About this role
Salary: £80,000 - 100,000 per year
Requirements
- Current CREST CHECK Team Leader (CTL) qualification
- Strong hands-on penetration testing experience across infrastructure, applications, cloud, or other complex environments
- Experience planning, leading, and delivering penetration testing engagements
- Excellent technical report-writing skills and ability to communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences
- Strong stakeholder management and client-facing consulting skills
- Good understanding of cybersecurity frameworks, standards, and best practices
- Experience with scripting or automation using Python, PowerShell, Bash, or similar
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to obtain SC Security Clearance, potentially progressing to higher clearance levels
- Willingness to travel to customer sites when required
- Desirable: existing SC or DV Security Clearance
- Desirable: experience in Defence, MOD, Government, or National Security environments
- Desirable: certifications such as CREST CCT, OSCP, OSEP, OSWE, or CRTO
- Desirable: cloud penetration testing experience across AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Desirable: Operational Technology (OT/ICS) security testing experience
- Desirable: experience developing penetration testing tools, automation, or frameworks
- Desirable: knowledge of NCSC CAF, NIST, ISO 27001, and MITRE ATT&CK
- Desirable: experience mentoring junior penetration testers or conducting technical quality assurance
Responsibilities
- Lead and deliver penetration testing engagements across infrastructure, web applications, APIs, cloud, wireless networks, and Operational Technology (OT)
- Plan and scope testing engagements in line with NCSC CHECK standards and industry best practices
- Provide technical leadership and quality assurance across penetration testing activities
- Produce detailed technical and executive reports communicating vulnerabilities, business risks, and remediation recommendations
- Work with customers and key stakeholders to understand security requirements and deliver effective testing solutions
- Support and mentor junior penetration testers and CHECK Team Members
- Contribute to developing offensive security methodologies, tooling, automation, and service offerings
- Keep up to date with emerging threats, attack techniques, and vulnerabilities
Technologies
- AWS
- Azure
- Bash
- Cloud
- GCP
- Support
- PowerShell
- Python
- Security
- Web
More
We are seeking a Lead Penetration Tester / CHECK Team Leader (CTL) to join our growing Offensive Security team in a defence and cybersecurity environment. The role focuses on complex, high-assurance engagements across Defence, Government, and Critical National Infrastructure, with opportunities to provide technical leadership, mentor colleagues, contribute to service development, and help shape our expanding capability. This is a permanent position based in Bristol with hybrid working, including two days per week onsite.
The salary is £80,000–£100,000 per annum, plus a company benefits package. We offer access to industry-recognised training, conferences, and professional certification support, as well as technically challenging projects, exposure to diverse technologies and emerging threats, opportunities to contribute to research, tooling, and innovation, and scope to influence technical direction and service growth.
last updated 46 week of 2026