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Remote Penetration Testing Jobs in Leander, TX (NOW HIRING)

Lead Engineer, AI Attack Simulation

Austin, TX · On-site +1

$101K - $133K/yr

... penetration testing, or control validation. * Strong proficiency in Go and experience with at least ... Fully Remote: We are a completely remote global team. Though we're distributed, we are intentional ...

Remote Security Clearance: Active DoD Secret Clearance We question. We listen. We adapt. Be honest ... Able to perform security assessments, model threats, and use penetration testing applications. Our ...

Remote Penetration Testing information

See Leander, TX salary details

$21.5K

$114.6K

$161K

How much do remote penetration testing jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for remote penetration testing in Leander, TX is $114,560.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $91,700.00 and $134,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a remote penetration tester?

To thrive as a Remote Penetration Tester, you need a solid understanding of computer networks, cybersecurity principles, and common vulnerabilities, often supported by a degree in computer science or related certifications like OSCP or CEH. Familiarity with penetration testing tools such as Metasploit, Burp Suite, Nmap, and various operating systems is essential. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and clear written communication skills help you effectively discover, document, and explain security findings to clients. These competencies are crucial for accurately identifying risks and helping organizations strengthen their security posture.

Is there a demand for remote penetration testing?

Remote penetration testing is in high demand as organizations seek cybersecurity professionals to identify vulnerabilities remotely. Skills in network security, ethical hacking, and familiarity with tools like Kali Linux and Metasploit are essential, and many companies prefer candidates with industry certifications such as OSCP or CEH.

What is the difference between Remote Penetration Testing vs Vulnerability Assessment Specialist?

AspectRemote Penetration TestingVulnerability Assessment Specialist
CertificationsOSCP, CEH, GPENOSCP, CEH, CISSP
Work EnvironmentHands-on testing, simulated attacksScanning, identifying vulnerabilities
Industry UsageCybersecurity firms, IT departmentsSecurity teams, consulting firms

Remote Penetration Testing involves actively exploiting vulnerabilities to assess security defenses, while Vulnerability Assessment Specialists focus on identifying and prioritizing security weaknesses without exploiting them. Both roles require similar certifications and often work in overlapping environments, but penetration testers perform more in-depth, simulated attack scenarios to evaluate security robustness.

What are some common challenges faced by remote penetration testers, and how can they be addressed?

Remote penetration testers often encounter challenges such as limited access to physical infrastructure, varying levels of client preparedness, and potential communication barriers with on-site teams. To address these issues, it's important to establish clear communication channels, use secure remote access tools, and maintain detailed documentation of testing activities. Building strong relationships with client IT staff and staying up-to-date with remote testing best practices can also help ensure effective and successful engagements.

Can remote penetration testers work remotely?

Yes, remote penetration testers can work remotely, as the role primarily involves using specialized tools and techniques to assess cybersecurity defenses from any location. Many companies hire remote testers to perform assessments, provided they have the necessary skills, secure access, and appropriate certifications such as OSCP or CEH. Effective communication and familiarity with remote collaboration tools are also important for success in remote roles.

What is remote penetration testing?

Remote penetration testing is a security assessment process where cybersecurity professionals, also known as ethical hackers, attempt to find and exploit vulnerabilities in an organization’s systems, networks, or applications from an offsite location. This simulates a real-world cyberattack to help organizations identify and fix security weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them. Remote penetration testing is often conducted over the internet, making it a flexible and efficient option for businesses to assess their security posture without requiring onsite visits.

What are popular job titles related to Remote Penetration Testing jobs in Leander, TX?

For Remote Penetration Testing jobs in Leander, TX, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What cities near Leander, TX are hiring for Remote Penetration Testing jobs?

Cities near Leander, TX with the most Remote Penetration Testing job openings:

Infographic showing various Remote Penetration Testing job openings in Leander, TX as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 75% Full Time, and 25% Part Time. Highlights an 100% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,560 per year, or $55.1 per hour.

Lead Engineer, AI Attack Simulation

HiddenLayer

Austin, TX • On-site, Remote

$101K - $133K/yr

Full-time

Posted 8 days ago


Job description

Lead Engineer, AI Attack Simulation

Remote [within the US]

ABOUT THE ROLE:

HiddenLayer is seeking a hands-on Lead Engineer, AI Attack Simulation to own the technical direction and execution of our attack simulation product. You will lead the architecture and development of systems that translate adversarial AI research and real-world attack techniques into safe, repeatable, and measurable security testing capabilities.

You will partner closely with Product Management and Security Research to shape product strategy, understand customer problems, evaluate opportunities, and define the outcomes the team is working toward. This role is designed for a product-minded engineering leader who goes beyond receiving requirements and solving tickets, helping determine what we should build, why it matters, and how we will measure its success.

