Penetration Tester

Relocation assistance may be available. Active Top Secret clearance required for start. Travel required: 10% of the time.

About the Role

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage, and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity, and bringing your whole self to work.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking a Cyber Protection Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals conducting penetration and cybersecurity testing activities in San Antonio, TX. In this role, the Cyber Protection Engineer assesses and tests system cybersecurity requirements, system security architecture, and system security layout. The candidate will operate in a team environment and collaborate across the organization (as required) to accomplish team goals by coordinating with customers and other testing organizations.

Responsibilities

• Conduct cloud-focused penetration testing and security assessment activities to identify vulnerabilities, attack paths, and potential threat vectors across cloud-native and hybrid environments.
• Support offensive security operations targeting cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, containerized workloads, applications, and enterprise services within AWS, Azure, and related platforms.
• Assist with development of attack methodologies, testing procedures, and technical analysis while collaborating with senior operators and engineers.
• Apply cybersecurity knowledge to evaluate cloud security posture, validate security controls, and contribute to technical reporting, operational recommendations, and remediation guidance.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree and 2 years of related experience; or a Master's degree and 0 years of related experience. Note: 6 years of related experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• US Citizenship is required.
• Active US Government Top Secret Security Clearance is required with the ability to obtain an SCI.
• Must possess or have ability to obtain a DoD 8570 Certification for IAT Level II or higher (Sec+, CCNA, CySA+ or CND) prior to start.
• Experience conducting penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, or security assessments.
• Experience or familiarity with containerization and virtualization technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or VMware.
• Knowledge of Windows and Linux operating systems, networking fundamentals, and common enterprise architecture.
• Experience using scripting or automation languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell to support testing, analysis, or operational workflows.
• Familiarity with offensive security methodologies, vulnerability management processes, and common attacker TTPs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure, including familiarity with IAM, networking, storage, logging, and security services.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipeline technologies and concepts, including GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
• Ability to analyze technical findings and contribute to assessment reports, presentations, and client deliverables, and communicate findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience assessing cloud-native technologies, including Kubernetes, containers, serverless functions, or Infrastructure-as-Code deployments.
• Familiarity with cloud security assessment tools, vulnerability scanners, and offensive security frameworks.
• Familiarity with Terraform, Ansible, ARM templates, CloudFormation, or Infrastructure-as-Code concepts.
• Experience with logging, monitoring, and detection technologies such as Splunk, Sentinel, ELK, Defender, or CrowdStrike.
• Familiarity with RMF, A&A activities, STIGs, SCAP, ACAS, or cybersecurity compliance frameworks.
• Ability to rapidly learn emerging technologies, cloud attack methodologies, and evolving threat landscapes.
• Relevant certifications such as AWS Security Specialty, Azure Security Engineer Associate, PenTest+, CySA+, CEH, AZ-500, SC-200, CRTO, GPEN, GXPN, OSCP, or similar cybersecurity certifications.

Pay

Primary level salary range: $103,600.00 - $125,200.00. The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills, and current market conditions. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business