Cybersecurity Incident Response and Penetration Testing Lead

Hybrid 2-3 days per week on-site in Alexandria, VA. The first 30 days of work will be full-time on-site. in Alexandria, VA

Our client seeks a seasoned leader to direct enterprise cybersecurity incident response and offensive security initiatives. The role will manage CSIRT operations across infrastructure, applications, systems, and cloud, maintain and test incident response plans, and drive continuous improvement through metrics, exercises, and integrated vulnerability management. The position will also lead penetration testing and adversary emulation programs, align procedures with federal and organizational requirements, and deliver executive-ready reporting and remediation guidance.

Due to federal security clearance requirements, applicant must be a United States Citizen or Permanent Resident with an active Public Trust clearance. This is a contract to hire opportunity. Applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis and convert to FTE following contract duration. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance.

Rate: $75.00 to $80.00/hr. w2

• Lead and coordinate enterprise cybersecurity incident response activities in support of the Cybersecurity Incident Response Team (CSIRT).
• Manage incident response operations for cybersecurity events affecting enterprise infrastructure, applications, systems, and cloud environments.
• Review, maintain, and update the Enterprise Incident Response Plan and supporting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure alignment with federal and organizational requirements.
• Direct incident response efforts including triage, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident remediation activities.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, third-party vendors, security teams, and leadership during cybersecurity incidents to ensure effective communication and response execution.
• Conduct annual incident response exercises, tabletop events, and testing activities to validate operational readiness and improve response capabilities.
• Perform incident information gathering, analysis, distribution, and stakeholder notification activities in accordance with established response procedures and reporting timelines.
• Develop and publish incident reports, executive summaries, after-action reports, lessons learned, and remediation recommendations following cybersecurity events.
• Lead penetration testing, red team, purple team, adversary emulation, and breach-and-attack simulation activities to assess and improve the organization’s security posture.
• Develop and maintain penetration testing concepts of operations, rules of engagement, test plans, and standard operating procedures.
• Coordinate penetration testing activities including onboarding, active assessments, vulnerability validation, findings analysis, remediation tracking, and patch verification.
• Integrate incident response and penetration testing activities with vulnerability management, threat modeling, continuous monitoring, event detection, and compliance reporting processes.
• Track and report incident response and penetration testing metrics, trends, findings, and remediation activities to cybersecurity leadership and stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement of incident management, threat detection, and cyber defense capabilities through collaboration with security operations, engineering, and compliance teams.

• US Citizenship required.
• 10+ years in incident response, security operations, or penetration testing.
• 5+ years managing incident response teams.
• Strong knowledge of malware analysis, digital forensics, threat intelligence, and adversary TTPs.
• Certifications: CEH, EC-Council Licensed Penetration Tester, and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

• Master of Science degree in IT, Information Security, or related field.

Recruitment Transparency Notice

Eliassen Group values transparency in our recruitment practices. Please be advised that Eliassen Group utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of its initial application screening  and hiring process. You may receive email and SMS notifications from the Eliassen Virtual Recruiting Team ( View email address on us.fitly.work , View phone number on us.fitly.work) inviting you to complete a brief voice screening as part of your application process. These tools assist our hiring teams in different ways, including but not limited to, assistance in reviewing application materials to help identify candidates whose qualifications most closely match the requirements of the position. All AI-assisted evaluations and responses are reviewed by human recruiters before any hiring decisions are made. The use of AI in our process is intended to support fairness, efficiency, and consistency, and Eliassen Group takes measures to prevent bias or discrimination in connection with its hiring practices. By proceeding, you acknowledge, agree, and consent to Eliassen Group’s use of these tools, including AI tools, as part of the application and hiring process.

Skills, experience, and other compensable factors will be considered when determining pay rate. The pay range provided in this posting reflects a W2 hourly rate; other employment options may be available that may result in pay outside of the provided range.

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· Eliassen Group will never ask you for personal information (home address, bank account, or check routing number) until you have worked with someone clearly associated with Eliassen Group.

If you have any indication of fraudulent activity, please contact View email address on us.fitly.work .

About Eliassen Group:

Eliassen Group is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations reach further and achieve more through our technology, business advisory, and life sciences solutions. For nearly 40 years, we have combined exceptional people, deep domain expertise, and intelligent capabilities to expand our clients’ capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. We are driven by a purpose to positively impact the lives of our employees, clients, consultants, and the communities we serve.

Eliassen is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and all employment decisions are based on merit, performance, and business needs. Eliassen does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender identity or expression, sexual preference or orientation, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, creed, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, prohibited criminal record inquiries of applicants and employees, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Don’t miss out on our referral program! If we hire a candidate that you refer us to then you can be eligible for a $1,000 referral check!