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Offensive Security Jobs in Washington, DC (NOW HIRING)

Offensive Security Engineer

Mclean, VA ยท On-site

$120 - $160/hr

We are seeking candidates with a passion for offensive security, deep technical expertise in penetration testing, and a commitment to continuous learning and excellence. Job responsibilities * Plan ...

Offensive Security Manager

Washington, DC

$125K - $169K/yr

As an Offensive Security Manager, you will help organizations navigate an evolving threat landscape and a complex regulatory environment by delivering high-value, practical cybersecurity and risk ...

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Offensive Security information

See Washington, DC salary details

$64.3K

$150K

$209.9K

How much do offensive security jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for offensive security in Washington, DC is $150,027.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,200.00 and $169,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is offensive security?

An Offensive Security job involves proactively identifying and exploiting security vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and applications to help organizations strengthen their defenses. Professionals in this field, such as ethical hackers and penetration testers, simulate real-world cyberattacks to find weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them. They use various tools, techniques, and frameworks to assess security risks, provide recommendations, and improve overall cybersecurity posture. Offensive security experts often work for security firms, enterprises, or government agencies to ensure robust digital protection.

What does a typical day look like for someone working in offensive security?

A typical day in Offensive Security involves conducting penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, and red teaming exercises to identify and exploit potential weaknesses in systems and networks. You may spend time analyzing findings, preparing detailed reports, and collaborating with IT teams to discuss remediation strategies. The role often requires staying current with emerging threats and tools, as well as participating in team meetings to review attack simulations or incident scenarios. Regular communication with clients or internal stakeholders is also common to explain technical concepts in an accessible way. The dynamic nature of the work keeps each day interesting and fosters continuous learning and problem-solving.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in offensive security, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Offensive Security professional, you need a deep understanding of networks, operating systems, penetration testing methodologies, and typically hold a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with tools such as Metasploit, Burp Suite, Nmap, as well as certifications like OSCP or CEH, is often required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, effective communication, and ethical judgment are essential soft skills. These abilities are crucial for identifying vulnerabilities, communicating risks, and helping organizations improve their security posture.

What are popular job titles related to Offensive Security jobs in Washington, DC?

For Offensive Security jobs in Washington, DC, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Offensive Security jobs in Washington, DC look for?

The top searched job categories for Offensive Security jobs in Washington, DC are:

Infographic showing various Offensive Security job openings in Washington, DC as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 12% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $150,027 per year, or $72.1 per hour.

Offensive Security Engineer

AI Chopping Block

Washington, DC โ€ข On-site

$180 - $240/hr

Other

Posted 15 days ago


Job description

A World-Changing Company

Palantir builds the world's leading software for data-driven decisions and operations. By bringing the right data to the people who need it, our platforms empower our partners to develop lifesaving drugs, forecast supply chain disruptions, locate missing children, and more.

The Role

Palantir's Offensive Security team probes our own products, infrastructure, and cloud environment the way a real attacker would. As an Offensive Security Engineer, you will test internal applications and infrastructure, chain findings into realistic attack paths, and work directly with the engineers responsible for the affected systems to get issues closed.

A growing part of the team's work is also developing agentic offensive security tooling: LLM-driven systems that encode operator tradecraft and apply it continuously. You will help in the design of that tooling and prove it out on live assessments.

You will also help to coordinate third-party penetration testing engagements, scoping the work with specialized external firms, keeping assessments focused on the risks that matter, and turning their results into concrete remediation.

Core Responsibilities
  • Conduct hybrid web application penetration tests that combine source code review with runtime exploitation across our products and internal tooling.
  • Perform external network penetration tests against internet-facing infrastructure, identifying exposed services, misconfigurations, and paths to obtain an initial foothold.
  • Perform internal network and Active Directory security assessments, identifying privilege escalation paths, lateral movement opportunities, and misconfigurations.
  • Assess the security of cloud and containerized infrastructure, including identity, network, and workload configurations.
  • Collaborate with detection engineering to validate telemetry and detection coverage against real-world attack techniques uncovered during engagements.
  • Scope and manage third-party pentest engagements end-to-end, critically review results, and work cross-functionally to convert findings into prioritized, actionable remediation.
  • Partner with engineering to reproduce, prioritize, and verify fixes for the issues that are surfaced.
  • Design and build offensive security tooling and automation tailored to Palantir's stack.
  • Author clear, actionable write-ups and readouts for technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating findings into business risk and prioritized action.
What We Value
  • Demonstrated strength in web application penetration testing, with the ability to move fluidly between source code review and runtime testing.
  • Demonstrated strength in external and internal network penetration testing, from enumerating and exploiting internet-facing attack surface to establishing a foothold and expanding access once inside.
  • Hands-on experience with standard offensive security tooling, including Burp Suite, BloodHound/SharpHound, Certipy, Impacket, Responder, Pacu/ScoutSuite, Nuclei, etc.
  • A builder's instinct: comfortable writing code to automate testing, develop proof-of-concept exploits, or to fill gaps in existing tooling.
  • Working knowledge of how modern software is built and shipped, including CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code, and an eye for how those systems become attack paths of their own.
  • Working knowledge of cloud, container, and orchestration security principles, and an understanding of how common misconfigurations turn into real attack paths.
  • Working knowledge of chaining identity and cloud attack paths end to end, from Kerberos abuse, delegation misconfigurations, and ADCS/SCCM exploitation in large multi-domain Active Directory forests through to IMDS abuse, IAM privilege escalation, and SSRF-driven pivots into cloud control planes.
  • Offensive security certifications (e.g. OSCP, OSWE), or a track record in CTF competitions or bug bounty programs, are a plus but not required.
What We Require
  • 4+ years of professional experience in offensive security, penetration testing, red teaming, or a closely related field.
  • Willingness and eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance preferred.
  • Proficiency in at least one scripting or programming language (e.g. Python, Go) sufficient to build and adapt your own testing tooling.
  • Demonstrated experience assessing the security of cloud (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerized (Docker, Kubernetes) environments.
  • Excellent organizational instincts, with the ability to keep multiple streams of work moving in parallel and to track each through to verified completion.
  • Clear written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain a vulnerability, its impact, and its fix to the engineers who need to act on it.
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