Penetration Tester

Red Team Operator / Penetration Tester

(SC or DV Cleared)

Ncounter is supporting a specialist Defence consultancy on two upcoming Red Team engagements within a major Defence programme. These are initial 3-month contracts, with a strong likelihood of extension, forming the first wave of a wider pipeline of similar work expected over the next 12 months.

The focus of these engagements is true adversary simulation. Working from standard user credentials, you will help define and execute realistic Red Team activity, assessing how an attacker could infiltrate, move laterally, escalate privileges, and exfiltrate data within sensitive environments. You will play a key role in shaping the technical approach, rather than simply delivering pre-defined tests.

Work will be based primarily out of SW sites or nearby Defence related sites, with an expectation of 2 to 3 days per week onsite.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting confirmation of scope sessions and contributing to detailed Red Team test plans

• Designing and executing adversary simulation and penetration testing activity against Defence systems

• Exploiting networks to enumerate services, escalate privileges, and move laterally

• Simulating advanced threat actor behaviour including command and control and data exfiltration

• Producing high quality technical and management level reports with clear remediation guidance

• Participating in technical replays with Blue Teams to support detection and mitigation

To be considered, you will bring:

• Proven Red Team or offensive cyber experience within Defence or similarly regulated environments

• Active SC or DV clearance, ideally DV

• Strong understanding of insider threat scenarios and post-compromise activity

• Relevant certifications such as OSCP, CRTO, or GIAC, or equivalent hands-on expertise

• The ability to operate confidently onsite within Defence environments

If you are an experienced Red Team operator looking to be involved in high impact Defence work with genuine follow-on opportunities, get in touch with Ncounter for a confidential discussion