Penetration Tester
US$83,500 – US$125,000 / yr base salary
Posted 6 Aug 2026
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 2+ yrs
- Management level
- Individual contributor
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$83,500 – US$125,000 / yr |
|---|
CertificationsOSCP, CEH, AWS Security Specialty, CySA+, Azure Security Engineer Associate, AZ-500, GXPN, GPEN, SC-200, CRTO, PenTest+
Study levelBachelor's
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time
Description
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking a Cyber Protection Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals conducting penetration and cybersecurity testing activities in San Antonio, TX.
In this role, the Cyber Protection Engineer assesses and tests system cybersecurity requirements, system security architecture, and system security layout. The candidate will operate in a team environment and collaborate across the organization (as required) to accomplish team goals by coordinating with customers and other testing organizations.
Essential duties:
- Conduct cloud-focused penetration testing and security assessment activities to identify vulnerabilities, attack paths, and potential threat vectors across cloud-native and hybrid environments.
- Support offensive security operations targeting cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, containerized workloads, applications, and enterprise services within AWS, Azure, and related platforms.
- Assists with development of attack methodologies, testing procedures, and technical analysis while collaborating with senior operators and engineers.
- Apply cybersecurity knowledge to evaluate cloud security posture, validate security controls, and contribute to technical reporting, operational recommendations, and remediation guidance.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree and 2 years of related experience; or a Master's degree and 0 years of related experience. Note: 6 years of related experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
- US Citizenship is required