Work you'll do As a Penetration Tester on the Cyber Defense & Resilience team, you will be responsible for... * Perform manual and automated penetration testing of web applications, APIs, and ...
Work you'll do As a Penetration Tester on the Cyber Defense & Resilience team, you will be responsible for... * Perform manual and automated penetration testing of web applications, APIs, and ...
Lead Penetration Test Engineer
Houston, TX · Hybrid
$135K/yr
Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessments Conduct comprehensive penetration testing of web applications, infrastructure, and cloud environments using both manual and automated techniques.
Lead Penetration Test Engineer
Houston, TX · Hybrid
$135K/yr
Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessments Conduct comprehensive penetration testing of web applications, infrastructure, and cloud environments using both manual and automated techniques.
Lead Penetration Test Engineer
Houston, TX · Hybrid
$135K/yr
Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessments Conduct comprehensive penetration testing of web applications, infrastructure, and cloud environments using both manual and automated techniques.
Lead Penetration Test Engineer
Houston, TX · Hybrid
$135K/yr
Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessments Conduct comprehensive penetration testing of web applications, infrastructure, and cloud environments using both manual and automated techniques.
Portfolio Management Lead
Houston, TX · On-site
Penetration Testing Services * Vulnerability Assessments * Application Whitelisting Services * Security Advisory and Consulting Services * Define value propositions, service scope, pricing models ...
Portfolio Management Lead
Houston, TX · On-site
Penetration Testing Services * Vulnerability Assessments * Application Whitelisting Services * Security Advisory and Consulting Services * Define value propositions, service scope, pricing models ...
Senior Security Consultant
Houston, TX · On-site
Code Review Software/Application Penetration Testing Architecture Security Analysis and Threat Modeling Secure Software Design, Architecture, and Engineering Software/Application Reverse Engineering ...
Senior Security Consultant
Houston, TX · On-site
Code Review Software/Application Penetration Testing Architecture Security Analysis and Threat Modeling Secure Software Design, Architecture, and Engineering Software/Application Reverse Engineering ...
Security Engineer
Houston, TX · Remote
Hands‑on experience with penetration testing tools or methodologies * Experience implementing or reviewing API security controls * Experience assessing or securing third‑party integrations
Quick apply
Security Engineer
Houston, TX · Remote
Hands‑on experience with penetration testing tools or methodologies * Experience implementing or reviewing API security controls * Experience assessing or securing third‑party integrations
Portfolio Management Lead
Houston, TX · On-site
Penetration Testing * Security Operations * Governance, Risk, and Compliance * Application Control and Whitelisting * Incident Response and Preparedness * Demonstrated success working cross ...
Portfolio Management Lead
Houston, TX · On-site
Penetration Testing * Security Operations * Governance, Risk, and Compliance * Application Control and Whitelisting * Incident Response and Preparedness * Demonstrated success working cross ...
Penetration Testing * Security Operations * Governance, Risk, and Compliance * Application Control and Whitelisting * Incident Response and Preparedness * Demonstrated success working cross ...
Penetration Testing * Security Operations * Governance, Risk, and Compliance * Application Control and Whitelisting * Incident Response and Preparedness * Demonstrated success working cross ...
Cybersecurity and Risk Management Specialist
Houston, TX · On-site
$100/hr
Conduct penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and forensic investigations. * Develop and enforce policies covering network, application, and cloud security. * Collaborate with IT, Legal ...
Cybersecurity and Risk Management Specialist
Houston, TX · On-site
$100/hr
Conduct penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and forensic investigations. * Develop and enforce policies covering network, application, and cloud security. * Collaborate with IT, Legal ...
Driller/Exploration Team Member II
Conroe, TX · On-site
$19.75 - $26.75/hr
In-situ testing techniques may include cone penetration testing (CPT), pressure meter testing, and rock dilatometer testing. Work may also include the installation of instrumentation such as ...
New
Driller/Exploration Team Member II
Conroe, TX · On-site
$19.75 - $26.75/hr
In-situ testing techniques may include cone penetration testing (CPT), pressure meter testing, and rock dilatometer testing. Work may also include the installation of instrumentation such as ...
New
Security Analyst
Houston, TX · On-site
Work with the infrastructure team on mitigating penetration testing findings * Plan, implement and upgrade security technical measures and controls * Establish plans and protocols to protect data and ...
Security Analyst
Houston, TX · On-site
Work with the infrastructure team on mitigating penetration testing findings * Plan, implement and upgrade security technical measures and controls * Establish plans and protocols to protect data and ...
Security Analyst
Houston, TX · On-site
Work with the infrastructure team on mitigating penetration testing findings * Plan, implement and upgrade security technical measures and controls * Establish plans and protocols to protect data and ...
