Senior Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing

Responsibilities- Client Engagement & Leadership - Act as a trusted security advisor for multiple high-value clients. - Manage end-to-end security assessment projects, including scoping, execution, reporting, and remediation guidance. - Conduct technical and executive-level briefings to communicate findings, risks, and strategic recommendations clearly. - Translate complex technical vulnerabilities into business risk insights to help clients prioritize actions. - Collaborate closely with client stakeholders to ensure security recommendations are practical and actionable. - Advanced Threat Modelling & Risk Assessment - Design and maintain threat models tailored to client applications, networks, and cloud environments. - Perform risk assessments focusing on business impact and likelihood of exploitation. - Develop attack scenarios based on the latest threat intelligence and real-world attacker techniques. - Guide clients in integrating security into their software development lifecycle (SDLC) and cloud infrastructure designs. - Penetration Testing & Red Team Operations - Lead advanced black-box, grey-box, and white-box penetration testing engagements for web applications, APIs, networks, and cloud environments. - Conduct sophisticated Red Team exercises to simulate targeted attack campaigns. - Design and develop custom exploits and testing tools to replicate specific attacker techniques. - Perform social engineering tests (phishing campaigns, physical security assessments) in controlled and ethical scenarios. - Provide detailed post-exercise analysis, including actionable remediation strategies and long term improvement plans. - Comprehensive Reporting & Documentation - Produce clear and technically thorough vulnerability assessment and penetration testing reports. - Create executive-level summaries focused on business impact and compliance risks. - Maintain structured and up-to-date testing methodologies and playbooks. - Contribute to internal knowledge base, documenting research, custom tools, and successful testing strategies. - Technical & Programming Expertise - Expert in vulnerability assessment and exploitation techniques across a wide range of technologies. - Proficient in security testing tools such as Burp Suite, Nessus, Metasploit, Nmap, OpenVAS, Cobalt Strike, Wireshark, and tcpdump. - Strong scripting and automation skills (Python, Bash, PowerShell) to automate repetitive testing tasks and tool workflows. - Capable of custom tool development and advanced exploit research to target unique client environments. - Strong knowledge of application security vulnerabilities (OWASP Top 10, SANS Top 25) and attack surface analysis. - In-depth understanding of cloud security risks, identity and access management, and container security (Docker, Kubernetes). - Social Engineering & OSINT Expertise - Design and execute social engineering and phishing simulations tailored to client environments. - Perform physical security assessments through tactics like tailgating and badge cloning. - Apply Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques to gather reconnaissance data for assessments. - Provide training and awareness recommendations based on assessment outcomes. - Professional Attributes & Mindset - Strong analytical, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills. - Ethical hacker mindset with a continuous drive to research emerging threats, attack techniques, and defense bypass methods. - Methodical and detail-oriented approach to testing with the ability to think like an attacker. - Strong communication and presentation skills, able to engage both technical teams and business leadership. - Proactively innovate by developing new tools, scripts, or methodologies to improve testing efficiency and depth.Qualifications- 7+ years of hands-on experience in Vulnerability Assessment, Penetration Testing, and security consulting. - Strong technical expertise in application security, network security, cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP), and infrastructure security testing. - Proven experience using VAPT tools such as Burp Suite, Nessus, Qualys, Nmap, Metasploit, Nikto, OpenVAS, etc. - Solid knowledge of exploitation techniques, post-exploitation frameworks, and manual testing methodologies. - In-depth knowledge of web application vulnerabilities (OWASP Top 10) and network protocol analysis. - Experience conducting cloud security assessments, including misconfigurations, IAM permissions analysis, and container security. - Proficiency in scripting and automation (Python, Bash, PowerShell) to customize tests and tools. - Familiarity with security frameworks and standards such as NIST, ISO 27001, MITRE ATT&CK. - Strong reporting and documentation skills, able to translate technical findings into business friendly recommendations. - Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, able to lead client-facing engagements. - Relevant certifications are a strong plus (e.g., OSCP, CREST, CISSP, CEH, GIAC GPEN).Preferred Qualifications:- Certifications such as OSCP, GPEN, CREST CRT, CRTO are highly desirable. - Experience in DevSecOps, CI/CD pipeline security, or automated security testing frameworks. - Familiarity with industry compliance frameworks like PCI-DSS, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC2, and ISO 27001. - Prior consulting experience in a service delivery or customer-facing environment. - Experience with threat intelligence platforms and indicators of compromise (IoCs).