Penetration Tester / Secret

Peraton; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 104,000 - 166,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cybersecurity firm in Washington, DC, is seeking a Penetration Tester to conduct advanced security operations. This role involves identifying vulnerabilities, emulating real-world threats, and leading red team operations. Candidates should have at least 5 years of relevant experience, leadership skills in offensive security, and must hold active Secret clearance. Competitive salary range is offered, dependent on qualifications.

Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant experience, or 9 years in lieu of a degree.
• Hands-on experience with penetration testing across diverse environments.
• Active Secret security clearance required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct full-spectrum penetration testing across various environments.
• Lead red team operations to assess SOC response capabilities.
• Identify and prioritize actionable findings to enhance security posture.

Skills

Penetration Testing

Red Team Operations

Vulnerability Identification

Team Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, IT, or related field

Tools

GPEN

OSCP

CISA

Job description

Penetration Tester / Secret

Locations: US-AZ-Chandler; US-DC-Washington

Requisition ID: 2026-163410

Position Category: Cyber Security

Clearance: Secret

Responsibilities

• We are seeking to hire an experienced and highly skilled Penetration Tester to conduct advanced offensive security operations across diverse and high-impact environments.
• This role supports critical national security missions by identifying vulnerabilities, emulating real-world adversaries, and strengthening defensive cyber capabilities across enterprise, cloud, mobile, IoT, and High Value Asset (HVA) systems.
• You will lead technical engagements, drive red team operations, and collaborate closely with SOC, incident response, and engineering teams to ensure findings translate into measurable security improvements.

You will:

• Conduct full-spectrum penetration testing across enterprise, cloud, mobile, IoT, and HVA environments.
• Lead and execute adversary emulation and red team operations to validate SOC detection and response capabilities.
• Serve as technical or team lead for offensive security engagements, including scoping, planning, execution, and reporting.
• Identify exploitable vulnerabilities, develop proof-of-concepts, and deliver actionable, risk-prioritized findings.
• Coordinate results and collaborate with SOC, IR, and engineering teams to support remediation and strengthen defensive posture.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, IT, or related field and 5 years of relevant experience. An additional 4 years will be considered in lieu of the degree requirement.
• Minimum of 5 years of hands-on penetration testing experience.
• Experience with Red Team, IoT, Mobile, Cloud, and HVA testing.
• Team lead, supervisory, or management experience.
• Certification:
• GPEN or GXPN
• One or more of the following: GRTP, CRTL, OSCP, CRTP, CMWAPT, CEPT, CPT, or LPT
• CISA AES HVA Assessment Lead or Technical Lead certification
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Active Secret security clearance.

EEO

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

Target Salary Range

$104,000 - $166,000. 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.