Offensive Cyber Research Engineer

Twenty, Arlington, VA

The role

Twenty is seeking an exceptionally skilled Offensive Cyber Research Engineer for an in-office position in its Arlington, VA office to lead the development of sophisticated offensive cyber capabilities that defend democracies worldwide. We're looking for someone with 6-8 years of deep technical expertise in offensive cyber operations, software development, and research, combined with proven leadership experience mentoring engineers and driving strategic technical initiatives.

All jobs

Offensive Cyber Research Engineer

Twenty, Arlington, VA

Posted pay

$159K–$263K

a year

Compared with similar jobs

This base pay is above the median for AI research jobs in other US places with no level in the job title.

Median: $183K a year
Other jobs in the group: 296

We compare the middle of each posted range. This is base pay as posted. The group does not include this job.

Location: Arlington, VA
Work type: Onsite
Level: Not given
Experience: 6+ years
Skills in the job text: Python
AWS
Kubernetes
GCP
Azure
Docker
Go
Posted: Oct 12, 2025
Last check: 8 h ago
Job type: Research

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Twenty

Open tech jobs: 29
With posted pay: 100%
Median posted base: $184K–$389K

About Twenty: funding, hiring and pay

Twenty

About Twenty: funding, hiring and pay

Company facts

Money raised: $100MSum of funding rounds on record
Newest round: Series BJun 17, 2026

Funding records can have errors and can be missing. The company page has the links.

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The role

What you need

Technical skills & experience

6-8 years of threat research, offensive cyber operations, and software development experience
Expert-level operational cyber security experience in one or more of the following domains:
Digital Network Exploitation Analysis (DNEA) within U.S. Government military or intelligence organizations
Exploitation Analyst (EA) operations conducting advanced network exploitation and intelligence analysis
Advanced Penetration Testing/Red Teaming leading sophisticated offensive security assessments
Senior-level Threat Hunting and threat intelligence analysis in high-stakes environments
Demonstrated technical leadership experience mentoring offensive cyber engineers and leading research initiatives
Deep expertise in the MITRE ATT&CK framework with proven track record developing and implementing advanced adversary TTPs across multiple tactics
Expert-level experience operating and extending industry-standard threat emulation platforms (Cobalt Strike, Metasploit, custom C2 frameworks) with proven ability to develop sophisticated custom payloads, modules, and evasion techniques
Extensive experience integrating and analyzing diverse threat intelligence sources including commercial feeds, OSINT, and government intelligence
Advanced proficiency in implementing sophisticated persistence mechanisms, advanced defense evasion techniques, counter-forensics, and anti-analysis methods
Expert containerization and orchestration experience using Docker and Kubernetes for secure, scalable offensive tool deployment
Advanced programming and software architecture skills in Python and Golang, with demonstrated ability to build maintainable, production-grade security tools and automation frameworks
Expert-level experience writing complex graph queries and developing graph-based analytical tools using Neo4j or similar graph databases
Comprehensive knowledge of cybersecurity across network security, application security, secure coding, cryptography, and security architecture
Extensive practical experience in offensive cyber operations including advanced payload development, post-exploitation frameworks, command and control infrastructure, and multi-stage attack chains
Expert knowledge of red team methodologies including campaign planning, operational security (OPSEC), adversary simulation, and realistic threat emulation based on intelligence-driven scenarios

Leadership & communication skills

Proven ability to lead technical projects and mentor engineering teams
Strong communication skills with ability to explain complex offensive techniques to diverse audiences including executives and government officials
Experience conducting thorough code reviews and establishing development standards for security tools
Track record of driving technical decision-making and influencing strategic direction

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field; Master's degree preferred, or equivalent practical experience

Security requirements

Must be eligible to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance

Offensive Cyber Research Engineer

The role

Offensive Cyber Research Engineer

The role

What you need

Technical skills & experience

Leadership & communication skills

Education

Security requirements

Nice to have

Nice to have

Additional skills

Technical leadership & architecture

Research & innovation

Team leadership & mentorship

Attack path development & implementation

Data engineering & intelligence integration

Operational collaboration

What's on the table

About Twenty

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Company facts

Twenty

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