Senior Penetration Tester with Security Clearance

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 $ - USD $ /Yr.