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Accenture

London; Cheltenham and 3 more

Cyber Security Penetration Tester

Posted 22 Oct

Level
Graduate & entry level
Experience
1+ years
Work style
Hybrid
Full-time
Clearance
SC clearance

At a glance

The role in plain English

This role involves hands-on penetration testing of client web applications, APIs and infrastructure, both manually and using tools. You will work as part of a collaborative team, with support from senior testers and team leads on complex projects. The position suits early-career testers seeking to expand their technical skills and work towards industry certifications. Day-to-day tasks include testing, reporting, client communication and knowledge sharing.

What you'll do

  • Perform manual and tool-assisted security testing of web apps, APIs and infrastructure
  • Identify, validate and safely exploit vulnerabilities within agreed rules of engagement
  • Write clear, accurate reports with evidence, risk ratings and remediation advice
  • Support client remediation and perform retesting to confirm fixes
  • Share knowledge with the team through peer review and technical write-ups

What they're looking for

Essential

  • 1–2 years' commercial penetration testing experience
  • Knowledge of OWASP Top 10 and API Security Top 10
  • Experience with tools like Burp Suite, Nmap, Metasploit
  • Ability to validate findings and capture reproducible evidence
  • Clear technical writing skills

Nice to have

  • Awareness of cloud security in AWS, Azure or GCP
  • Mobile application testing experience
  • Basic scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell)
  • Practitioner-level certification such as CREST CRT, OSCP or PNPT

Core skills

  • Burp Suite
  • Nmap
  • Metasploit
  • Web application testing
  • API testing
  • Infrastructure testing
  • Technical reporting
  • Vulnerability assessment

Certifications mentioned

  • CREST CRT
  • Cyber Scheme CSTM
  • OSCP
  • PNPT

The shape of the job

Technical depth

3/5

FoundationalSpecialist

Pace

3/5

SteadyFast-moving

Ownership

2/5

GuidedSelf-directed

Teamwork

4/5

Heads-downHighly collaborative

Cyberend's reading of the listing, not the employer's own scores.

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Questions to prepare for

  1. 01Describe your approach to testing a new web application for security vulnerabilities.
  2. 02How do you validate and document a finding to ensure it is reproducible?
  3. 03What steps would you take if you discover a critical vulnerability during a client engagement?
  4. 04Explain the difference between authentication and authorisation vulnerabilities with examples.
Full job descriptionAs published by Accenture

Job Title: Cyber Security Penetration Tester

Locations: UK wide (hybrid work- 1x a month in office)

Salary: Competitive salary and package (Depending on level of experience)

Please Note: Any offer of employment is subject to satisfactory BPSS and SC security clearance which requires 5 years continuous UK address history (typically including no periods of 30 consecutive days or more spent outside of the UK) at the point of application. The above information relates to a specific client requirement'

Role overview

As a Penetration Tester, you will deliver hands-on security testing of client web applications, APIs and infrastructure. Working within a collaborative testing team, and supported by senior testers and CHECK Team Leaders on complex engagements, you will find and validate vulnerabilities, demonstrate their real-world impact and give clients clear, practical remediation advice. This role suits an early-career tester who wants to broaden their technical skills and progress through recognised industry certifications.

Key responsibilities

  • Perform manual and tool-assisted testing of web applications, APIs and internal and external infrastructure.
  • Identify, validate and safely exploit vulnerabilities within agreed rules of engagement, including authentication, authorisation, injection, business logic and misconfiguration issues.
  • Help identify attack paths, including privilege escalation, and explain their business impact.
  • Follow recognised methodologies, including OWASP (WSTG, API Security Top 10), PTES and CHECK/CREST standards.
  • Help prepare for engagements by confirming scope, access and prerequisites with the engagement lead.
  • Write clear, accurate reports with reproducible evidence, risk ratings and prioritised remediation advice.
  • Support client remediation and carry out retests to confirm fixes are effective.
  • Escalate critical findings promptly to the engagement lead and help explain their impact to stakeholders.
  • Share knowledge with the team through peer review, tooling improvements and technical write-ups.

Essential skills and experience

  • Typically 1–2 years' commercial penetration testing experience across web applications, APIs and infrastructure.
  • Good working knowledge of common web and API vulnerabilities, including the OWASP Top 10 and API Security Top 10.
  • Practical experience with industry-standard tools such as Burp Suite, Nmap and Metasploit.
  • Ability to validate findings, rule out false positives and capture reproducible evidence.
  • Clear technical writing that explains risk and remediation in plain language.

Desirable skills and experience

  • Awareness of cloud security and configuration review in AWS, Azure or GCP.
  • Some mobile application testing experience (iOS and/or Android).
  • Basic scripting (e.g. Python, Bash, PowerShell) to automate tasks or adapt tools.
  • Understanding of cryptography and build/hardening standards.
  • Sound understanding of networking, common protocols, and Windows and Linux security.
  • Holds, or is working towards, a practitioner-level certification such as CREST CRT, Cyber Scheme CSTM, OSCP or PNPT.

Development and support

  • Mentoring and technical guidance from experienced testers and CHECK Team Leaders.
  • A funded certification pathway, for example from CRT or CSTM through to CCT or CSTL.
  • A broad mix of engagements to build experience across testing types.
  • Dedicated time for training, research and lab work.
  • Opportunities to contribute to internal tooling, methodology and innovation projects.

#LI-EU #LI-MP

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 791,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by applicable law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities.

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