Red Team Penetration Tester III

Catapult Federal Services; Virginia Beach (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Catapult Federal Services is seeking a highly skilled Red Team Penetration Tester III in Virginia Beach to conduct advanced engagements, simulate real-world cyber threats, and identify security weaknesses across systems and environments.

The candidate will leverage expertise in Metasploit, NMAP, Kali Linux, and Cobalt Strike, and will emulate threat actor behaviors while working with Linux, Windows, and macOS environments.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance required.
• 7+ years of full-time penetration testing or offensive cyber operations.
• Experience developing and utilizing penetration tools such as Metasploit, NMAP, Kali Linux, Cobalt Strike.
• Ability to mimic threat behavior in enterprise environments.
• Experience with Linux, Windows, and macOS operating systems.
• Identify gaps in tools and techniques, and improve tooling.
• Proficiency in at least two scripting languages (e.g., Python, C++, Java, Rust).
• CSSP Auditor certification.
• OSCP/OSCE/OSEE/OSWP certification required.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and document red team engagements and penetration tests.
• Emulate advanced persistent threat behaviors to test defenses.
• Develop and deploy tools such as Metasploit, NMAP, Kali Linux, and Cobalt Strike.
• Perform exploit development and scripting to mimic threat actors.
• Identify gaps in security tools and processes and provide remediation recommendations.
• Work with Linux, Windows, and macOS environments.
• Use Active Directory to simulate lateral movement and privilege escalation.
• Apply programming or scripting in at least two languages.
• Collaborate with Blue Teams and SOC to report findings.

Skills

Active TS/SCI clearance

Penetration testing

Threat emulation

Offensive cybersecurity

Scripting languages

Linux

Windows

macOS

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity or related field

Associate degree + 10 years experience

Tools

Metasploit

NMAP

Kali Linux

Cobalt Strike

Job description

*NOT OPEN TO C2C OR W2 REFERRALS AT THIS TIME*

Clearance: TS/SCI

Overview:

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Red Team Penetration Tester III to join our cybersecurity team. This individual will be responsible for conducting advanced penetration tests, simulating real-world cyber threats, and identifying security weaknesses across various systems and environments. The ideal candidate will possess a strong offensive cybersecurity background, expert-level knowledge of threat actor tactics, and deep technical expertise in penetration testing tools and methodologies.

Requirements:

• Must have an active TS/SCI clearance
• Seven (7) years of full-time professional experience conducting penetration testing or offensive Cyber operations in the following areas:
• Developing and utilizing penetration tools such as Metasploit, NMAP, Kali Linux, Cobalt Strike;
• Mimicking threat behavior;
• Utilizing various operating systems (examples include Linux, Windows, MAC OS, etc.);
• Identifying gaps in tools and development techniques;
• Performing development with at least two scripting or programming languages (examples include python, C++, Java, Rust, Assembly, C#, etc.).
• Must have a CSSP Auditor certification.
• Must have one of the following Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), or Offensive Security Certified Expert (OSCE), or Offensive Security Exploitation Expert (OSEE), or Offensive Security Wireless Professional (OSWP) certification.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Cyber Operations, Cyber Engineering, Information System, Information Technology, Computer, Electrical, or Electronics Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics with a concentration in Computer Science, or equivalent to above disciplines, OR an Associate's degree and 10 years of relevant experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and document sophisticated red team engagements and penetration tests.
• Emulate advanced persistent threat (APT) behaviors to evaluate enterprise-level defenses.
• Develop and utilize tools such as Metasploit, NMAP, Kali Linux, and Cobalt Strike.
• Perform exploit development and scripting to mimic threat actor capabilities.
• Identify gaps in existing security tools, processes, and defensive technologies.
• Work with various operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS.
• Utilize Active Directory to simulate lateral movement and privilege escalation scenarios.
• Apply programming or scripting in at least two languages (e.g., Python, C++, Java, Rust, Assembly, C#).
• Collaborate with Blue Teams and SOC personnel to provide findings and recommendations for remediation.