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$19K

$52.5K

$88K

How much do junior pentester jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for junior pentester in the United States is $52,462.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $36,000.00 and $57,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What's the less a pentester gets paid?

Entry-level junior pentesters typically earn the lowest salaries in cybersecurity, often starting around $50,000 to $70,000 annually depending on location and company size. Factors such as certifications like OSCP or CEH, and hands-on skills with tools like Kali Linux, can influence starting pay rates.

How long does it take to become a pentester?

Becoming a junior pentester typically requires 6 months to 2 years of dedicated learning, including gaining knowledge of networking, operating systems, and security tools. Many professionals pursue certifications like the CompTIA Security+ or Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) to validate skills and improve job prospects.

How to get a junior cyber security job?

To secure a junior pentester position, candidates should develop foundational knowledge of cybersecurity principles, learn common tools like Kali Linux and Metasploit, and gain hands-on experience through labs or internships. Earning relevant certifications such as CompTIA Security+ or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) can also improve job prospects and demonstrate technical competence.

What is the difference between Junior Pentester vs Security Analyst?

AspectJunior PentesterSecurity Analyst
CertificationsCompTIA Security+, CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)CompTIA Security+, CISSP (entry-level roles)
Work EnvironmentConducts penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, often in labs or client sitesMonitors security systems, analyzes threats, and develops security policies
Employer & Industry UsageCybersecurity firms, consulting companies, IT departmentsCorporate IT departments, government agencies, financial institutions

Junior Pentesters focus on identifying vulnerabilities through simulated attacks, while Security Analysts monitor and respond to security threats. Both roles require foundational cybersecurity knowledge and certifications, but their daily tasks and objectives differ. Understanding these differences helps in choosing the right career path or job search focus.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Junior Pentester, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Junior Pentester, you need a solid understanding of networking, operating systems, cybersecurity fundamentals, and often a relevant degree or certification like CompTIA Security+ or OSCP. Familiarity with penetration testing tools such as Metasploit, Burp Suite, and Nmap is typically required. Analytical thinking, attention to detail, and strong communication skills help you identify vulnerabilities and clearly report findings. These skills are crucial for safely discovering security flaws and effectively assisting organizations in improving their cybersecurity posture.

What jobs can you do with cyber security?

A Junior Pentester is a cybersecurity professional who identifies vulnerabilities in computer systems and applications through penetration testing. Cybersecurity skills can also lead to roles such as security analyst, security engineer, incident responder, security consultant, and security architect, often requiring knowledge of tools like Kali Linux, Metasploit, and scripting languages. Certifications like CompTIA Security+ or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) can enhance job prospects in this field.

What are some common challenges a Junior Pentester faces when starting out, and how can they overcome them?

As a Junior Pentester, one of the most common challenges is bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. You may encounter unfamiliar systems or security controls, which can be daunting at first. To overcome these challenges, it's helpful to actively seek mentorship from more experienced team members, participate in capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions, and continuously practice in lab environments. Collaboration with developers and IT staff is also key, as effective communication of findings and recommendations is critical to success in this role.

What are Junior Pentesters?

Junior Pentesters are entry-level cybersecurity professionals who assist in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, and applications. They perform tasks such as vulnerability scanning, basic penetration testing, and reporting under the supervision of more experienced team members. Their work helps organizations strengthen their security by finding and fixing weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors.
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Junior Pentester jobs near you

Senior Manual Ethical Hacker

Bank of America

Jersey City, NJ

$104K - $134K/yr

Full-time

PTO

Posted 28 days ago

Job description

Job Description:

At Bank of America, we are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better through the power of every connection. We do this by driving Responsible Growth and delivering for our clients, teammates, communities and shareholders every day.
Being a Great Place to Work is core to how we drive Responsible Growth. This includes our commitment to being an inclusive workplace, attracting and developing exceptional talent, supporting our teammates' physical, emotional, and financial wellness, recognizing and rewarding performance, and how we make an impact in the communities we serve.
Bank of America is committed to an in-office culture with specific requirements for office-based attendance and which allows for an appropriate level of flexibility for our teammates and businesses based on role-specific considerations.
At Bank of America, you can build a successful career with opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact. Join us!

Job Description:

Manual Ethical Hacking is part of the Application Development Security Framework Program within Bank of America's Cyber Security Assurance Offensive Security group. The program provides services to assess the security resilience of the bank's applications to malicious hacking activity.

