Senior Penetration Tester

GovCIO; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 125,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

GovCIO is seeking a Senior Penetration Tester with an active TS/SCI clearance to support DHS onsite in Washington, DC. The role leads advanced testing, vulnerability assessments, and threat-informed security in a TS/SCI environment.

Responsibilities include planning, guiding testing across systems and cloud resources, and mentoring staff while delivering actionable findings to leadership and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 12+ years of penetration testing experience.
• 8+ years of experience supporting enterprise security architectures and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
• Proven, extensive experience as a Penetration Tester in complex or classified environments.
• Advanced knowledge of penetration testing methodologies and offensive security techniques.
• Experience with AWS, Azure, RHEL, Linux, and Tenable.
• Hands-on experience with Kali Linux, Burp Suite Pro, and Metasploit.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and ability to think like an attacker.
• Clearance: Active TS/SCI.

Responsibilities

• Lead penetration testing operations for systems, networks, cloud resources, and web apps in TS/SCI environments.
• Execute comprehensive vulnerability assessments and document findings; drive remediation strategies.
• Analyze vulnerabilities and document findings like buffer overflows, SQLi, XSS, and more.
• Advise on security considerations during software acceptance activities and risk evaluation.
• Apply encryption, access control, and identity management to reduce exploitation risks.
• Provide threat intel and vulnerability research aligned with NIST 800-53 & MITRE ATT&CK.

Skills

Penetration testing

Cloud security

Stakeholder communication

Attacker mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Kali Linux

Burp Suite Pro

Metasploit

AWS

Azure

Tenable

RHEL

Linux

Job description

GovCIO is currently hiring for a Senior Pentration Tester with an active TS/SCI clearance to support DHS onsite in Washington, DC.

Responsibilities

The Senior Penetration Tester serves as Key Personnel responsible for leading advanced penetration testing and vulnerability assessment activities within a TS/SCI environment. This role ensures mission-critical security assurance across enterprise systems, applications, and cloud infrastructures by applying deep technical expertise, zero-trust principles, and attacker-focused methodologies. The Senior Penetration Tester guides technical direction, ensures rigorous execution, and provides authoritative recommendations to strengthen security posture across sensitive environments.

• Lead, plan, and oversee penetration testing operations for systems, networks, cloud resources, and web-based applications in a TS/SCI environment
• Execute comprehensive vulnerability assessments and software assurance evaluations; authoritatively document findings and drive remediation strategies
• Conduct deep technical analysis of vulnerabilities including buffer overflows, SQL injection, CSRF, XSS, race conditions (TOCTOU), XXE, encryption weaknesses, authentication bypass, and similar issues
• Assess and advise on security considerations during software acceptance activities, including criteria definition, risk acceptance evaluation, documentation review, and independent validation approaches
• Apply advanced security defense functions (encryption, access control, identity management) to reduce exploitation risks, including those related to supply chain considerations
• Provide threat intelligence insights and vulnerability research aligned with frameworks such as NIST 800-53 and MITRE ATT&CK to inform cloud security architecture decisions
• Develop new or enhanced penetration testing methodologies to identify emerging vulnerabilities and expand organizational capability
• Serve as a senior technical advisor and mentor to penetration testing staff; ensure consistency, quality, and rigor in testing execution
• Represent the penetration testing function in discussions with leadership, engineering teams, and mission stakeholders as required for Key Personnel roles

Qualifications

• Bachelor's with 12+ years of penetration testing experience (or commensurate experience)
• Minimum of 8 years of experience supporting enterprise security architectures and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• Proven, extensive experience as a Penetration Tester in complex or classified environments
• Advanced knowledge of penetration testing methodologies, offensive security techniques, and industry tools
• Experience with AWS, Azure, RHEL, Linux, and Tenable
• Hands-on experience with tools including Kali Linux, Burp Suite Pro, and Metasploit
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with an ability to think like an attacker
• Excellent communication skills to deliver clear, actionable findings to both technical and executive stakeholders
• Preferred certifications: CEH, OSCP, or equivalent offensive security certifications
• Clearance Required: Active TS/SCI clearance

Posted Salary Range

USD $124,540.00 - USD $180,000.00 /Yr.