Security Testing Lead Specialist

Security Testing Lead Specialist

Key Accountabilities Include

· Lead and deliver high-complexity, high-assurance security assessments across systems, including advanced penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and source code security reviews, focusing on real-world exploitability and attack path development.

· Provide authoritative technical leadership as a subject matter expert in security testing and secure development, acting as the primary escalation point for complex vulnerabilities, assessments, and adversary emulation activities.

· Evaluate the effectiveness of systems in protecting organisational data and maintaining intended functionality, and provide strategic recommendations to improve security posture and resilience.

· Identify and validate critical vulnerabilities, exploit paths, and attack vectors, including analysing scan outputs and manual testing results to assess risk and impact accurately.

· Translate technical findings into clear, actionable business risk insights, supporting informed decision making and prioritised remediation.

· Drive the evolution of security testing strategy, methodologies, and standards, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and continuous improvement across the function.

· Collaborate with the Security Testing – Senior Lead and broader cyber security teams to shape capability development, resourcing, and operational direction.

· Assess existing security controls and practices against expected standards, and recommend improvements to address gaps and uplift security maturity.

· Ensure delivery of high-quality security assessment reports, clearly articulating risks, impacts, and recommended mitigations.

· Provide mentorship and technical guidance to uplift capability across both senior and junior team members.

· Apply a pragmatic, risk-based approach to all activities, balancing security requirements with business objectives, timelines, and operational constraints.

· Fulfil Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) responsibilities in accordance with organisational policies and regulatory requirements.

Additional Information

· Provide technical leadership across the domain, including performing and leading complex assessments across multiple technical domains, and responding to escalated incidents and engagements.

· Provide input into Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment and Secure Code processes, methodologies, standards, and corresponding roadmaps and enhancement plans.

· Develop and deliver training for junior team members and the broader community to uplift security capability.

· Promote shift-left practices to enable the delivery of secure, high-quality code at speed.

· Provide guidance on application security architecture and secure design considerations.

· Develop scripts and contribute to automation initiatives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of security testing activities.

· Refine and define engagement processes, secure code artefacts, security criteria, and use cases.

· Collaborate with third parties, including vendors and newly acquired entities, to assess and uplift their security and development practices.

· Conduct quality assurance reviews of deliverables produced within the Secure Code team to ensure high technical standards.

· Operate effectively in environments with ambiguous or conflicting requirements, consistently delivering high-quality outcomes aligned with Cyber Security expectations.

· Translate technical vulnerabilities into business risk for stakeholders in a timely manner, leveraging insights from the broader Cyber Security function.

· Apply a pragmatic approach to security testing, balancing business objectives, standards alignment, cost, time, and risk considerations.

Qualifications / Experiences
Essential

· A minimum of 8 years’ experience in a Security Testing role

· Experience and exposure to a variety of software delivery models, including DevOps and Waterfall

· Significant experience in performing complex security assessments across a range of domain areas in a large corporate environment

· Significant experience in implementing automated security assessment tools into CI/CD pipelines

· Exceptional working knowledge of Security Assessment toolsets, such as Vulnerability Scanners, Static Code Analysis and Software Composition Analysis tools.

· Ability to review and provide guidance and feedback on security assessment reports

· Strong understanding of application security architecture principles including transport security, authentication, authorisation, threat modelling, and logging and monitoring.

· Experience in training and developing people

· Tertiary qualifications in Electrical/Electronic, Computer, Network or Software Engineering; Information/Cyber Security; IT or a related discipline

· Demonstratable skillset exceeding that expected of a person holding OSCE/OSWE or CREST – Certified qualifications for domain areas in scope for the position.

Highly Desirable

· Prior experience as a developer / software engineer is a significant advantage.

· Experience in developing security policy, standards, and development guidelines

· Significant experience in other domain areas of Cyber Security

· A strong understanding of adjacent security dependencies including endpoints, application platforms, databases, network security technologies, development frameworks.

· Current industry certification, including but not limited to: OSCP, OSCE3, OSWE; CREST (CCT, CCSC, CCSAS, CCSAM); SANS (GPEN, GAWN, GWAPT, GXPN); (ISC)2 CISSP, CCSP

· Experience in managing engagements with external security vendors

· Demonstrable history of developing exploits and zero-day discovery