You will also establish an AI-first product development workflow, applying AI across discovery, research, solution design, prototyping, implementation, validation, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate combines deep software engineering experience, cybersecurity expertise, agentic-systems judgment, and the leadership ability to mentor engineers and raise the technical and product ownership of the entire team.

WHO WE ARE:

HiddenLayer protects the world's most valuable technologies from adversarial AI attacks. We were founded by AI professionals and security specialists with first-hand experience of how insidious adversarial AI attacks can be to detect and defend against. Determined to prove that these attacks were preventable, the team developed a unique, patent-pending, productized solution to support organizations in accelerating their adoption of AI securely.

Our dedication to innovation has been recognized by prestigious awards such as RSA's Innovation Sandbox Winner, CB Insights AI 100, CyberTech 100, and SC's Most Promising Early-Stage Start-up.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

  • Own the technical direction, architecture, and execution of HiddenLayer's AI Attack Simulation product.
  • Partner with Product and Security Research to define product strategy, understand customer outcomes, shape the roadmap, and translate adversarial AI techniques into safe, scalable product capabilities.
  • Design and build agentic workflows, tool integrations, execution systems, guardrails, and evaluation frameworks.
  • Establish an AI-first product development workflow that uses AI across discovery, customer and market research, solution design, prototyping, implementation, validation, release, and continuous improvement.
  • Ensure engineers understand the customer problem and intended outcome, contribute to product decisions, and take ownership beyond ticket execution.
  • Remain hands-on with critical architecture, prototyping, implementation, and complex technical problem-solving.
  • Mentor engineers, lead technical reviews, support hiring, and raise standards for reliability, security, observability, and product quality.

WHO YOU ARE:

  • 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including technical leadership of complex production systems.
  • Strong backend, distributed-systems, and cloud-native engineering experience.
  • Demonstrated experience building an AI-first product development workflow that involves engineers throughout product discovery, strategy, solution definition, implementation, validation, and outcome measurement.
  • A track record of leading teams beyond ticket-based execution toward direct ownership of customer problems, product tradeoffs, and measurable outcomes.
  • Experience building production AI or agentic systems involving tool use, orchestration, structured outputs, state management, guardrails, and evaluation.
  • Cybersecurity product experience or closely related experience in offensive security, attack simulation, AI security, red teaming, penetration testing, or control validation.
  • Strong proficiency in Go and experience with at least one additional production language such as Python, Rust, Java, or TypeScript.
  • Strong product judgment and experience partnering directly with Product Management.
  • Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, influence technical direction, and lead through ambiguity.

WHO YOU ARE (PREFERRED):

  • Experience with AI red teaming, adversarial machine learning, AI security evaluation, or autonomous security testing.
  • Direct experience with breach and attack simulation, adversary emulation, attack-path validation, or continuous security validation products.
  • Experience using AI to support product research, prototype evaluation, customer-feedback synthesis, implementation, testing, and release decisions.
  • Familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK and/or ATLAS and threat-informed defense.
  • Experience with agent orchestration technologies such as OpenAI Agents SDK, LangGraph, AutoGen, or equivalent custom systems.
  • Experience developing evaluation datasets, graders, traces, and regression frameworks for AI systems.
  • Experience building secure sandboxes or constrained environments for executing potentially risky actions.
  • Experience delivering enterprise, self-hosted, air-gapped, or regulated software.
  • Previous responsibility for hiring and developing senior engineers.

WHY HIDDENLAYER?

We're moving at (what feels like) the speed of light. HiddenLayer is a venture-backed company and recently closed a $50M funding round led by M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund, and Moore Strategic Ventures.

Attracting and retaining the very best people is our #1 priority. That's why we offer our team best-in-class benefits, including:

  • Fully Remote: We are a completely remote global team. Though we're distributed, we are intentional about getting the team together a couple of times a year. We offer a generous stipend for your home office setup, annual upgrades to ensure you have a comfortable workspace and a monthly stipend for internet/phone expenses.
  • Comprehensive Health & Wellness Benefits: Better than your average startup healthcare benefits. With five options to choose from, of which are fully subsidized by HiddenLayer, we offer a variety of options to fit each person's needs. We also offer vision, dental, and 401k offerings.
  • Flexible Time Off: Enjoy unlimited and flexible time off for all salaried employees, in addition to 15 paid company holidays.
  • Commitment to Learning and Development: We support personal growth and education through a dedicated L&D fund that can be used for training, conferences, certifications and industry events.
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: We are committed to building a diverse team with individuals from various backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

To learn more about HiddenLayer visit HiddenLayer and follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

HiddenLayer is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to providing a workplace free of any discrimination or harassment.