Social Engineer – Blackthorn Tactical, LLC

Human Intelligence. Tactical Deception. Real-World Adversarial Access.

Location: Las Vegas, NV
Employment Type: Contract / Part-Time / Operational Assignment-Based
Clearance Required: Must pass background check and behavioral screening
Division: Adversarial Threat Simulation (Red Team)

About the Role

Blackthorn Tactical is seeking a highly skilled Social Engineer to support our Adversarial Threat Simulation and Physical Intrusion Operations. This role is for individuals capable of manipulating human elements, exploiting cognitive biases, and gaining access to environments that believe they are protected. You will perform high-pressure fieldwork, interaction-heavy operations, and stealth-based infiltration assignments on behalf of clients who authorize us to test their defenses.

This is not a theoretical position.
This is real-world adversarial work against targets who believe their security works.

You will play a critical role in uncovering human-layer vulnerabilities, influencing personnel, and testing an organization’s ability to detect, challenge, or deny social-engineering attempts.

Core Responsibilities

1. Human-Focused Adversarial Simulation

Conduct full-spectrum social engineering operations including:

  • Pretext development and identity creation

  • Rapport building with employees, contractors, and staff

  • Bypassing front-desk, lobby, and checkpoint personnel

  • Gaining unauthorized physical access through social pressure, confidence, or perceived authority

  • Conducting targeted interactions to extract sensitive information

  • Testing badge policies, access control weaknesses, and procedural failures

2. Covert Physical Access Support

Work with Blackthorn’s Red Team operators to:

  • Gain entry to secure facilities

  • Tailgate or piggyback through controlled doors

  • Masquerade as staff, vendors, executives, or authorized personnel

  • Bypass security staff using verbal and behavioral manipulation

  • Plant or retrieve test devices for adversarial simulation exercises

  • Assess how employees respond to manipulative behavior

3. Intelligence Gathering & Reconnaissance

Collect and analyze intelligence to support mission objectives:

  • OSINT profiling of targets, locations, and security personnel

  • Identifying human weak points within organizations

  • Monitoring employee habits, daily routines, and access patterns

  • Gathering information from phone calls, emails, or in-person interactions

  • Supporting red team threat modeling and attack-path development

4. Phishing, Vishing & Digital Social Engineering

Execute controlled digital social engineering campaigns:

  • Email phishing (credential harvesting, payload-less, spear phishing)

  • SMS phishing (smishing)

  • Voice-based manipulation (vishing)

  • Multi-channel social engineering simulations

  • Template development for campaigns

  • Target selection and risk modeling

5. Reporting & Executive-Level Debriefing

Document findings with precision and clarity:

  • Produce detailed reports on vulnerabilities exploited

  • Summarize human behavioral weaknesses uncovered

  • Provide actionable recommendations to client leadership

  • Present debriefs to security teams, managers, and executives

  • Maintain clear logs of interactions, pretexts, and outcomes

Required Skills & Competencies

Psychological & Behavioral Skills

  • Deep understanding of persuasion principles (authority, reciprocity, social proof, scarcity, urgency, empathy)

  • Ability to read micro-expressions, tone shifts, and body language

  • High emotional intelligence

  • Ability to blend in, adopt roles, and portray characters convincingly

  • Strong improvisation skills

  • Ability to perform under pressure in uncertain environments

Operational Skills

  • Experience performing on-site social engineering engagements

  • Understanding of physical security controls (CCTV, access control, alarms, security staffing)

  • Strong OSINT gathering and analysis ability

  • Knowledge of phishing/vishing techniques

  • Ability to maintain operational cover stories without breaking character

  • Capability to adapt quickly to unexpected challenges or failures

  • Ability to document operations thoroughly and professionally

Communication Skills

  • Strong verbal presence and conversational adaptability

  • Ability to influence and persuade through both casual and authoritative communication

  • Professional written communication for reporting and documentation

  • Ability to speak confidently to individuals at all authority levels

  • Natural rapport-building talent

Preferred Certifications

(Not required, but strongly advantageous)

Cybersecurity & Social Engineering Certifications

  • SEPP – Social Engineering Professional (Social-Engineer, LLC)

  • SECT – Social Engineering Certified Training

  • OSINT Certifications (OSINT Framework, SANS SEC497, TraceLabs OSINT course)

  • Pentest+ (CompTIA)

  • CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker

  • CPT – Certified Penetration Tester

  • GPEN – GIAC Penetration Tester

  • GTEXT – GIAC Targeted Exploitation (for advanced candidates)

Physical Security & Red Team Certifications

  • Red Team Operator (various reputable training programs)

  • Certified Red Team Professional (CRTP)

  • Physical Security Professional (PSP – ASIS)

  • Certified Protection Professional (CPP – ASIS)

Soft Skill/Behavioral Certifications (advantageous)

  • Crisis negotiation or de-escalation training

  • Acting, improv, or communication certifications

  • Psychology coursework or behavioral analysis credentials

Role Requirements

  • Must be 21 years or older

  • Must reside in or be willing to travel to Las Vegas, NV

  • Valid government-issued ID

  • Clean professional background

  • Ability to pass behavioral and integrity assessment

  • Flexible schedule (assignments often occur at night or irregular hours)

  • Must be comfortable working under video surveillance and client observation

  • Must sign NDAs and confidentiality agreements

What We Look For

Profile of a Strong Social Engineer:

  • Highly observant

  • Charismatic but controlled

  • Adaptable under pressure

  • Sharp analyst of human behavior

  • Maintains discipline and integrity

  • Thinks multiple steps ahead

  • Comfortable in unfamiliar environments

  • Able to maintain deception without losing composure

If you’re the type of person who can walk confidently through places you technically shouldn’t be—legally, under controlled conditions—this role is built for you.

What You’ll Gain

  • Real-world red team operational experience

  • High-level training in adversarial psychology

  • Access to elite threat-simulation operations

  • Growth opportunities in cyber, physical, and blended security domains

  • Experience working with a premier tactical security firm

  • Opportunities for additional roles (Red Team Operator, OSINT Analyst, etc.)

Join Blackthorn Tactical

If you have the discipline, creativity, and tactical mindset required to thrive in adversarial environments, we want to hear from you.
This role is not about acting reckless — it is about precision, intelligence, and execution under authorization.

Ready to apply?

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