Penetration Tester Senior

Cybersecurity Jobs; Ashburn (VA); On-site; USD 143,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

General Dynamics Information Technology in Ashburn, VA is seeking a Senior Penetration Tester to lead advanced testing engagements, emulate adversary behavior, and drive vulnerability discovery, validation, and remediation through clear reporting.

The role requires strong leadership and extensive hands-on experience across network, application, wireless, and enclave targets, with the ability to communicate findings to engineers and executives while maintaining a strict on-site presence.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of offensive security or penetration testing experience.
• Strong leadership and communication abilities.
• Advanced proficiency with penetration testing tooling and exploitation techniques for network, application, and wireless vectors.
• Strong technical writing and oral presentation skills that meet audit and executive communication standards.
• Ability to collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders across federal and enterprise environments.
• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Less than 10% travel.
• A degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information technology, or a related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex penetration testing engagements and guide junior testers across scoping, tooling, and reporting.
• Plan test approaches and deliver detailed reporting that supports remediation for critical systems.
• Define objectives and rules of engagement with stakeholders.
• Create tailored test plans aligned with system architecture and compliance requirements.
• Perform hands-on testing across network, application, wireless, and enclave targets.
• Use tools to enumerate, exploit, and confirm vulnerabilities at scale.
• Develop proofs of concept and post-exploitation procedures demonstrating real-world impact.
• Produce comprehensive technical reports with vulnerability details and remediation recommendations.
• Present findings to engineering and leadership and defend methodologies.
• Partner with developers, system engineers, SOC, and risk teams for remediation and retesting.

Skills

Penetration testing

Leadership

Technical writing

Stakeholder collaboration

Security compliance

Education

Cybersecurity/CS/IT degree

Tools

Nmap

Nessus

Metasploit

Burp Suite

CANVAS

Kismet

Job description

General Dynamics Information Technology is looking for a Senior Penetration Tester in Ashburn, VA (onsite) to support mission-critical cybersecurity operations. In this role, you will lead advanced penetration testing engagements, emulate real-world adversary behavior, and help drive vulnerability discovery, validation, and remediation through clear, actionable reporting. This position is based on BI Full 6C (T4) public trust and includes a salary range of USD 142,792 - 170,200 per year.

What you’ll do

• Lead complex penetration testing engagements and provide guidance to junior and mid-level testers across scoping, tooling, exploitation techniques, documentation quality, and professional development.
• Plan test approaches, conduct advanced exploitation, and deliver detailed reporting that supports corrective actions for critical systems.
• Define objectives, rules of engagement, and test boundaries in partnership with system owners, ISSOs, engineering leads, and mission stakeholders.
• Create tailored test plans that align with system architecture, threat scenarios, and compliance requirements.
• Perform hands‑on testing across network, application, wireless, and enclave targets using modern red‑team methodologies to discover and validate exploitable weaknesses.
• Use industry tools and frameworks including Nmap, Nessus, Metasploit, Burp Suite, CANVAS, and Kismet to enumerate, exploit, and confirm vulnerabilities at scale.
• Develop proofs of concept, chained exploits, and post‑exploitation procedures that demonstrate realistic impact and help system owners prioritize remediation.
• Produce comprehensive technical reports with vulnerability descriptions, reproduction steps, affected assets, exploit evidence, and prioritized remediation recommendations for both engineering and executive audiences.
• Present findings, defend methodologies, and translate technical risk into mission‑aligned decisions during briefs and touchpoints.
• Partner with developers, system engineers, SOC, and risk teams to recommend mitigation strategies and validate fixes during retesting cycles.

Required qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of offensive security or penetration testing experience, including leading complex assessments and delivering authoritative reports.
• Strong leadership and communication abilities.
• Advanced proficiency with penetration testing tooling and exploitation techniques for network, application, and wireless vectors.
• Strong technical writing and oral presentation skills that meet audit and executive communication standards.
• Ability to collaborate with technical and non‑technical stakeholders across federal and enterprise environments.
• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Less than 10% travel.
• A degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information technology, or a related field is preferred.

Preferred certifications

• OSCP (highly valued)
• GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)
• CREST Registered Pen Tester (CRT)

Additional notes

• Preferred: Previous or Current CBP Background Investigation.
• Clearance level: None.
• Public trust: BI Full 6C (T4).
• Category: Cyber and IT Risk Management.
• Technologies: Nmap, Nessus, Metasploit, Burp Suite, CANVAS, Kismet.

Identity verification process

• Virtual interviews require you to be on camera.
• The company reserves the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.
• You authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.