Security Analyst
Houston, TX · On-site
Work with the infrastructure team on mitigating penetration testing findings * Plan, implement and upgrade security technical measures and controls * Establish plans and protocols to protect data and ...
Head of Cyber Security
$106K - $143K/yr
Oversee security audits, penetration testing, access controls, encryption standards, and identity management. Ensure compliance with relevant data protection and privacy regulations. Develop incident ...
Quick apply
Head of Cyber Security
$106K - $143K/yr
Oversee security audits, penetration testing, access controls, encryption standards, and identity management. Ensure compliance with relevant data protection and privacy regulations. Develop incident ...
Security Analyst
The Woodlands, TX · On-site
Experience with computer network penetration testing and techniques. Understanding firewalls, proxies, SIEM, antivirus, and IDPS concepts. Ability to identify and mitigate network vulnerabilities and ...
Security Analyst
The Woodlands, TX · On-site
Experience with computer network penetration testing and techniques. Understanding firewalls, proxies, SIEM, antivirus, and IDPS concepts. Ability to identify and mitigate network vulnerabilities and ...
Verified credentials or specialized project portfolios highlighting vector database scaling, prompt security firewalls, and LLM penetration testing. Key Focus Areas: • NLP • GraphRAG • Orca ...
Quick apply
Verified credentials or specialized project portfolios highlighting vector database scaling, prompt security firewalls, and LLM penetration testing. Key Focus Areas: • NLP • GraphRAG • Orca ...
Verified credentials or specialized project portfolios highlighting vector database scaling, prompt security firewalls, and LLM penetration testing. Note Key Focus Areas: • NLP • GraphRAG • ...
Quick apply
Verified credentials or specialized project portfolios highlighting vector database scaling, prompt security firewalls, and LLM penetration testing. Note Key Focus Areas: • NLP • GraphRAG • ...
Security Analyst
The Woodlands, TX · On-site
Experience with computer network penetration testing and techniques. Understanding firewalls, proxies, SIEM, antivirus, and IDPS concepts. Ability to identify and mitigate network vulnerabilities and ...
Security Analyst
The Woodlands, TX · On-site
Experience with computer network penetration testing and techniques. Understanding firewalls, proxies, SIEM, antivirus, and IDPS concepts. Ability to identify and mitigate network vulnerabilities and ...
Cone Penetration Testing, Pressuremeter Testing, Field Vane Shear Testing, etc.) * Assign laboratory tests, perform engineering analyses and assist in preparing geotechnical engineering reports ...
Cone Penetration Testing, Pressuremeter Testing, Field Vane Shear Testing, etc.) * Assign laboratory tests, perform engineering analyses and assist in preparing geotechnical engineering reports ...
... penetration testing; and (vi) preparing detailed technical reports for senior counsel, executives, and national security officials. • Analyze and interpret penetration test results, focusing on ...
... penetration testing; and (vi) preparing detailed technical reports for senior counsel, executives, and national security officials. • Analyze and interpret penetration test results, focusing on ...
... penetration testing; and (vi) preparing detailed technical reports for senior counsel, executives, and national security officials. · Analyze and interpret penetration test results, focusing on ...
... penetration testing; and (vi) preparing detailed technical reports for senior counsel, executives, and national security officials. · Analyze and interpret penetration test results, focusing on ...
Penetration Tester information
See Spring, TX salary details
$20K - $31.8K
0% of jobs
$31.8K - $43.6K
0% of jobs
$43.6K - $55.5K
2% of jobs
$55.5K - $67.3K
3% of jobs
$67.3K - $79.1K
1% of jobs
$90K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$79.1K - $90.9K
20% of jobs
$90.9K - $102.7K
14% of jobs
The median wage is $107.1K / yr.
$102.7K - $114.5K
26% of jobs
$122.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$114.5K - $126.3K
13% of jobs
$126.3K - $138.1K
13% of jobs
$138.1K - $149.9K
9% of jobs
$20K
$106.7K
$149.9K
How much do penetration tester jobs pay per year?
What Does a Penetration Tester Do?
As a penetration tester, your job is to test the security of a network by attempting to hack into an application, system, or computer. Penetration testing can occur in a variety of ways, from physical interaction with the machine you’re trying to hack to attacks sent over the web. Aside from helping clients test for vulnerabilities, your job also includes explaining how you got in and providing recommendations for stopping others from repeating your actions. In some cases, you may be asked to help investigate cyber crimes or explain methods and techniques in criminal trials. Success in this job is often measured by how many security holes you find and close.
What are some common challenges penetration testers face during client engagements?
What are Penetration Testers?
