Penetration Tester Team Lead

R-00182515

Description

The U.S.   Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Security Operations Center (SOC) is a U . S .   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   Testing Team Lead   to join our team supporting   CBP.   As the leader of this highly technical Penetration Testing Team supporting CBP, you   will be responsible for   managing the   day-to-day   operations of the team,   coordinating efforts of the team, leading by example, and   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   lead   a team   of   skilled penetration testers .   

 

Primary Responsibilities:  

• Responsible for managing the team of Penetration Testers, penetration tests, the   scheduling   and coordination of   pentests ,   
  

• Lead and execute advanced penetration testing , purple team engagements, and   red team engagements across complex enterprise environments, including internal/external network infrastructure,   Active Directory domains, APIs,   hybrid cloud architectures ,   and on-prem systems .   
  

• Develop ,   coordinate   and   enforce Rules of Engagement (ROE) for penetration tests ,   lead stakeholder planning sessions to define scope and constraints   of upcoming   pentests ,   and deliver clear, actionable   outbriefings   on findings, impact, and remediation to technical and executive audiences.  
  

• Develop,   modify , and deploy custom exploits, payloads, and tooling, including scripting in Python,   Ruby,   PowerShell, Bash, and   other languages   to bypass security controls, automate attack paths, and enhance tradecraft .   
  

• Conduct penetration testing activities aligned with CBP and industry best practices.  
  

• Provide real-time technical mentorship during engagements, including pair ed   testing, whiteboarding attack paths, and guiding junior testers through exploitation chains   and industry best practices.   
  

• Maintain accountability for engagement quality and technical depth, reviewing findings,   validating   exploit paths, and ensuring reports accurately reflect risk, attack feasibility,   potential   impact s, and recommended remediations.   
  

• Conduct technical oversight and quality assurance across all engagements, reviewing testing approaches,   validating   exploit chains, and ensuring consistency in   methodology , depth, and reporting standards across the team   and engagements.   
  

• Lead purple team collaboration efforts   from the   pentest   perspective , working directly with   the CBP SOC,   detection engineering team , and Cyber Threat Hunt team   to   execute actions designed to   validate   detections, tune SIEM use cases, and improve defensive posture .   
  

• Mentor and develop team members through structured and   ad hoc   technical coaching, raising the overall capability of the team while   maintaining   individual technical   skillsets and experience.   
  

• Utilize the MITRE ATT&CK framework to understand   and emulate   TTPs of adversaries, threat actors, APTs, and threats targeting   CBP   and map   operations   to ATT&CK techniques and sub-techniques.   
  

• Create detailed reports listing vulnerabilities   identified   during   pentests , with actionable mitigation recommendations following completion of   pentest   engagements.   
  

• Stay actively engaged in emerging vulnerability research, exploit techniques, and adversary methodologies, rapidly integrating new capabilities into both personal and team operations .   
  

• Foster a high-performance, technically rigorous team culture, driving continuous learning through labs, internal exercises, and knowledge-sharing sessions while   nurturing   cutting-edge   offensive skillsets .   
  

 

 

Basic Qualifications:  

T5:   Candidate shall have a minimum of a Bachelors and   twelve   ( 12 ) years of professional experience   penetration testing, red teaming, or offensive security   experience ,   with a minimum of four (4) years of experience directly leading a Penetration Testing Team.   Additional years of experience can be accepted in lieu of degree.

 

T6:   Candidate shall have a minimum of  a Bachelors and fifteen   ( 15 ) years of professional experience   penetration testing, red teaming, or offensive security   experience,   with a minimum of four (4) years of experience directly leading a Penetration Testing Team.   Additional years of experience can be accepted in lieu of degree.

 

• Must have an active TS/SCI.  
  

• Demonstrated   expertise   in multi-layer exploitation, with the ability to   identify , chain, and execute attacks across network infrastructure, operating systems (Windows/Linux), web applications, APIs, and cloud platforms; proven capability to move from   initial   access through full domain or environment compromise .   
  

• P roficiency   with offensive security tooling and frameworks, including Cobalt Strike, Mythic, Sliver, Metasploit, Burp Suite Pro,   BloodHound , Nmap, and similar tools   with specific   experience   modifying   and extending tools to evade controls .   
  

• Strong understanding of enterprise networking and protocols   with the   ability to   enumerate , pivot, and exploit across complex, segmented network environments .   
  

• Hands-on experience with cloud and modern infrastructure security, familiarity with IAM abuse, privilege escalation, token theft, insecure configurations, and lateral movement within cloud-native services and hybrid environments .   
  

• In-depth knowledge of operating systems and security controls, including Windows /Linux   internals, endpoint protections, logging mechanisms, and common defensive controls   with a   demonstrated ability to bypass or evade these protections during engagements .   
  

• Proven leadership and team management experience, including leading technical teams through complex engagements, mentoring junior and mid-level testers, conducting quality assurance on deliverables, and managing multiple concurrent assessments without sacrificing technical depth .   
  

• Strong communication   skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical findings, attack paths, and risk implications to both technical stakeholders and executive leadership through written reports and verbal briefings  
  
• Must be a US Citizen
  
• Must be able to travel to the Ashburn VA office location up to 5 days per week
  

 

Core Certifications:   At least one certification   from the   below   list :  

• OSCP   
  

• OSCE  
  

• OSWP   
  

• OSEE  
  

• GPEN   
  

• GISF   
  

• GXPN  
  

• GWAPT   
  

 

 

Clearance:    

• All CBP SOC employees   are required to   favorably pass a 5-year Background Investigation   (BI)  
  

• The candidate must currently   possess   a   Top Secret   Clearance with the ability to obtain a Top Secret/SCI Clearance  
  

 

Preferred Qualifications:    

• Experience conducting full-scope red team operations and adversary emulation campaigns .   
  

• Familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK framework and threat-informed testing methodologies .   
  

• Knowledge of container and Kubernetes security testing .   
  

• Prior experience supporting federal or regulated environments .
  

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: May 5, 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 $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com .

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits .

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.