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Penetration Testing Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Dark Wolf

Penetration Tester

Salt Lake City, UT · On-site

... and penetration testing. The role involves analyzing systems for vulnerabilities and providing remediation strategies, while also developing custom tools and conducting assessments for federal ...

Leidos

SME Penetration Testing Analyst

Alexandria, VA · On-site

Leidos Digital Modernization sector is seeking an experienced SME Penetration Testing Analyst to support the delivery, enhancement, and adoption of enterprise data and analytics products used across ...

PingWind

Penetration Tester

Alexandria, VA

Holds or is working toward penetration testing and offensive security certifications appropriate for DoD environments, such as CEH, PenTest+, GPEN, OSCP, or equivalent DoD 8570/8140-approved ...

SOSi

Penetration Tester III

Washington, DC · On-site

This role is responsible for conducting penetration testing and red team activities, assessing security posture across enterprise environments, and supporting identification, validation, and ...

Altus Consulting Corp

Penetration Tester

Herndon, VA · On-site +1

Push the boundaries of penetration testing innovation through research and development of novel TTPs * Contribute to Altus Consulting's thought leadership efforts via publications, presentations, and ...

Dark Wolf Solutions

Penetration Tester

Ogden, UT · On-site

The successful candidate must have prior experience with multiple facets of penetration testing, using and ideally developing or contributing to both open source and proprietary tools. Conducts open ...

Leidos

SME Penetration Testing Analyst

Alexandria, VA · On-site

Leidos Digital Modernization sector is seeking an experienced SME Penetration Testing Analyst to support the delivery, enhancement, and adoption of enterprise data and analytics products used across ...

NewGen

Penetration Tester III

Washington, DC · On-site

Experience with continuous penetration testing methodologies * Experience with planning and conducting Red Team engagements * Experience with IoT device penetration testing methodologies * Experience ...

New

Dark Wolf Solutions

Penetration Tester

Ogden, UT

The successful candidate must have prior experience with multiple facets of penetration testing, using and ideally developing or contributing to both open source and proprietary tools. Conducts open ...

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$22.5K

$119.9K

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How much do penetration testing jobs pay per year?

As of May 30, 2026, the average yearly pay for penetration testing in the United States is $119,895.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $96,000.00 and $141,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by penetration testers during client engagements?

Penetration testers often encounter challenges such as limited access to information, time constraints, and complex network environments that can hinder thorough assessments. Additionally, balancing the need to simulate real-world attacks while ensuring no disruption to client operations requires careful planning and communication. Collaborating effectively with IT teams and clearly documenting findings are crucial for ensuring that vulnerabilities are properly understood and addressed.

What is penetration testing?

Penetration testing, also known as ethical hacking, is a security practice where professionals simulate cyberattacks on a computer system, network, or application to identify vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them. The goal is to find and safely exploit weaknesses, assess the impact of potential attacks, and provide recommendations to improve security. Penetration testers use a variety of tools and techniques, often mirroring real-world attack methods, to thoroughly evaluate an organization’s defenses. It is a proactive approach to improving an organization's cybersecurity posture.

What is the difference between Penetration Testing vs Vulnerability Assessment?

AspectPenetration TestingVulnerability Assessment
PurposeSimulate cyberattacks to identify exploitable vulnerabilitiesIdentify and prioritize security weaknesses
DepthIn-depth, targeted testingBroad, comprehensive scanning
CertificationsOSCP, CEH, GPENOSCP, CEH, Security+
Work EnvironmentHands-on testing, simulated attacksAutomated scans, reports

While both roles focus on security weaknesses, Penetration Testing involves actively exploiting vulnerabilities to assess real-world impact, whereas Vulnerability Assessment identifies potential issues for prioritization. Penetration Testing provides a deeper, more targeted security evaluation, making it essential for comprehensive security testing.

More about Penetration Testing jobs
What cities are hiring for Penetration Testing jobs? Cities with the most Penetration Testing job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Penetration Testing jobs? The most popular types of Penetration Testing jobs are:
What states have the most Penetration Testing jobs? States with the most job openings for Penetration Testing jobs include:
Penetration Testing jobs near you
Infographic showing various Penetration Testing job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 12% Full Time, 65% Part Time, and 22% Contract. Highlights an 80% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 16% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $119,895 per year, or $57.6 per hour.

Penetration Tester

Dark Wolf

Salt Lake City, UT • On-site

Full-time

Posted 14 days ago

Job description

Job Summary:
Dark Wolf is looking for a Penetration Tester who will plan and perform continuous cross-domain vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. The role involves analyzing systems for vulnerabilities and providing remediation strategies, while also developing custom tools and conducting assessments for federal government clients.
Responsibilities:
• Candidates may be asked to move between projects and participate in either single engagement penetration tests or continuous engagement Red Teams.
• The position will primarily require the candidate to lead the technical aspect of a specific, long-term penetration testing effort, helping to conduct varied testing efforts against applications and networks for the federal government.
• Candidates may also be placed on a larger Red Team and be expected to develop a continuous campaign-based assessment that emulates the target’s real-world adversaries by developing new tools specific to the target.
• Candidates will be expected to integrate into ongoing testing efforts, requiring subject matter expertise in multiple disciplines of vulnerability testing and assessment, the ability to interact and liaison directly with clients and a strong ability to write and document findings.
• Travel is required on an occasional basis for clients requiring onsite testing.
Qualifications:
Required:
• 3+ years’ experience in three or more specific areas to include: intelligence analysis, network engineering, networking security, penetration testing, red team operations, hardware engineering, software engineering, exploit development, reverse engineering, vulnerability assessment, physical security assessments, social engineering
• Strong knowledge of testing simulated intrusion attempts and physical penetration testing
• Proficiency in the testing and assessment of mobile operating systems, embedded systems and/or IoT devices
• Familiarity with unmanned aerial vehicles and associated mobile and wireless technologies
• Proficiency of various operating systems: Windows, iOS, Android, Mac or Linux
• Proficiency with cloud technology and deployments: Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform
• Moderate competency in at least one scripting and/or coding language
• Working knowledge of software development, with preference for experience working around software development teams and efforts
• Experience in network analysis methodologies
• Experience in drafting reports, documenting case details, and being able to summarize findings and recommendations based on system analysis
• Demonstrated strong written and verbal communication skills
• BS (or equivalent) in Cybersecurity, Information Security, IT, EE, Network Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• Willingness to travel
• US Citizenship and an active Top Secret/SCI security clearance required
Preferred:
• Familiarity with container technologies to include container orchestration and microservices
• Experience with DevSecOps and adjacent tools; strong preference for experience with Kubernetes, software development pipelines
• Security Certification: CEH, OSCP, PNPT or similar security/pentesting certs
• Experience employing advanced forensic tools and techniques for attack reconstruction, including dead system analysis and volatile data collection and analysis
• Experience in performing post-incident computer forensics without destruction of critical data.
• Desired experience ensuring quality assurance and the spreading of best practices
• MS degree in technical field
• Security+ Certification
Company:
Dark Wolf provides DevSecOps agile software development, information operations, penetration testing and incident response, applied research and rapid prototyping, machine learning, and mission support and engineering services to the Intelligence Community, national security, and Fortune 500 customers. Founded in 2009, the company is headquartered in Herndon, USA, with a team of 501-1000 employees. The company is currently Late Stage.

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