Principal / Lead Penetration Tester

Responsibilities - Grow and shape the future of penetration testing, setting direction, maturity and ambition

- Act as second‑in‑charge to the Penetration Testing Manager, providing leadership, stability and judgement

- Navigate the turmoil of AI and automation, translating emerging risk into practical offensive capability

- Drive the team into the unknown – future threats, new tooling, new attack surfaces

- Be the person people rely on – technically, ethically and professionally

- Set the standards for quality, rigour and reporting – and be the shining beacon others measure against

- Establish and embed technical ethics across offensive security practices

- Lead, mentor and uplift a talented team of penetration testers

- Oversee and deliver penetration testing across web, APIs, mobile, cloud, infrastructure and hardware

- Shape testing strategy, pipelines, scope depth and prioritisation across a complex environment

- Ensure consistently high‑quality outputs through technical review, coaching and process improvement

Qualifications - Proven experience leading penetration testing in a large, complex organisation

- Deep hands‑on expertise across modern platforms (web, API, mobile, cloud, infra, hardware)

- Strong grounding in penetration testing frameworks and methodologies (OWASP, OSTTMM, WAHH, etc.)

- The credibility to challenge, influence and guide senior stakeholders

- A genuine passion for ethical hacking, continuous learning and technical excellence

- Experience uplifting teams and setting a long‑term vision, not just delivering tests

- Advanced security certifications (OSEP, AWAE, CREST, SANS Advanced or similar)

- Clear, confident communication – especially when explaining complex risk

Why this role stands out This isn't a \"run the same playbook\" role. It's about setting the playbook, being trusted to lead through uncertainty, and helping define how offensive security evolves in an AI‑accelerated world. If you're ready to step into a role where your judgement, ethics and leadership truly matter – we'd love to hear from you.

#J-18808-Ljbffr