Senior Red Team Operator / SME
CACI · Remote · United States · 16d ago
The Opportunity:
CACI is seeking a Senior Red Team Operator and subject-matter expert to lead assigned adversary-emulation engagements. This role translates threat behavior and customer objectives into safe, realistic campaigns; directs operator execution; maintains operational security; and ensures evidence, reports, out-briefs, and recommendations are technically sound. The role leads individual engagements. This SME role includes cradle‑to‑grave engagement ownership, ensuring operational safety, evidence integrity, and measurable defensive improvement outcomes.
This position will provide continuous technical assessment support for full‑time, proactive testing of externally and internally visible federal cyber assets. This expands federal visibility by conducting continual assessments of .gov domains, subdomains, and internet‑facing assets to uncover unknown exposures, validate vulnerabilities, and provide agencies with actionable remediation guidance. This role supports the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program’s mission to safeguard and secure cyberspace in an environment where the threat of cyber-attack is continuously growing and evolving and is responsible for enhancing the security, resilience, and reliability of the Nation’s cyber and communications infrastructure. The CDM Program defends the United States (U.S.) Federal Information Technology (IT) networks from cybersecurity threats by providing continuous monitoring sensors (tools), diagnosis, mitigation tools, and associated services to strengthen the security posture of Government networks.
Responsibilities:
- Lead assigned red-team engagements from scenario design and rules-of-engagement planning through infrastructure build, execution, deconfliction, reporting, and customer out-briefing.
- Develop multi-vector campaigns aligned to MITRE ATT&CK and modern APT profiles, integrating identity-layer exploitation, cloud lateral movement, and infrastructure pivoting.
- Design and oversee adversary infrastructure, redirectors, command-and-control channels, payload-delivery methods, operator access, logging, and teardown procedures.
- Construct secure cloud-based attack infrastructure and teardown workflows consistent with modern adversary tradecraft.
- Lead hands-on execution of advanced identity, endpoint, network, web, cloud, phishing, defense-evasion, persistence, and exfiltration-simulation techniques when authorized.
- Mentor junior operators, review tradecraft and scripts, enforce OPSEC and safety controls, and make real-time technical decisions during operations.
- Review payload/tooling for evasion capabilities (EDR/AV bypass and living-off-the-land techniques) within authorized scope.
- Coordinate with stakeholders to validate detection and response, develop hand-crafted purple-team scenarios, and translate observations into measurable defensive improvements.
- Own technical quality for operator logs, attack narratives, evidence, mitigation recommendations, assessment reports, and customer out-briefs.
- Escalate material risks, scope changes, operational impacts, and cross-engagement issues to the Technical Lead.
Qualifications:
Required:
- U.S. citizenship is required.
- The selected candidate must meet eligibility requirements for access to sensitive information and be able to obtain a Public Trust fitness determination (High Risk).
- Ability to work in customer-provided remote environments, use customer-approved tools, and comply with rules of engagement, data-handling requirements, evidence controls, deconfliction procedures, and stop-work criteria.
- Five or more years of hands-on red-team, defensive-adversary-emulation, or advanced penetration-testing experience, including at least two years leading defensive detection engineering activities and engagements or small operator teams.
- Demonstrated campaign-planning experience across reconnaissance, initial access, credential access, privilege escalation, lateral movement, persistence, command and control, defense evasion, and simulated exfiltration.
- Advanced experience with C2 frameworks, adversary infrastructure, Active Directory/Entra ID, Windows and Linux tradecraft, cloud attack paths, and operator scripting/tool development.
- Strong understanding of operational security, deconfliction, legal/ethical boundaries, evidence handling, and safe execution in production environments.
- Ability to write and technically review assessment reports and deliver clear customer out-briefs to technical and executive audiences.
- Proficiency with advanced tooling (Sliver, Mythic, Havoc) and secure cloud attack architecture.
- One or more advanced hands-on certifications such as OSEP/OSCE, OSCP, GXPN, GPEN, CRTO/CRTL, CRTP, OSED, or equivalent.
Desired:
- Eight or more years of offensive-security experience, including multi-tenant enterprise or federal engagements.
- Payload or tool development in C#, C/C++, Go, Rust, Python, or PowerShell; familiarity with modern EDR/AV bypass and living-off-the-land techniques.
- Advanced AWS/Azure identity and cloud tradecraft, container/Kubernetes security, or hybrid-enterprise campaign experience.
- Experience facilitating purple-team exercises, detection engineering, or SOC/incident-response validation.
- Critical-infrastructure, ICS/OT, federal high-value-asset, or restricted/air-gapped-environment experience.
What You Can Expect:
A culture of integrity.
At CACI, we place character and innovation at the center of everything we do. As a valued team member, you’ll be part of a high-performing group dedicated to our customer’s missions and driven by a higher purpose – to ensure the safety of our nation.
An environment of trust.
CACI values the unique contributions that every employee brings to our company and our customers - every day. You’ll have the autonomy to take the time you need through a unique flexible time off benefit and have access to robust learning resources to make your ambitions a reality.
A focus on continuous growth.
Together, we will advance our nation's most critical missions, build on our lengthy track record of business success, and find opportunities to break new ground — in your career and in our legacy.
Pay Range:
There are a host of factors that can influence final salary including, but not limited to, geographic location, Federal Government contract labor categories and contract wage rates, relevant prior work experience, specific skills and competencies, education, and certifications. Our employees value the flexibility at CACI that allows them to balance quality work and their personal lives. We offer competitive compensation, benefits and learning and development opportunities. Our broad and competitive mix of benefits options is designed to support and protect employees and their families. At CACI, you will receive comprehensive benefits such as; healthcare, wellness, financial, retirement, family support, continuing education, and time off benefits.
Since this position can be worked in more than one location, the range shown is the national average for the position.
The proposed salary range for this position is:
$90,300-$189,600CACI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic.