Penetration Tester


Job Details

The Offensive Security Department in the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State University is seeking an experienced self-motivated Applications Developer/Penetration Tester to join our team to design, develop, implement, document, and maintain cyberspace operations software applications, test, debug, install, and modify new or existing applications, and design and implement new features and/or integrations for existing software. Seeking backgrounds in red teaming, ethical hacking, or offensive cyber to assist us in our mission.


This position would work out of our Annapolis Junction, MD or Reston, VA office.


ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.


Responsibilities include:

  • Design and implement software enabling automated penetration testing thru Agile software development
  • Work as part of a team to perform and review pull requests, unit tests, and occasional documentation as needed
  • Configure various compute resources and networks including bare metal and virtualized/container environments for framework deployment and software testing
  • Provide demonstrations of your work to the internal team and occasionally external customers
  • Coordinate with the team to identify risks, issues, requirements, and design solutions for project-level activity on a daily basis


Typically requires an Bachelors' degree or higher plus four years related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Additional experience and/or education required for higher level positions.


Required:

  • Software programming with a high-level programming language such as Python, Java, or C/C++
  • Software development with tools to perform configuration management, issue tracking, and testing
  • Cybersecurity penetration testing tools and techniques
  • Physical and virtual network configuration and system administrator knowledge
  • Military cyberspace operations or computer network operations
  • Kali Linux suite
  • Experience to the following; IDA/Ghidra, Proof-of-concept development, Bash, PowerShell, and Python, scripting, Docker, Git, VMware, ESXI, and/or VirtualBox


May include:

  • Provide technical guidance to other staff; mentor, train, and establish standards for other staff.
  • Lead portions of large tasks or projects
  • Contribute to software development efforts as a subject matter expert, reviewing applications for compliance, accessibility, and security standards
  • Develop product specifications and development plan; participate in all aspects of the development process
  • Collaborate with end users and service managers to identify and analyze requirements
  • Design, develop, test, debug, install, implement, modify and support new or existing applications software


Preferred skills/experience:

  • Red Team experience and Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)
  • Reverse engineering or proof-of-concept development
  • Configuration management via Git, Bitbucket, or GitLab
  • Container/orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes
  • Proven troubleshooting skills with the ability to spot issues before they become problems
  • Well-organized, independent and able to work with minimal supervision
  • TS Security Clearance, SCI eligible
  • Prior leadership


The work location can be hybrid on-site/work from home based on project requirements. This position will require periodic travel to remote locations in support of testing as part of a small team of researchers, engineers, and technologists.


ARL at Penn State is an integral part of one of the leading research universities in the nation and serves as a University center of excellence in defense science, systems, and technologies with a focus in naval missions and related areas.


You will be subject to a government security investigation, and you must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with the ARL will require successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen.


ARL is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion; we believe this is central to our success as a Department of Defense designated University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). We are at our best when we draw on the talents of all parts of society, and our greatest accomplishments are achieved when diverse perspectives are part of our workforce.





 The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University

 04/18/2024

 Annapolis Junction,MD