Penetration Tester

Sahomelocator; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Defence consultancy in the UK is seeking an experienced Red Team Operator / Penetration Tester for a 3-month engagement with potential for extension. The role involves executing realistic Red Team activities in sensitive environments and requires an active SC or DV clearance. Candidates should have a strong offensive cyber background and relevant certifications. Join a high-impact Defence project with opportunities for future engagements.

Qualifications

• Proven Red Team or offensive cyber experience within Defence or regulated environments.
• Active SC or DV clearance, ideally DV.
• Strong understanding of insider threat scenarios.
• Ability to operate confidently onsite within Defence environments.

Responsibilities

• Support confirmation of scope sessions and contribute to detailed Red Team test plans.
• Design and execute adversary simulation and penetration testing.
• Simulate advanced threat actor behavior, including data exfiltration.

Skills

Red Team experience

Offensive cyber experience

Understanding of insider threat scenarios

Producing technical reports

Education

Relevant certifications (OSCP, CRTO, GIAC)

Job description

£550-600 p/d

Ncounter is supporting a specialist Defence consultancy on two upcoming Red Team engagements within a major Defence programme. These are initial 3‑month contracts, with a strong likelihood of extension, forming the first wave of a wider pipeline of similar work expected over the next 12 months.

Red Team Operator / Penetration Tester (SC or DV Cleared)

The focus of these engagements is true adversary simulation. Working from standard user credentials, you will help define and execute realistic Red Team activity, assessing how an attacker could infiltrate, move laterally, elevate privileges, and exfiltrate data within sensitive environments. You will play a key role in shaping the technical approach, rather than simply delivering pre‑defined tests. Work will be based primarily out of SW sites or nearby Defence related sites, with an expectation of 2 to 3 days per week onsite.

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting confirmation of scope sessions and contributing to detailed Red Team test plans
• Designing and executing adversary simulation and penetration testing activity against Defence systems
• Exploiting networks to enumerate services, elevate privileges, and move laterally
• Simulating advanced threat actor behaviour including command and control and data exfiltration
• Producing high‑quality technical and management level reports with clear remediation guidance
• Participating in technical replays with Blue Teams to support detection and mitigation

What We Are Looking For

• Proven Red Team or offensive cyber experience within Defence or similarly regulated environments
• Active SC or DV clearance, ideally DV
• Strong understanding of insider threat scenarios and post‑compromise activity
• Relevant certifications such as OSCP, CRTO, or GIAC, or equivalent hands‑on expertise
• The ability to operate confidently onsite within Defence environments

If you are an experienced Red Team operator looking to be involved in high‑impact Defence work with genuine follow‑on opportunities, get in touch with Ncounter for a confidential discussion.