Lumen is the trusted network for the AI‑powered world, connecting people, data, and applications through our expansive fiber network and connected ecosystem. We enable secure, high‑performance connectivity across cloud, edge, and AI workloads for enterprises, governments, and communities.
At Lumen, you’ll work on infrastructure customers rely on today and build for what’s next, where performance, security, and resilience matter.
This is a high accountability environment where bold ideas drive real innovation for our customers, partners, and industry. The work is challenging, expectations are clear, and trust is built into how we operate. If you’re ready to take ownership, deliver meaningful impact, and help shape the future of AI‑ready connectivity, join us today.
The Role
Red Team - Lead Information Security Engineer
The Lead Information Security Engineer within Product and Platform Security provides technical leadership and hands-on execution across Red Team functions. This role leverages advanced penetration testing and adversarial emulation to identify and ethically exploit vulnerabilities across enterprise systems, products, services, and applications in cloud-native and hybrid environments. The Lead plans and executes Adversarial Cybersecurity Emulation (ACE) exercises, including AI-driven threat scenarios, to evaluate and strengthen security defenses.
At Lumen, we are igniting business growth by connecting people, data, and applications quickly, securely, and effortlessly. As part of our security organization, you will help protect critical platforms and technologies while advancing Red Team capabilities through innovation, automation, and threat-informed testing.
The Lead is expected to balance deep technical expertise with leadership responsibilities, including guiding engagements, setting technical direction, mentoring engineers, ensuring quality outcomes, and driving remediation efforts to completion. This role also leads strategic initiatives that enhance penetration testing, adversarial emulation, and security testing capabilities while partnering with stakeholders across technology, engineering, product, and security teams to reduce risk and improve resilience.
Location
This is a remote opportunity open to candidates located anywhere in the U.S.
The Main Responsibilities
- Serve as a cybersecurity and Red Team subject matter expert, leading penetration testing, adversarial emulation, and threat-based security assessments.
- Lead end-to-end planning, execution, and reporting of complex security assessments across infrastructure, applications, cloud platforms, APIs, databases, and identity systems.
- Direct Adversarial Cybersecurity Emulation (ACE) and Red Team engagements, coordinating stakeholders, managing risk, and delivering actionable security recommendations.
- Provide technical leadership across multiple concurrent initiatives, ensuring quality, accuracy, and successful delivery while remaining hands-on with testing activities.
- Define testing strategies, review findings and risk assessments, and guide remediation efforts to reduce organizational risk.
- Partner with incident response, engineering, product, and business teams to identify vulnerabilities, evaluate attack paths, and strengthen security controls.
- Drive innovation through automation, tooling, process improvements, AI/ML-enabled security capabilities, and the expansion of Red Team services.
- Communicate technical risks and business impacts to executive and technical audiences, promote knowledge sharing, and foster a strong security-focused culture.
What We Look For in a Candidate
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
- 5+ years of hands-on penetration testing, offensive security, or advanced security assessment experience; 7+ years in Information Security (or 5+ years with a Bachelor's degree).
- Professional certifications in penetration testing such as GPEN, GWAPT, GMOB, OSCP, OSWE, or equivalent.
- Proven experience leading complex penetration tests and adversarial exercises from planning through technical and executive reporting.
- Deep expertise in MITRE ATT&CK, threat-informed testing, adversarial emulation, and modern cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and exploit techniques.
- Strong knowledge of AWS, Azure, and/or GCP security, including identity, networking, workloads, and cloud control planes.
- Experience applying OWASP, NIST, CIS Controls, and other security frameworks.
- Advanced knowledge of networks, operating systems, identity systems, applications, APIs, scripting, and enterprise technologies.
- Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to drive multiple workstreams while remaining technically hands-on.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
- 7+ years of penetration testing or offensive security experience in large enterprise environments.
- 3+ years leading Red Team engagements and coordinating with defensive, business, and executive stakeholders.
- Experience developing security tools, exploits, payloads, automations, and new Red Team capabilities.
- Experience assessing mobile technologies, AI systems, cloud services, and other emerging technologies.
- Knowledge of AI/ML applications in cybersecurity, including adversarial testing and automation.
- Experience creating technical training, teaching, presenting at conferences, or building development programs.
- Advanced professional certifications such as GXPN, OSEP, or equivalent.
Compensation
This information reflects the anticipated base salary range for this position based on current national data. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. Individual pay is based on skills, experience and other relevant factors.
Location Based Pay Ranges
$105,786 - $141,047 in these states: AL AR AZ FL GA IA ID IN KS KY LA ME MO MS MT ND NE NM OH OK PA SC SD TN UT VT WI WV WY
$111,074 - $148,099 in these states: CO HI MI MN NC NH NV OR RI
$116,364 - $155,152 in these states: AK CA CT DC DE IL MA MD NJ NY TX VA WA
Lumen offers a comprehensive package featuring a broad range of Health, Life, Voluntary Lifestyle benefits and other perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing. We're able to answer any additional questions you may have about our bonus structure (short-term incentives, long-term incentives and/or sales compensation) as you move through the selection process.
Learn more about Lumen's:
Benefits (https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/benefits-statement)
Bonus Structure
Requisition #: 343648
Life at Lumen
Life at Lumen is human and connected, even in a fast moving, AI‑focused organization. We set clear expectations and trust people to meet them. With real support and shared accountability, teams collaborate better, move faster, and deliver meaningful outcomes.
Our Lumen 8 behaviors guide how we interact, make decisions, and work together, shaping a culture built to perform and win.
To learn more about Life at Lumen and how we live the Lumen 8, please visit:
https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/life-at-lumen
Background Screening
If you are selected for a position, there will be a background screen, which may include checks for criminal records and/or motor vehicle reports and/or drug screening, depending on the position requirements. For more information on these checks, please refer to the Post Offer section of our FAQ page (https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/faq) . Job-related concerns identified during the background screening may disqualify you from the new position or your current role. Background results will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Equal Employment Opportunities
We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, “protected statuses”). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training.
Privacy Notice
Lumen is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information collected during the recruitment and hiring process. Our Applicant Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect applicant information, as well as how individuals may request access to or deletion of their personal data.
To review Lumen’s Global Employment Applicant and Talent Community Privacy Notice, please visit:
https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/privacy-notice
Disclaimer
The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to include a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities for this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on evolving business needs and conditions.
In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
Please be advised that Lumen does not require any form of payment from job applicants during the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings will be posted on our official website or communicated through official company email addresses. If you encounter any job offers that request payment in exchange for employment at Lumen, they are not for employment with us, but may relate to another company with a similar name.