Penetration Tester

Company: Leidos
Location: Ashburn
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Security Operations Center (SOC) is a US Government program responsible to prevent, identify, contain and eradicate cyber threats to CBP networks through monitoring, intrusion detection and protective security services to CBP information systems including local area networks/wide area networks (LAN/WAN), commercial Internet connection, public facing websites, wireless, mobile/cellular, cloud, security devices, servers and workstations. The CBP SOC is responsible for the overall security of CBP Enterprise-wide information systems, and collects, investigates, and reports any suspected and confirmed security violations. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Penetration Tester to join our team supporting the CBP SOC . Th is candidate will be responsible for conducting comprehensive security assessments of CBP FISMA systems with the purpose of identifying vulnerabilities and providing actionable recommendations to enhance the security posture of CBP's critical systems and networks. This role requires a deep understanding of offensive cybersecurity techniques, strong analytical capabilities, detailed report writing skills and the ability to work as part of a team. Primary Responsibilities: Conduct penetration testing activities aligned with CBP and industry best practices. Perform internal and external web application, network, and infrastructure pentest assessments using commercial and open-source tools. Execute testing operations safely and in accordance with defined operational guidelines. Produce detailed reports outlining findings and actionable remediation recommendations. Partner with SOC, engineering, and security teams to validate and remediate vulnerabilities. Support tool development, methodology improvements, and team-wide knowledge sharing. Assist in verifying Bug Bounty findings and remediations Basic Qualifications: Bachelors’ degree from an accredited college in a related discipline, or equivalent experience/combined education, with 3 to 5(T3)/ 5 to 8 (T4) years of professional experience; or 3 to 5 years of professional experience with a Masters’ degree. 3(T3) / 5 (T4) years in Pen Testing and Vulnerability Assessment, with specific emphasis on web application and enterprise network environments. 3-5 (T3) 5-8(T4) years of p rofessional experience in incident detection and response, malware analysis, or cyber forensics. Specific experience (1-3 years for T3) or (3-5 years for T4) in at least 1 o f the following specialties: Network pentesting Web application pentesting Active directory pentesting Mobile application pen testing Cloud infrastructure pen testing RF pent esting Experience with 1-3 (T3) 3-5(T4) of the tools listed below: Kali Linux Metaspoilt Burp suite pro Cobalt Strike / Sliver Tenable Nessus Tenable Security Center Bloodhound BladeRF / HakRF Hak5 equipment Wireshark / tcpdump Prowler Scoutsuite Core Certifications: At least one pentesting certification: OSCP GPEN CRTO OSWP GWAPT AWS Solutions Architect Associate Clearance: In addition to specific security clearance requirements all CBP SOC employees are required to successfully complete a CBP Background Investigation to support this program Pre ferred Qualifications : CISSP GISF GXPN OSCE OSEE AWS Certified Security - Specialty Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Ability to brief senior government leadership on pentesting requirements and results Red Team operator experience Experience creating and updating SOPs Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills Communication Skills If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares. Original Posting: January 23, 2026 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above. Pay Range: Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

Keywords: Leidos, Sterling , Penetration Tester, IT / Software / Systems , Ashburn, Virginia