... threat emulation * Familiarity with purple team collaboration and detection engineering workflows Why Join Us * Fully remote -- work from wherever you do your best work * Freelance autonomy with ...
... threat emulation * Familiarity with purple team collaboration and detection engineering workflows Why Join Us * Fully remote -- work from wherever you do your best work * Freelance autonomy with ...
Freelance Emulation Engineer information
See salary details
$23.52 is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$14.90 - $25.57
31% of jobs
The median wage is $32.14 / hr.
$25.57 - $36.23
31% of jobs
$36.23 - $46.90
4% of jobs
$56.23 is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$46.90 - $57.56
10% of jobs
$57.56 - $68.23
9% of jobs
$68.23 - $78.89
5% of jobs
$78.89 - $89.55
0% of jobs
$89.55 - $100.22
8% of jobs
$100.22 - $110.88
0% of jobs
$110.88 - $121.55
0% of jobs
$121.55 - $132.21
1% of jobs
$14
$47
$132
How much do freelance emulation engineer jobs pay per hour?
As of May 28, 2026, the average hourly pay for freelance emulation engineer in the United States is $47.71, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $24.28 and $61.78 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.
What are the most commonly searched types of Emulation Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Emulation Engineer jobs are:
Full-time
Posted 10 days ago
Job description
Lead Penetration Tester
What if your ability to think like an attacker could directly make organizations more secure? We're looking for a Lead Penetration Tester to conduct sophisticated offensive security engagements — probing applications, networks, and cloud environments for vulnerabilities before the real adversaries do.
This is a fully remote contract role built for experienced offensive security professionals who thrive on technical challenge, think creatively under pressure, and communicate findings with clarity and precision.
What You'll Do
- Plan and execute penetration tests across web applications, internal and external networks, and cloud infrastructure
- Identify, validate, and exploit vulnerabilities to demonstrate real-world impact
- Conduct post-exploitation analysis to assess the full scope and blast radius of discovered weaknesses
- Deliver clear, structured technical reports with actionable severity assessments and remediation guidance
- Challenge and validate defensive assumptions — test detection logic, not just defenses
- Support recurring red-team and purple-team engagements alongside security operations teams
Who You Are
Must-Have:
- Proven background in offensive security, penetration testing, or red teaming
- Hands-on experience with common exploitation frameworks, tools, and methodologies (Metasploit, Burp Suite, Cobalt Strike, or similar)
- Strong ability to think like an adversary and replicate real-world attack chains
- Skilled at writing structured, professional technical reports that non-technical stakeholders can act on
- Self-directed and reliable — you can manage engagements independently without hand-holding
Nice to Have:
- Offensive security certifications (OSCP, OSWE, OSEP, CRTO, or similar)
- Experience with cloud-specific attack paths (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Background in red team operations, adversary simulation, or threat emulation
- Familiarity with purple team collaboration and detection engineering workflows
Why Join Us
- Fully remote — work from wherever you do your best work
- Freelance autonomy with consistent, substantive engagements
- Work on technically challenging targets across diverse environments
- Contribute findings that directly improve real-world security posture
- Potential for ongoing contract work and expanded engagements over time