What is the difference between Penetration Tester vs Vulnerability Analyst?
| Aspect | Penetration Tester | Vulnerability Analyst |
|---|---|---|
| Certifications | OSCP, CEH, GPEN | CVE, CISSP, GIAC |
| Work Environment | Hands-on testing, simulated attacks | Vulnerability scanning, risk assessment |
| Employer & Industry | Cybersecurity firms, IT departments | Security teams, compliance agencies |
| Search & Comparison Intent | Understanding testing roles, skills | Identifying vulnerabilities, analysis methods |
While both roles focus on cybersecurity, a Penetration Tester actively exploits vulnerabilities to test security defenses, whereas a Vulnerability Analyst identifies and assesses weaknesses without exploiting them. Penetration Testers typically perform simulated attacks, requiring hands-on skills and certifications like OSCP or CEH. Vulnerability Analysts focus on scanning and reporting vulnerabilities, often working with tools like Nessus or Qualys. Both roles are essential for a comprehensive security strategy but differ in approach and responsibilities.
What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Penetration Tester, and why are they important?

Deloitte rating
8.1
Based on 91 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz
58th of 150 rated financial services
Job description
Our Deloitte Cyber team understands the unique challenges and opportunities businesses face in cybersecurity. Join our team to deliver powerful solutions to help our clients navigate the ever-changing threat landscape. Through powerful solutions and managed services that simplify complexity, we enable our clients to operate with resilience, grow with confidence, and proactively manage to secure success.
We are seeking a skilled Penetration Tester to assess the security of web applications, APIs, and related systems. This role is responsible for identifying vulnerabilities, validating exploitability, and providing practical remediation guidance to improve overall application security posture. The ideal candidate combines hands-on offensive security experience with strong knowledge of secure development practices and common web application attack vectors.
Work you'll do
As a Penetration Tester on the Cyber Defense & Resilience team, you will be responsible for...
- Perform manual and automated penetration testing of web applications, APIs, and supporting infrastructure.
- Identify, validate, and document security vulnerabilities such as those in the OWASP Top 10.
- Conduct authenticated and unauthenticated testing across development, test, and production-like environments.
- Assess application security controls including authentication, authorization, session management, input validation, and encryption.
- Prepare clear, risk-based reports with technical findings, business impact, proof of concept, and remediation recommendations.
- Work with developers, architects, and security teams to explain findings and support remediation efforts.
- Retest remediated issues and confirm closure.
- Contribute to security standards, testing methodologies, and internal knowledge sharing.
- Stay current on emerging threats, exploit techniques, and application security trends.
A successful candidate would possess these skills:
- Ability to work independently and collaborate as part of a team
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Meticulous attention to detail and quality of work product
- Ability to build and sustain professional relationships
- Ability to lead projects or workstreams
- Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
- Strong interpersonal skills and professional demeanor
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to provide clear guidance to others
The Team
Deloitte's Government & Public Services (GPS) practice - our people, ideas, technology and outcomes - is designed for impact. Serving federal, state, & local government clients as well as public higher education institutions, our team of professionals brings fresh perspective to help clients anticipate disruption, reimagine the possible, and fulfill their mission promise.
Our Cyber Defense & Resilience offering assists clients in defending against advanced threats by transforming security operations, monitoring technology, data analytics, and threat intelligence. Helps manage and protect dynamic attack surfaces and provides rapid crisis and cyber incident response, ensuring clients can be ready for, respond to, and recover from business disruptions.
This opportunity sits within our Deloitte US Delivery Center model, which is dedicated to driving impactful business services. It leverages Deloitte's scale and talent, as well as a center delivery model to provide high-quality, cost-effective service with standardized processes and procedures to service businesses across Deloitte.
The Deloitte US Delivery Center has a small-business feel with a big-business impact. With the resources of Deloitte and a community feel, the delivery center model provides high-quality services to our clients. USDC professionals work out of one of our specific delivery center locations, and each location presents dynamic career opportunities for professionals to focus on their work with nominal travel requirements.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field
- Ability to obtain and maintain the necessary clearance for the role.
- Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Offensive Security Web Expert (OSWE), GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
- 2+ years of experience within the following:
- Hands-on penetration testing experience with a focus on web applications.
- Strong understanding of web technologies including HTTP/S, REST APIs, JavaScript, cookies, headers, and sessions.
- Experience identifying vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, SSRF, IDOR, authentication flaws, and access control weaknesses.
- Proficiency with common testing tools such as Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Nmap, Postman, and similar tools.
- Experience writing professional penetration test reports for technical and non-technical audiences.
- Familiarity with OWASP Top 10, CWE, CVSS, and secure coding principles
- Delivery Center Location & Travel Requirements:
- Hybrid Work Model: Operate under a hybrid system requiring residence within a commutable distance to one of the US Delivery Center locations (Gilbert, Lake Mary, or Mechanicsburg) or Geo-Hub locations (Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, and Philadelphia)
- Co-location Expectation: Spend up to 30% of working time co-located at an assigned office for orchestrated opportunities, including projects, practice sessions, training, and Moments That Matter at a Deloitte Delivery Center location, Geo-Hub location, approved site, or project location
- Travel Requirement: Maximum of 10% overnight travel for client or project purposes
- Relocation Requirement: If relocation is necessary, complete the move within 12 weeks from the start date to reside within a commutable distance
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.
