Penetration Tester

Talent Smart Limited; Cubley; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A cyber security consultancy is seeking a Penetration Testing & GRC Coordinator to ensure effective management of penetration testing actions and regulatory compliance. The role requires strong stakeholder engagement, particularly with MENAT technology teams, necessitating fluent Arabic for effective communication. Candidates should possess solid experience in vulnerability management and security assurance, demonstrating the ability to operate within complex regulatory frameworks and multi-regional environments. This is a Sheffield-based role with a strong preference for regular on-site presence.

Qualifications

• Proven experience coordinating penetration testing activities.
• Strong understanding of the penetration testing life cycle and remediation processes.
• Experience within GRC, risk, audit, or regulatory security environments.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate end-to-end penetration testing activities across multiple technology teams.
• Receive and distribute penetration test reports while ensuring quality.
• Support regulatory-mandated penetration testing programmes and assurance activities.

Skills

Coordinating penetration testing

Vulnerability management

Security assurance activities

Fluent Arabic (spoken and written)

Professional English communication

Job description

Role: Penetration Testing & GRC Coordinator
Location: Sheffield (UK) - preference for local/regular on-site presence

Context & Rationale

Our client is strengthening its cyber security assurance and regulatory posture across a complex, multi-regional technology environment. As part of this, they require a specialist coordination role to ensure regulatory and risk-driven penetration testing programmes are delivered consistently, efficiently, and with clear accountability.

This is a non-hands-on penetration testing role. The value lies in orchestration, governance, stakeholder engagement, and clarity-particularly across geographically distributed teams and regulators.

A critical differentiator for this position is the need for fluent Arabic language capability, supporting engagement with MENAT (Middle East, North Africa & Turkey) technology teams and regulatory stakeholders.

Role Purpose

The Penetration Testing & GRC Coordinator will act as the central control point between:

• Internal technology and application teams
• Third-party penetration testing vendors
• Cyber security, risk, and compliance functions
• Regional MENAT stakeholders and regulators

The role ensures penetration testing is properly scoped, well-communicated, regulator-ready, and that outcomes are clearly understood and actioned internally.

Key Accountabilities

Penetration Testing Coordination

• Coordinate end-to-end penetration testing activities across multiple technology teams.
• Ensure all required technical information, artefacts, and access details are gathered and validated prior to testing.
• Act as the primary interface with approved third-party penetration testing providers.
• Manage timelines, dependencies, and deliverables across concurrent testing engagements.

Reporting & Outcomes Management

• Receive, quality-check, and distribute penetration test reports.
• Support internal stakeholders in understanding findings, severity, and remediation expectations.
• Track remediation actions, re-testing requirements, and formal risk acceptance where applicable.
• Maintain auditable records of testing outcomes and closure status.

GRC & Regulatory Support

• Support regulatory-mandated penetration testing programmes and assurance activities.
• Ensure alignment with internal security policies, risk frameworks, and audit expectations.
• Assist with regulator-facing communications, particularly across MENAT, including Arabic-language engagement where required.
• Contribute to governance artefacts such as risk registers, assurance packs, and executive reporting.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a trusted intermediary between technical teams, security leadership, risk/compliance, and external vendors.
• Translate technical outputs into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders.
• Support cross-regional collaboration and consistency of approach.

Candidate Profile

Essential Experience

• Proven experience coordinating penetration testing, vulnerability management, or security assurance activities.
• Strong understanding of the penetration testing life cycle, reporting, and remediation processes.
• Experience operating within GRC, risk, audit, or regulatory security environments.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple stakeholders and workstreams simultaneously.
• Fluent Arabic (spoken and written) - non-negotiable.
• Strong professional English communication skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within regulated industries (eg financial services, large enterprise, critical infrastructure).
• Exposure to international or multi-regional operating models.
• Background in cyber security operations, technology risk, or assurance functions.
• Familiarity with common security and risk frameworks.

Location & Working Model

• Sheffield-based role with a strong preference for candidates able to attend the office regularly.
• Limited flexibility may be considered, but geographic proximity remains important due to stakeholder engagement needs.