Purple Team Associate: Sysadmin to Security Research

Cobalt; United States; Remote; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Equity plan

401(k) program (US)

Work-from-home equipment stipend

Paid time off

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Cobalt is seeking an Associate Security Researcher to evolve security research beyond breaking things, focusing on understanding why and how defenses work. The role blends systems administration with security research in a unique Purple Team setup, serving as a bridge between red and blue teams.

You will support research operations, set up lab environments, document findings, and pursue a growth path into advanced offensive security research, with mentorship from Senior Researchers.

Qualifications

• Sysadmin background including servers, networking, logs and IT operations.
• Strong security fundamentals; may hold Security+, CySA+, GSEC or be pursuing OSCP.
• Familiarity with penetration testing methodology (recon, scan, exploitation).
• US-based residency is required for logistical/compliance reasons.
• Preference for candidates in EST or CST time zones to match team meetings.

Responsibilities

• Setup and maintain research environments and lab infrastructure.
• Collaborate in Purple Team activities; document detection gaps and defenses.
• Support senior researchers with data collection, log analysis and triage.
• Document research findings, scripts, and internal wikis with high quality.
• Engage in a growth path from sysadmin tasks to offensive security research.
• Review penetration testing findings and final reports to ensure remediation guidance.

Skills

Sysadmin background

Security fundamentals

Pentesting basics

EST/CST time zone

Automation scripting (Python/Bash/PSH)

Job description

Cobalt is seeking an Associate Security Researcher to evolve security research beyond breaking things, focusing on understanding why and how defenses work. The role blends systems administration with security research in a unique Purple Team setup, serving as a bridge between red and blue teams.

You will support research operations, set up lab environments, document findings, and pursue a growth path into advanced offensive security research, with mentorship from Senior Researchers.