Cybersecurity & IT

Penetration Tester

A Penetration Tester — often called an ethical hacker — is hired to attack an organisation's systems, networks, and applications before malicious actors can. Day-to-day work involves scoping engagements with clients, running structured attacks using tools such as Metasploit, Burp Suite, and Nmap, documenting vulnerabilities discovered, and writing clear reports that translate technical findings into business risk. Penetration testers work across web applications, internal networks, cloud infrastructure, and increasingly physical and social engineering scenarios. Most roles sit inside specialist security consultancies, in-house red teams at large enterprises, or government-adjacent bodies. The role demands a hacker mindset combined with methodical reporting discipline. Junior testers typically support senior colleagues on engagements and focus on web application testing before broadening into network and infrastructure work. In the UK, demand is driven by regulatory requirements, cyber insurance obligations, and the growing volume of high-profile breaches. Testers who can communicate risk clearly to board-level stakeholders — not just write technical reports — progress fastest.