Cybersecurity Lab Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

About Merlin Group

Merlin Group operates at the intersection of cyber innovation, national security, and technology-driven transformation. With a mission to accelerate the adoption of high-impact technologies across the U.S. public sector and regulated commercial markets, Merlin is uniquely structured around three core tenets – Invest, Enable, and Scale – each designed to address a specific stage of the technology lifecycle. Together, our affiliates – Merlin Ventures, CGC, and Merlin Cyber – form a flywheel that builds enduring capability for customers, partners, and the broader cyber ecosystem, operationalizing technological advancement into mission-ready, enterprise-grade solutions.

At Merlin, we believe our strength lies in our people. Team members are encouraged to be creative, collaborative, and nimble, pursuing paths to deliver the cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions that our customers rely on. From next-generation cyber defense to secure cloud and AI, we are united by one purpose – transforming innovation into mission impact.

The Opportunity

We're seeking a proactive and innovative Cyber Security Lab Engineer to join our dynamic technical team. In this role, you’ll play a critical role in creating, managing, and evolving sophisticated demonstration labs designed to showcase advanced cybersecurity solutions to internal stakeholders, partners, and customers. Your mission is to construct realistic, integrated, and impactful simulations across hybrid enterprise and government security environments aligned to Zero Trust architectures. In this role, you’ll blend creativity, technical expertise, and a deep understanding of both offensive and defensive cybersecurity practices. You will use your expertise in cybersecurity to inform your decisions on ways to solve our customers’ most pressing business and IT challenges using Merlin’s solution offerings. If you thrive on innovation, automation, and collaboration within a high-performance environment, we’d love to meet you.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Design and Develop: Build and maintain virtualized, hybrid environments simulating complex enterprise and government standards, focusing extensively on Zero Trust methodologies.
• Integrate and Demonstrate: Seamlessly integrate cybersecurity solutions from diverse technology partners, highlighting their capabilities through compelling, automated demonstrations.
• Automate and Innovate: Leverage scripting languages (Python, Bash, PowerShell, Go) and APIs to automate integration workflows, demo scenarios, and repetitive tasks to enhance lab efficiency.
• Adversary Simulation: Utilize established red-team tools (Metasploit, Caldera, Cobalt Strike) to realistically demonstrate cybersecurity defenses against sophisticated attacks.
• Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Clearly document lab configurations, integrations, playbooks, and scenarios, enabling other team members to replicate and deliver impactful demonstrations consistently.
• Collaboration and Alignment: Work closely with Solution Architects, Sales Engineers, and leadership teams, ensuring demo labs reflect strategic objectives, sales goals, and customer priorities.
• AI Integration: Collaborate on integrating automated lab scenarios with Merlin’s internal AI platforms, enhancing the sophistication and intelligence of our demonstration capabilities

Qualifications

Required

• 3+ years’ experience in cybersecurity engineering, integration, or related roles.
• Strong understanding of Zero Trust architectures and cybersecurity fundamentals.
• Hands-on experience with scripting and automation using Python, PowerShell, Bash, or Go.
• Practical knowledge of SOAR platforms and SIEM technologies.
• Proficiency with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), virtualization platforms (VMware, Proxmox), and API-driven integrations.
• Demonstrated experience integrating cybersecurity tools with workflow automation and ticketing systems (ServiceNow, Jira).
• Experience performing attack simulations using standard red-team/adversary emulation tools.
• Excellent documentation skills for knowledge transfer and operational clarity

Preferred

• Relevant certifications (OSCP, CISSP, GCIA, GCIH) highly desirable.
• Experience with administering and maintaining AWS VPC, EC2, networking and cloud services. AWS certifications desirable.
• Familiarity with AI-driven cybersecurity platforms and workflows.
• Ability or experience in custom red-team tool development.
• Experience with government-grade security frameworks and compliance standards (e.g., NIST 800-207).

Work Environment & Location

• This role is primarily remote; however, candidates located near the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) are preferred due to collaborative sessions at our headquarters in Tysons, VA.

Success Attributes

• Commitment to personal and professional integrity and respect for others.
• Roll-up-your-sleeves attitude and low-ego approach.
• Commitment to teamwork and professional relationship development.
• Passion for lifelong learning, growth, and development.
• Flexible and nimble; comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change.
• Strong communication and functional project management skills.
• Desire to innovate, try new things, and creatively explore novel solutions to business challenges.
• Professional and respectful approach to the diversity of thought, action, identity, and attributes.

Benefits & Perks

We want to empower and inspire employees to be and do their best. Our workdays are dynamic, collegial, and fun. Our office features multiple places to work unconstrained by typical office barriers. Our wellness package provides access to an on-site gym and includes medical, dental, and vision insurance along with options for FSA and EAP. We offer 401(k) with employer match, unlimited PTO, and a culture respectful of the reality that not everything in one’s personal life is guaranteed to happen only after hours.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.