Senior Penetration Tester
| Posting date: | 25 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 25 October 2025 |
| Location: | Solihull, West Midlands |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | National Physical Laboratory |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 2273 |
Summary
Security Testing Role – Dive Deep, Make an Impact
You’re motivated by a deep curiosity and a dedication to excellence. Whether dissecting telecoms protocols or navigating the intricacies of enterprise IT systems, you thrive on appreciation how things work — and how they can be fortified. Your approach is hands-on and analytical, grounded in experience and a clear sense of purpose: making systems more secure and resilient.
In this role, you’ll join a collaborative, inclusive team that values expertise, diverse perspectives, and mutual support. You’ll have the opportunity to mentor and guide emerging talent, shaping the next generation of penetration testers. We’ll give you the freedom to explore, experiment, and grow — while contributing to the development of robust, secure networks that have real-world impact
What You’ll Be Doing
As a senior member of the team, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering security assessments across complex hardware and software systems. Your responsibilities will include:
Steering technical assessments of telecoms equipment, identifying vulnerabilities and guiding the direction of testing activities.
Mentoring and supporting junior team members, fostering their development through hands-on guidance and knowledge sharing.
Applying advanced testing techniques, including both positive and negative approaches such as fuzzing, to rigorously evaluate network functions and protocols.
Scripting and automating assessments to enhance efficiency, consistency, and scalability across projects.
Investigating and articulating findings.
Contributing to high-quality technical reports, ensuring they are thorough and insightful.
Helping to shape the test strategy.
Successful Applicants must be able to commute to the UKTL offices in Birmingham at least twice a week
We strive to offer a great work life balance - if you are looking for full time, part time or flexible options, we will try to make this work where business possible. This will be dependent on the kind of role you do and part of the business you work in.
What We’re Looking For
We’re seeking individual's who brings both depth of experience and a collaborative mindset to the team. Ideally, you:
Thrive in complex technical environments, with a proven ability to dissect and solve challenging problems across diverse systems.
Contribute fresh perspectives, while working effectively with colleagues across disciplines to drive innovation and shared success.
Demonstrate a genuine passion for security testing, with a commitment to continuous learning and staying ahead of emerging threats.
Have hands-on experience in penetration testing, coupled with a solid understanding of exploitation techniques and how they apply in real-world scenarios.
What You’ll Learn
You’ll either bring existing knowledge of telecoms protocols like Diameter, HTTP/2, SCTP, NGAP— or show the curiosity and aptitude to learn. Either way, we’ll promote your growth.
You’ll get access to top-tier learning platforms, including:
Offensive Security Learn Unlimited Subscription with Exam attempts included.
Hack The Box
PentesterLab subscription
Plus telecoms-specific online learning resources
If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. Let’s build something secure together.
Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.
We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in this specific area means that nationality, residency and security requirements are more tightly defined than others. To work in this role, you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.
You’re motivated by a deep curiosity and a dedication to excellence. Whether dissecting telecoms protocols or navigating the intricacies of enterprise IT systems, you thrive on appreciation how things work — and how they can be fortified. Your approach is hands-on and analytical, grounded in experience and a clear sense of purpose: making systems more secure and resilient.
In this role, you’ll join a collaborative, inclusive team that values expertise, diverse perspectives, and mutual support. You’ll have the opportunity to mentor and guide emerging talent, shaping the next generation of penetration testers. We’ll give you the freedom to explore, experiment, and grow — while contributing to the development of robust, secure networks that have real-world impact
What You’ll Be Doing
As a senior member of the team, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering security assessments across complex hardware and software systems. Your responsibilities will include:
Steering technical assessments of telecoms equipment, identifying vulnerabilities and guiding the direction of testing activities.
Mentoring and supporting junior team members, fostering their development through hands-on guidance and knowledge sharing.
Applying advanced testing techniques, including both positive and negative approaches such as fuzzing, to rigorously evaluate network functions and protocols.
Scripting and automating assessments to enhance efficiency, consistency, and scalability across projects.
Investigating and articulating findings.
Contributing to high-quality technical reports, ensuring they are thorough and insightful.
Helping to shape the test strategy.
Successful Applicants must be able to commute to the UKTL offices in Birmingham at least twice a week
We strive to offer a great work life balance - if you are looking for full time, part time or flexible options, we will try to make this work where business possible. This will be dependent on the kind of role you do and part of the business you work in.
What We’re Looking For
We’re seeking individual's who brings both depth of experience and a collaborative mindset to the team. Ideally, you:
Thrive in complex technical environments, with a proven ability to dissect and solve challenging problems across diverse systems.
Contribute fresh perspectives, while working effectively with colleagues across disciplines to drive innovation and shared success.
Demonstrate a genuine passion for security testing, with a commitment to continuous learning and staying ahead of emerging threats.
Have hands-on experience in penetration testing, coupled with a solid understanding of exploitation techniques and how they apply in real-world scenarios.
What You’ll Learn
You’ll either bring existing knowledge of telecoms protocols like Diameter, HTTP/2, SCTP, NGAP— or show the curiosity and aptitude to learn. Either way, we’ll promote your growth.
You’ll get access to top-tier learning platforms, including:
Offensive Security Learn Unlimited Subscription with Exam attempts included.
Hack The Box
PentesterLab subscription
Plus telecoms-specific online learning resources
If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. Let’s build something secure together.
Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.
We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in this specific area means that nationality, residency and security requirements are more tightly defined than others. To work in this role, you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.