Preferred:
- Experience testing modern frameworks and architectures such as single-page applications, microservices, and cloud-hosted applications.
- Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices.
- Experience with source code review or secure code assessment.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Our Deloitte Cyber team understands the unique challenges and opportunities businesses face in cybersecurity. Join our team to deliver powerful solutions to help our clients navigate the ever-changing threat landscape. Through powerful solutions and managed services that simplify complexity, we enable our clients to operate with resilience, grow with confidence, and proactively manage to secure success.
We are seeking a skilled Penetration Tester to assess the security of web applications, APIs, and related systems. This role is responsible for identifying vulnerabilities, validating exploitability, and providing practical remediation guidance to improve overall application security posture. The ideal candidate combines hands-on offensive security experience with strong knowledge of secure development practices and common web application attack vectors.
Work you'll do
As a Penetration Tester on the Cyber Defense & Resilience team, you will be responsible for...
- Perform manual and automated penetration testing of web applications, APIs, and supporting infrastructure.
- Identify, validate, and document security vulnerabilities such as those in the OWASP Top 10.
- Conduct authenticated and unauthenticated testing across development, test, and production-like environments.
- Assess application security controls including authentication, authorization, session management, input validation, and encryption.
- Prepare clear, risk-based reports with technical findings, business impact, proof of concept, and remediation recommendations.
- Work with developers, architects, and security teams to explain findings and support remediation efforts.
- Retest remediated issues and confirm closure.
- Contribute to security standards, testing methodologies, and internal knowledge sharing.
- Stay current on emerging threats, exploit techniques, and application security trends.
A successful candidate would possess these skills:
- Ability to work independently and collaborate as part of a team
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Meticulous attention to detail and quality of work product
- Ability to build and sustain professional relationships
- Ability to lead projects or workstreams
- Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
- Strong interpersonal skills and professional demeanor
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to provide clear guidance to others
The Team
Deloitte's Government & Public Services (GPS) practice - our people, ideas, technology and outcomes - is designed for impact. Serving federal, state, & local government clients as well as public higher education institutions, our team of professionals brings fresh perspective to help clients anticipate disruption, reimagine the possible, and fulfill their mission promise.
Our Cyber Defense & Resilience offering assists clients in defending against advanced threats by transforming security operations, monitoring technology, data analytics, and threat intelligence. Helps manage and protect dynamic attack surfaces and provides rapid crisis and cyber incident response, ensuring clients can be ready for, respond to, and recover from business disruptions.
This opportunity sits within our Deloitte US Delivery Center model, which is dedicated to driving impactful business services. It leverages Deloitte's scale and talent, as well as a center delivery model to provide high-quality, cost-effective service with standardized processes and procedures to service businesses across Deloitte.
The Deloitte US Delivery Center has a small-business feel with a big-business impact. With the resources of Deloitte and a community feel, the delivery center model provides high-quality services to our clients. USDC professionals work out of one of our specific delivery center locations, and each location presents dynamic career opportunities for professionals to focus on their work with nominal travel requirements.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field
- Ability to obtain and maintain the necessary clearance for the role.
- Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Offensive Security Web Expert (OSWE), GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
- 2+ years of experience within the following:
- Hands-on penetration testing experience with a focus on web applications.
- Strong understanding of web technologies including HTTP/S, REST APIs, JavaScript, cookies, headers, and sessions.
- Experience identifying vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, SSRF, IDOR, authentication flaws, and access control weaknesses.
- Proficiency with common testing tools such as Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Nmap, Postman, and similar tools.
- Experience writing professional penetration test reports for technical and non-technical audiences.
- Familiarity with OWASP Top 10, CWE, CVSS, and secure coding principles
- Delivery Center Location & Travel Requirements:
- Hybrid Work Model: Operate under a hybrid system requiring residence within a commutable distance to one of the US Delivery Center locations (Gilbert, Lake Mary, or Mechanicsburg) or Geo-Hub locations (Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, and Philadelphia)
- Co-location Expectation: Spend up to 30% of working time co-located at an assigned office for orchestrated opportunities, including projects, practice sessions, training, and Moments That Matter at a Deloitte Delivery Center location, Geo-Hub location, approved site, or project location
- Travel Requirement: Maximum of 10% overnight travel for client or project purposes
- Relocation Requirement: If relocation is necessary, complete the move within 12 weeks from the start date to reside within a commutable distance
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.
Preferred:
- Experience testing modern frameworks and architectures such as single-page applications, microservices, and cloud-hosted applications.
- Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices.
- Experience with source code review or secure code assessment.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.