Penetration Tester Senior

General Dynamics IT; Ashburn (VA); On-site; USD 143,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

General Dynamics IT seeks an experienced Penetration Tester Senior to lead complex assessments against enterprise systems in a federal security context. You’ll emulate adversaries, identify vulnerabilities across networks and applications, and guide remediation with senior stakeholders.

You will plan, execute, and document engagements, delivering actionable findings and risk-based recommendations to protect critical infrastructure and national security assets.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of offensive security or penetration testing experience.
• Strong leadership and communication abilities.
• Advanced proficiency with penetration testing tooling across network, application, and wireless vectors.
• Strong technical writing and oral presentation skills meeting audit/executive standards.
• Ability to collaborate with federal and enterprise stakeholders.
• Preferred certifications: OSCP (highly valued)
• GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)
• CREST Registered Pen Tester (CRT)

Responsibilities

• Lead complex penetration testing engagements and guide junior testers on scoping, tooling, and reporting.
• Plan test approaches, perform advanced exploitation, and deliver detailed remediation reports.
• Define objectives and test boundaries with system owners and stakeholders.
• Design tailored test plans reflecting architecture and compliance.
• Lead 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 for remediation prioritization.
• Produce comprehensive reports for engineering and executives.
• Present findings and defend methodologies in briefs.
• Partner with developers, SOC, and risk teams to validate fixes.

Skills

Cybersecurity Operations

Network Penetration Testing

Penetration Testing Software

Vulnerability Management

Education

OSCP

GPEN

CRT

Tools

Nmap

Nessus

Metasploit

Burp Suite

CANVAS

Kismet

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, Network Penetration Testing, Penetration Testing Software, Vulnerability Management Certifications:

None Experience:

5 + 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 Senior 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 assessing the security of enterprise systems by emulating real‑world adversary behaviors to identify, validate, and help remediate vulnerabilities across networks, applications, and infrastructure. Operating within a high‑stakes cybersecurity mission environment, this role contributes directly to strengthening defensive capabilities and ensuring mission resilience.

The candidate will:

• Lead complex penetration testing engagements and guides junior and mid‑level testers in scoping, tooling, exploitation techniques, documentation quality, and professional development.
• Plan test approaches, perform advanced exploitation, and deliver detailed reporting that informs corrective actions across critical systems.
• Define objectives, rules of engagement, and test boundaries in partnership with system owners, ISSOs, engineering leads, and mission stakeholders.
• Design tailored test plans that reflect system architecture, threat scenarios, and compliance requirements.
• Lead hands‑on penetration testing across network, application, wireless, and enclave targets, using modern red‑team methodologies to discover and validate exploitable weaknesses.
• Employ industry tools and frameworks such as 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 support prioritization of remediation by system owners.
• Produce comprehensive technical reports that include vulnerability descriptions, reproduction steps, affected assets, exploit evidence, and prioritized remediation recommendations suitable for 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 advise on mitigation strategies and validate fixes during retesting cycles.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO SUCCEED

• Minimum of five (5) years of offensive security or penetration testing experience, leading complex assessments and delivering authoritative reports.
• Strong leadership and communication abilities.
• Advanced proficiency with penetration testing tooling and exploitation techniques, including 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.
• Preferred certifications: OSCP (highly valued)
• GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)
• CREST Registered Pen Tester (CRT)

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

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

Salary

The likely salary range for this position is $142,792 - $170,200. 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.

Working conditions

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Travel Required: Less than 10%

T elecommuting Options: Onsite

Work Location: USA VA Ashburn

Additiona