Penetration Tester

Penetration TesterPermanent – up to £85k per annumLondon based – hybrid working – 2-3 days office based (negotiable)Must have CREST CRTRole Overview:We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Offensive Security Consultant with a strong focus understanding on threat intelligence and attack methods. The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing and conducting advanced penetration testing engagements, leveraging threat intelligence to simulate real-world attacks across a variety of environments, including OT, IT, web applications, cloud infrastructure, and APIs. This role requires a deep understanding of adversarial approaches, excellent communication skills, and the ability to provide strategic and actionable recommendations to significantly enhance our clients' security posture.Responsibilities:Lead and manage the full lifecycle of complex penetration testing engagements, applying a strong threat intelligence-led approach.Execute advanced penetration tests across a broad range of environments (applications, infrastructure, web, APIs, O365, Azure, AWS, OT), directly applying your knowledge of current threat landscapes and attacker TTPs.Develop and maintain sophisticated test plans, execution plans, and targeted use cases directly informed by in-depth threat intelligence analysis.Identify and prioritize OT and IT assets, services, and systems based on their criticality and potential exposure to identified threats.Strategically prioritize, plan, and schedule penetration testing engagements based on comprehensive threat assessments and client-specific requirements.Produce high-quality, detailed reports that clearly articulate technical findings, potential business impact, and strategic, actionable remediation recommendations for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.Clearly and effectively communicate complex security concepts, adversarial tactics, and critical threat intelligence insights to diverse audiences.Collaborate closely with client IT and cybersecurity teams to drive the enhancement of security protocols and ensure effective, threat-informed remediation of identified vulnerabilities.Track the progress of remediation efforts and provide regular, concise updates to stakeholders, highlighting the reduction of identified threats.Conduct proactive security research and contribute to the creation of technical content on emerging threats, advanced attack techniques, and threat intelligence-led testing methodologies.Contribute to strengthening security monitoring (blue team) capabilities by providing valuable insights into offensive techniques and adversarial behaviours to enhance detection and response effectiveness.Drive the patching regime for identified vulnerabilities, prioritizing remediation efforts based on threat intelligence and the potential for exploitation by advanced threat actors.Skills and Qualifications:Minimum of 5 years of demonstrable professional experience in penetration testing, with a strong emphasis on understanding, emulating, and leveraging adversarial tactics and threat intelligence.Comprehensive understanding of OT and IT asset profiles, technologies, and security best practice principles, with a proven ability to contextualize them within the current threat landscape.In-depth knowledge of network protocols, cryptography, security vulnerabilities, and common attack vectors employed by sophisticated threat actors.Demonstrated proficiency in utilizing a wide range of penetration testing tools and methodologies, including those specifically used for threat intelligence analysis and application.Proven experience in scoping and executing complex penetration tests, particularly those directly informed and driven by threat intelligence.Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical findings and nuanced threat intelligence insights clearly and concisely to diverse audiences.Strong organizational and time management skills, with a proven ability to effectively manage and prioritize multiple concurrent engagements.Current CREST CRT certification or higher is essential.Desirable Skills:Experience with Breach Attack Simulation tools and methodologies.Experience in Vulnerability Management processes and integrating threat intelligence.Understanding of Risk Management frameworks and how threat intelligence informs risk assessments.Hands-on experience with security reviews of AWS, Azure, and GCP environments, incorporating cloud-specific threats.Experience with ISO 27001 auditing/implementation, understanding the role of threat intelligence in compliance.Other advanced cybersecurity certifications such as CISM, CISSP, ECSA, CREST CCT.