Red Team Operator (Senior)

Cyber Defense Technologies; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Retirement plan

Job summary

Cyber Defense Technologies is seeking a Senior Red Team Operator to lead and execute adversarial security engagements for a government client onsite in Chantilly, VA. You will guide design and testing to identify weaknesses and translate findings into real-world attack strategies.

You will mentor junior operators, shape Red Team strategy, and deliver clear, actionable reports to client leadership and legal teams.

Qualifications

• Relevant degree with professional experience as listed (HS Diploma with 15 years, Associate with 12 years, Bachelor's with 8 years, or Master's with 5 years).
• Experience in network penetration testing and manipulation of network infrastructure.
• Shell scripting or automation using Perl, Python, or Ruby.
• Experience developing, extending, or modifying exploits or exploit tools.
• Experience with Red, Blue, or Purple teaming exercises.
• Knowledge of exfiltration and lateral movement tradecraft.
• OSINT collection/recon techniques for target selection.
• Strong attention to detail with analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with security testing tools (Kali Linux, Metasploit, Burp Suite, Cobalt Strike, BloodHound, Nessus, NMAP, Nikto, sqlmap).
• 8570 Level 3 IAT certification

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate an ability to structure a Red Team and optimize it for execution.
• Lead full scope Red Team testing: network, web app, threat analysis, wireless, social-engineering, and evasion.
• Use OS, networking, firewalls, databases, and scripting to perform adversarial engagements.
• Develop comprehensive reports and presentations for technical and executive audiences.
• Mentor and lead junior operators and translate technical information to senior management.
• Help define Red Team strategy to enhance security posture.
• Communicate findings to client stakeholders including technical staff and executives.
• Provide risk-based remediation recommendations.
• Configure and safely utilize attacker tools and procedures to improve security posture.
• Develop scripts/tools to enhance Red Team processes.
• Mentor and lead junior Red Team Operators.

Skills

Network pen testing

Shell scripting

Exploitation development

Red/Blue/Purple teaming

OSINT

Threat analysis

Adversarial testing

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a technical field

Master's Degree (preferred)

8570 Level 3 IAT certification

Tools

Kali Linux

Metasploit

Burp Suite

Cobalt Strike

BloodHound

PowerShell Empire

Nessus

Web Inspect

NMAP

Nikto

sqlmap

Job description

Cyber Defense Technologies (CDT) is looking for a Senior Red Team Operator to support a government customer onsite in Chantilly, VA. You will be responsible to lead in the design and execution of adversarial based security testing of various targets. Successful candidates must be capable of evaluating environments, applications, systems or processes to discover weaknesses, and subsequently leverage those discoveries into actionable real world attack strategies. Will provide leadership and guidance to advance the operational capabilities of the team and its subsequent ability to evaluate risk to the enterprise. Candidates with OSCP certification are highly recommended to apply.

Clearance

An active Top Secret/SCI with CI Poly is required. Candidates who do not meet these requirements will not be considered.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate an ability to structure a Red Team and optimize it for execution, including programmatic improvements to fill in gaps with the existing team.
• Perform and lead a full scope of Red Team testing; including network penetration, web application testing, threat analysis, wireless network assessments, social-engineering testing, and IDS/IPS/Antivirus evasion techniques.
• Utilize knowledge of operating systems, networking protocols, firewalls, databases, firmware, middleware, applications, forensic analysis, scripting, and programming to perform adversarial based security engagements.
• Develop comprehensive and accurate reports and presentations for both technical and executive audiences.
• Mentor and lead junior technical operators and clearly translate highly technical information to senior management in a way that supports mission goals.
• Help define the Red Team strategy to further enhance the organization’s security posture.
• Effectively communicate findings and strategy to client stakeholders including technical staff, executive leadership, and legal counsel.
• Provide risk-appropriate and pragmatic recommendations to correct vulnerabilities found.
• Configure and safely utilize attacker tools, tactics, and procedures to improve the security posture of mission systems.
• Develop scripts, tools, or methodologies to enhance the Red Team processes.
• Mentor and lead junior Red Team Operators.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma/GED, Associates Degree and 15 years of work experience or Associate's Degree and 12 years of work experience or Bachelor's Degree and 8 years of work experience or Master's Degree and 5 years of work experience.
• Experience in network penetration testing and manipulation of network infrastructure.
• Experience in shell scripting or automation of simple tasks using Perl, Python, or Ruby.
• Experience developing, extending, or modifying exploits, shellcode or exploit tools.
• Experience with Red, Blue, or Purple teaming exercises.
• Working knowledge of exfiltration and lateral movement tradecraft.
• Working knowledge of OSINT collection/ reconnaissance techniques for target selection.
• Strong attention to detail with analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of tools used for web application and network security testing, such as Kali Linux, Metasploit, Burp suite, Cobalt Strike, Bloodhound, Powershell Empire, Nessus, Web Inspect, NMAP, Nikto, Sqlmap, etc.
• 8570 Level 3 IAT certification.

Desired Qualifications

• A degree in a technical field (Computer Science, IT Engineering, etc).
• Solid understanding of common hosting environments such as containerization platforms (e.g., Docker and Kubernetes) and virtual machines running under hypervisors.
• Experience with source code review for control flow and security flaws.
• An implementation level familiarity with all common classes of modern exploitation such as: XSS, XMLi, SQLi, Deserialization Attacks, etc.
• Thorough understanding of network protocols, data on the wire, and covert channels.
• Mastery of Unix/Linux/Mac/Windows operating systems, including bash and Powershell.
• Experience in mobile and/or web application assessments.
• Experience in email, phone, or physical social-engineering assessments.
• Programming skills as well as the ability to read and assess applications written in multiple languages, such as JAVA, .NET, C#, or others.
• Emulate ransomware and advanced persistent threats (APT) in support of Threat Hunt.
• Industry certifications such as OSCP/OSCE, OSWE, GPEN, GCIH, GWAPT, or GXPN.

Why Join Cyber Defense Technologies?

At CDT, we offer a collaborative and inclusive work environment where your expertise in Red Team Operator can help shape the future of cybersecurity and engineering solutions.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, and retirement plans.
• Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
• Salary: $160,000 - $210,000