This senior technical role is responsible performing and leading ethical hacking assessments of the bank's technologies, applications, and cyber security controls while adapting testing methods to evolving and emerging threats. Key responsibilities include leading and performing research, understanding the bank's security policies, working with appropriate partners to complete assessments and simulations, identifying misconfigurations and vulnerabilities, and reporting on associated risk. These individuals partner closely with security partners, CIO clients and multiples lines of business. These individuals are expected to perform application security-oriented dynamic and static assessments across a multitude of technologies including web UI, web APIs, mobile and cloud, including associated source code.

Key Responsibilities in order of importance:

  • Perform assigned analysis of internal and external threats on information systems and predict future threat behavior.

  • Incorporate threat actors' tactics, techniques, and procedures into offensive security testing to identify high-value vulnerabilities/chained attacks.

  • Developing Proof-of-concepts for exploitation.

  • Perform assessments of the security, effectiveness, and practicality of multiple technology systems.

  • Leverage innovative thinking to help solve problems or introduce new ideas to processes or products applicable to offensive security.

  • Prepare and present detailed technical information for various media including documents, reports, and notifications.

  • Provide clear and practical advice regarding managing risks.

  • Learn and develop advanced technical and leadership skills, mentor Junior and Intermediate assessors in technical tradecraft and soft skills.

  • Respond to security incidents and provide technical assistance to leadership across the Information Security organization.

Required Skills:

  • Minimum of 5+ years of professional pentesting, application security or ethical hacking experience, preferably in a large, complex, enterprise environment

  • Detailed technical knowledge in at least 5 of the following areas:

    • security engineering

    • application architecture

    • authentication and security protocols

    • application session management

    • applied cryptography

    • common communication protocols

    • mobile frameworks

    • single sign-on technologies

    • exploit automation platforms

    • Web APIs

    • Cloud environments

    • LLM security

    • Mobile application analysis

  • Able to manually identify and reproduce findings, discuss remediation concepts, develop PoCs for vulnerabilities, use scripting/coding techniques, proficiently execute common penetration testing tools, triage, and support incidents, and produce high value findings

  • Experience performing manual web application assessments i.e., must be able to simulate a OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities without the use of tools

  • Experience performing manual code reviews for security relevant issues

  • Experience working with DAST and SAST tools to identify vulnerabilities

  • Knowledge of network and Web related protocols/technologies (e.g., UNIX/LINUX, TCP/IP, Cookies)

  • Experience with vulnerability assessment tools and penetration testing techniques.

  • Solid programming/debugging skills, development frameworks, CVE and CWE research/reproduction

  • Threat Analysis, threat modelling and SBOM analysis

  • Innovative thinking, threat actor simulation

  • Technology Systems Assessment

  • Technical Documentation

  • Advisory

Desired:

  • CEH, OSCP/OSCE/OSWE/GXPN/GPEN/GWAPT/GMOB/All Practitioner Certs [Port Swigger BSP Academy]/Cloud Cert(s)/ eWPT; eWPTX; eMAPT [INE Pentester Academy]

  • Strong programming/scripting skills

  • Frida

  • Binary analysis (disassembly skills)

Skills:

  • Advisory

  • Innovative Thinking

  • Technical Documentation

  • Technology System Assessment

  • Threat Analysis

  • Adaptability

  • Collaboration

  • Scenario Planning and Analysis

  • Test Engineering

  • Written Communications

  • Attention to Detail

  • Information Systems Management

  • Issue Management

  • Presentation Skills

  • Prioritization

This job will be open and accepting applications for a minimum of seven days from the date it was posted.

Shift:

1st shift (United States of America)

Hours Per Week:

40

Pay Transparency details

US - CO - Denver - 1144 15th St - Denver Gis (CO9926), US - DC - Washington - 1800 K St NW - 1800 K Street NW (DC1842), US - IL - Chicago - 540 W Madison St - Bank Of America Plaza (IL4540), US - MA - Boston - 100 Federal St - 100 Federal St Lp (MA5100), US - NJ - Jersey City - 101 Hudson St - 101 Hudson (NJ2101), US - WA - Seattle - 401 Union St - Rainier Square (WA1510)Pay and benefits informationPay range$160,000.00 - $205,000.00 annualized salary, offers to be determined based on experience, education and skill set.Discretionary incentive eligibleThis role is eligible to participate in the annual discretionary plan. Employees are eligible for an annual discretionary award based on their overall individual performance results and behaviors, the performance and contributions of their line of business and/or group; and the overall success of the Company.BenefitsThis role is currently benefits eligible. We provide industry-leading benefits, access to paid time off, resources and support to our employees so they can make a genuine impact and contribute to the sustainable growth of our business and the communities we serve.

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