Penetration Tester - 6 Months - Hybrid (Reading) - Inside IR35

Hamilton Barnes; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable security consultancy in Reading seeks a skilled Penetration Tester for a 6-month contract. In this hybrid role, you'll lead penetration testing efforts across various environments, ensuring adherence to industry standards while communicating risks effectively. The ideal candidate has extensive experience with penetration testing tools and methodologies, strong analytical skills, and the ability to produce high-quality reports. This is an exciting opportunity to enhance an organization’s security posture.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience in penetration testing engagements.
• Proficiency with penetration testing tools and methodologies.
• Ability to produce detailed and actionable reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead penetration testing engagements from kickoff to reporting.
• Conduct tests across networks, web apps, and cloud environments.
• Identify vulnerabilities and recommend remediation.

Skills

Penetration testing

Red teaming

Vulnerability assessment

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Tools

Cobalt Strike

Burp Suite

Nessus

Kali Linux

Nmap

OSINT tools

Job description

Penetration Tester - 6 months - Hybrid (Reading) - Inside IR35

Rate: £400 per day (Inside IR35)
Duration: 6 months
Working Model: Hybrid - 3 days per week onsite in Reading
Role Type: Contract

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Penetration Tester to join a delivery-focused security testing function supporting multiple technology initiatives within a complex enterprise environment. This is a hands‑on role requiring strong technical expertise across offensive security, red teaming, and vulnerability assessment.

You will lead and execute penetration testing engagements end‑to‑end, working closely with clients, developers, and security stakeholders to identify, exploit, and clearly communicate security risks while supporting improved organisational security posture.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead penetration testing engagements from client kickoff through scoping, execution, and final reporting, ensuring adherence to agreed scope and deadlines.
• Perform penetration testing across network, web applications, APIs, cloud environments, thick client applications, wireless, social engineering, and physical security.
• Execute penetration testing projects using established methodologies, tools, and rules of engagement.
• Conduct red team assessments to identify gaps and weaknesses impacting organisational security posture.
• Identify, validate, and exploit security vulnerabilities across a wide range of systems and environments.
• Perform in-depth analysis of findings and produce high‑quality reports detailing exploitation paths, business risk, and remediation recommendations.
• Apply strong knowledge of OWASP Top 10 and SANS Top 25, effectively aligning findings to industry standards.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong hands‑on experience delivering professional penetration testing engagements.
• Proficiency with penetration testing and red team tooling including Cobalt Strike, Caldera, Atomic Red Team, Pentera, Nessus, Burp Suite, Nmap, Kali Linux, and OSINT tools.
• Solid understanding of offensive security methodologies and attack frameworks.
• Experience with both manual and automated security testing techniques.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and vulnerability analysis skills.
• Ability to write clear, concise, and actionable penetration testing reports.
• Good understanding of the software development life cycle (SDLC) and secure development practices.