Penetration Testing Engineer

Career Category

Job Description

ABOUT AMGEN 

Amgen harnesses the best of biology and technology to fight the world’s toughest diseases, and make people’s lives easier, fuller and longer. We discover, develop, manufacture and deliver innovative medicines to help millions of patients. Amgen helped establish the biotechnology industry more than 40 years ago and remains on the cutting-edge of innovation, using technology and human genetic data to push beyond what’s known today. 

ABOUT THE ROLE 

Role Description: 

This role has a strong focus on ensuring the organization's infrastructure, applications, and systems are secure from external and internal threats. This role is responsible for conducting authorized security tests on IT infrastructure to evaluate the strength of its systems against potential cyberattacks. A variety of automated tools and manual techniques are leveraged to simulate real-world attacks. The penetration tester then works with the organization to prioritize, remediate and report on identified issues, strengthening the overall security posture. 

Roles & Responsibilities:  

• Perform security testing (e.g., penetration testing, code reviews) and ensure continuous security monitoring across the organization’s IT landscape. 

• Identify vulnerabilities in networks, systems, applications, and infrastructure through hands-on penetration testing. 

• Attempt to exploit discovered vulnerabilities to demonstrate their impact and prove their existence (e.g., retrieving sensitive data, elevating user privileges, or gaining access to admin functionality). 

• Perform assessments on web applications, cloud environments, and network infrastructure. 

• Use automated tools and manual techniques to identify security weaknesses. 

• Conduct advanced post-exploitation tasks to simulate real-world attack scenarios. 

• Work with third-party security vendors for audits, product testing, and external assessments when required. 

• Use automated tools (e.g., Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, or Acunetix) to identify common vulnerabilities such as SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and others. 

• Document identified vulnerabilities in detail, explaining how they were found, their severity, and their potential impact. Include proof-of-concept (PoC) for critical vulnerabilities. 

• Offer actionable, practical solutions for fixing the vulnerabilities, such as secure coding practices, configuration changes, or security controls. 

• Use risk-based prioritization, categorizing issues by their severity and business impact (e.g., high, medium, low) to help the organization focus on the most critical issues. 

• Continuously learn about the latest vulnerabilities, exploits, and security trends. 

• Present the findings to stakeholders, security teams, and management, explaining the business risk and potential impacts of the vulnerabilities discovered. 

• Familiarity with industry standards and compliance requirements (e.g., PCI-DSS, NIST, ISO 27001) and their relevance to penetration testing. 

Basic Qualifications and Experience: 

• Master’s degree with a 1 - 2 years of experience in Computer Science, Cybersecurity or Information Systems related field OR  

• Bachelor’s degree with 2 - 4 years of experience in Computer Science, Cybersecurity or Information Systems related field OR 

• Diploma with 4-6 years of experience in Computer Science, Cybersecurity or Information Systems related field 

Functional Skills: 

Must-Have Skills: 

• Strong knowledge of common vulnerabilities (e.g., OWASP Top 10, SANS Top 25), network protocols, encryption standards, application security and common penetration testing methodologies (ISSAF, OSSTMM, PTES). 

• Familiarity with tools like Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP and Metasploit. 

• A deep understanding of web application architecture, databases, and authentication mechanisms. 

• Ability to think critically and creatively when testing and attempting to exploit vulnerabilities. 

Good-to-Have Skills: 

• Experience with threat intelligence and incorporating emerging threats into penetration testing practices 

• Proficiency in scripting and automation (e.g., Python, Bash) is a plus 

Professional Certifications:

• Preferred: eJPT, eCPPT, eWPT, OSCP, OSWA, GWAPT 

Soft Skills: 

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills 

• Ability to work effectively with global, virtual teams 

• High degree of initiative and self-motivation 

• Team oriented, with a focus on achieving team goals 

• Strong presentation and public speaking skills 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT 

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider you without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status. 

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation. 

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As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.