Penetration Tester; Junior

Valiant Solutions is seeking a Penetration Tester (Junior) to join the Red Cell team supporting our government customer's cybersecurity risk management program. In this role, you will perform and lead penetration tests of customer systems, identify exploitable vulnerabilities, and recommend remediations that satisfy mandated NIST SP 800-53 security controls. You will apply recognized assessment methodologies, including NIST SP 800-115, the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), and the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG).

You will also report and demonstrate your findings directly to system owners and engineers.

Named one of the Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work every year since 2014, Valiant is proud of our employee-centric culture and commitment to excellence.

Location: Remote with ad hoc travel to the Washington DC Metro area.

This position allows for 100% remote work. Remote work requires a high level of trust in our employees, and we strictly adhere to the details outlined in our Remote Work Policy below.

Required Clearance: Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance

Eligibility Requirements: U.S. citizenship is required to obtain the necessary clearance for this position.

Required

Education / Certifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Information Systems, Information Assurance, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• An industry professional certification such as CCNA Cyber Ops, CCNA Security, CEH, CFR, CompTIA Cloud+, CySA+, GCIA, GCIH, GICSP, SCYBER, Security+ CE, or SSCP.

Required Experience:

• 3 to 5 years of penetration testing experience.
• Demonstrated experience with Kali Linux.
• Demonstrated experience with penetration testing tools, including Nmap, Burp Suite, and Metasploit.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate vulnerabilities, perform root cause analysis, and report findings using assessment methodologies such as NIST SP 800-115, PTES, ISSAF, and OWASP WSTG.
• Ability to explain and demonstrate technical findings clearly to system owners and engineers.
• Working knowledge of NIST SP 800-53 security controls.

Responsibilities:

• Support the Red Cell team by performing and leading penetration tests that assess the security of customer systems.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration tests of information systems.
• Identify vulnerabilities and develop recommended remediations that satisfy mandated NIST SP 800-53 security controls.
• Evaluate vulnerabilities and perform root cause analysis using assessment methodologies, including NIST SP 800-115, PTES, the Information Systems Security Assessment Framework (ISSAF), and OWASP WSTG.
• Report and demonstrate findings to system owners and engineers.
• Maintain Red Cell infrastructure.
• Develop or modify tools that automate discovery or exploitation.
• Apply knowledge of computer and network forensics to testing activities.
• Research and maintain proficiency in tools, techniques, countermeasures, and trends in computer and network vulnerabilities, data hiding, and encryption.
• Develop testing methodology and present solutions to problems across multiple complex assignments.
• Contribute to program deliverables and performance metrics.

Valiant Solutions delivers cybersecurity and IT services to federal civilian, defense, and national security customers nationwide. We support the full cyber lifecycle, from secure system design and accreditation through AI-enabled operations, threat emulation, and continuous improvement, across classified and unclassified environments. Our work is independently certified for quality and security, including CMMI, CMMC, and ISO certifications.

Valiant is a multi-year Washington Business Journal Best Places to Work winner, and our growth and cyber leadership have been recognized by Washington Technology, Northern Virginia Technology Council, and the Triangle Business Journal. We offer strong benefits, rewards for earning industry certifications, and room to grow your career as we grow. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, our distributed workforce supports customers from coast to coast.

We go where the stakes are highest, and the margin for error is zero.

Valiant takes care of the people who support our customers, with real choices in coverage and real investment in your career. Eligible full-time employees receive:

• A choice of medical plans, from an affordable HSA option to a full-featured PPO, with generous…