Freelance Offensive Security Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

What is an Offensive Security Engineer?

We are seeking a diligent and experienced Offensive Security Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will be working within a group of highly motivated Information Technology and Cybersecurity professionals committed to keeping Central Hudson safe. The Offensive Security Engineer is responsible for conducting intelligenceled threat emulation and purple team exercises to simulate realworld adversaries, validate detection and response capabilities, and identify security control gaps. This role partners closely with the SOC, threat intelligence, detection engineering, and infrastructure teams to continuously validate detections, assess control effectiveness, and drive measurable improvements across the detectiontoremediation lifecycle. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of modern security principles, offensive security techniques, and attacker methodologies, along with excellent analytical skills and the ability to clearly communicate technical findings and risk to both technical and nontechnical stakeholders.

What does an Offensive Security Engineer do?

• Conducts targeted offensive testing activities in support of threat emulation and detection validation across networks, applications, cloud environments, and endpoints

• Executes intelligencedriven threat emulation exercises that replicate realworld adversaries, campaigns, and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs)

• Performs vulnerability remediation testing to validate the effectiveness of fixes and compensating controls

• Maps emulated activity to MITRE ATT&CK techniques and track detection coverage and gaps

• Develops and maintains custom tools, scripts, and payloads to support testing activities

• Safely exercises adversary techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of security controls and detections

• Partners with blue team, SOC, and engineering teams to test detection and response capabilities

• Implements, maintains, and enhances red team tooling and infrastructure to support penetration testing, adversary emulation, and purple team exercises

• Leads and executes purple team exercises in close coordination with the SOC and Blue Team, sharing findings, techniques, and actionable recommendations to strengthen detection, response, and recovery capabilities

• Assists in tuning and validating security controls, alerts, analytics, and incident response playbooks based on threat emulation outcomes

• Validates security detections across SIEM, EDR, identity, and cloud platforms using repeatable and measurable testing scenarios

• Produces clear, actionable reports detailing emulated adversary behavior, detection gaps, response gaps, and prioritized remediation guidance

• Presents results to technical teams and leadership, translating technical risk into business terms

• Tracks remediation progress and re-test identified issues

• Stays current on emerging threats, adversary techniques, and offensive security tooling

• Contributes to the development of red team methodologies, frameworks, and documentation

• Supports threat intelligence-driven testing aligned with real-world attack trends

• Consumes and operationalizes threat intelligence to inform adversary selection, scenario design, and testing priorities

• Promotes and raises awareness by educating others about the importance of cybersecurity

• Builds relationships with government and local agencies to promote collaborative information sharing

• Stays updated with the latest cybersecurity trends, threats, and technologies

• Participates in on-call as needed to respond to security incidents outside of regular working hours

• Provides support for storm restoration efforts

What does it take to be an Offensive Security Engineer?

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science or related field of study. In lieu of a bachelor's degree, an associate degree in the aforementioned fields and 3 years of information security engineering or related experience or a high school diploma or equivalency degree and 5 years of information security engineering or related experience will be considered

• Strong knowledge of network, application, and cloud security, including operating systems (Windows and Linux)

• Working knowledge of common offensive security tools, including but not limited to:

  • Metasploit, Cobalt Strike (or equivalents), Burp Suite, Nmap, BloodHound, and CrackMapExec

• Knowledge of vulnerability remediation testing and validating the effectiveness of security controls

• Demonstrated experience collaborating closely with SOC or Blue Team functions to improve detection and incident response maturity

• Ability to develop scripts or tools using Python, PowerShell, Bash, or C#

• Solid understanding of security operations and detection technologies, including SIEM, EDR, IDS/IPS, and endpoint protection, to support adversaryemulation and purpleteam activities

• Familiarity with industry security frameworks and methodologies, such as:

  • MITRE ATT&CK

  • NIST 80061 (Incident Response)

  • SANS / CIS Critical Security Controls

• Strong analytical and problemsolving skills with the ability to assess complex security issues

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly document findings and communicate risk to both technical and nontechnical audiences

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and respond professionally to constructive feedback

• Ability to work nights, weekends, holidays during a critical cyber incident or event

• Valid driver's license

Preferred:

• 3+ years of hands-on experience performing offensive security activities such as penetration testing, detection validation, adversary emulation, red teaming, or exploitation of applications, networks, and cloud environments

• Familiarity with evaluating security controls and risk exposure through an attacker's lens, including validation of compensating controls and secure design assumptions

• Experience identifying security weaknesses through threat modeling, attack simulations, and exploitation, with the ability to translate findings into actionable remediation guidance

• Experience in Energy & Utilities or services industry

• Relevant certifications such CISSP, CEH, GPEN, GCIH, OSCP, OSWE, or similar offensive security focused credentials

Applications will be accepted until July 9, 2026.

This position has a career path which allows for advancement opportunities within the Information Security Analyst job series. The title and level are commensurate with experience. Pay range: $73,000 - $171,300

Please go to https://www.cenhud.com/employment. Click the "Search Career Opportunities" button. Follow the directions to submit an application and upload your resume for the desired position.

Applications sent via e-mail and US Mail will not be accepted. No phone calls or agencies, please. All replies will be held in strict confidence.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, arrest or conviction record, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, citizenship, genetic information, familial status, marital status, pregnancy-related condition, domestic violence victim status, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation takes affirmative action in support of its policy to employ and advance employment in individuals who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

VEVRAA FEDERAL CONTRACTOR