps, and appropriate severity scoring.
• Contribute to penetration testing reports by drafting technical sections and summarizing findings for stakeholder awareness.
• Work with system owners, developers, engineers, and cybersecurity teams to clarify findings and support remediation efforts.
• Participate in retesting cycles to confirm vulnerability remediation and track closure progress.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED

• Minimum of three (3) years of cybersecurity or vulnerability assessment experience.
• Experience executing penetration tests, gathering evidence, documenting vulnerabilities, and validating system weaknesses.
• Experience with common penetration (e.g., Nmap, Nessus, Burp Suite, Metasploit) testing tools to run scripts, supports senior testers, and contributes to improving assessment quality.
• Strong analytical and documentation skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and documentation skills.
• Understanding of exploit development concepts, offensive tooling, and common security control weaknesses.
• Strong skills in testing notes, scripts, and tool configurations to support repeatability and compliance.
• Ability to develop structured documentation, perform technical writing, and have effective communication with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Preferred certifications: CompTIA PenTest+
• eJPT / eCPPT

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, cybersecurity or a related field preferred.
• Previous or Current CBP Background Investigation desired.

OWN YOUR OPPORTUNITY

Explore a career in cyber security at GDIT and you’ll find endless opportunities to grow alongside colleagues who share your passion for securing the mission.

The likely salary range for this position is $91,375 - $123,625. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Scheduled Weekly Hours:
40

Travel Required:
Less than 10%

T elecommuting Options:
Onsite

Work Location:
USA VA Ashburn

Additional Work Locations:

Total Rewards at GDIT:
Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. To ensure our employees are able to protect their income, other offerings such as short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance are provided or available. We regularly review our Total Rewards package to ensure our offerings are competitive and reflect what our employees have told us they value most.

Our Identity Verification Process:
As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.

About Our Work:

We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission-ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans