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Hire penetration testers in the UK

What penetration testers are paid, what to name in the advert, and who you are up against — from the adverts on Cyber Security Jobs, not a survey. Looking for the roles themselves? See Penetration Tester jobs.

What you will pay

£37k to £87k, most around £61k

The range employers advertised for penetration testers on Cyber Security Jobs over the last 12 months, base salary only, across 38 priced adverts. Adverts that state a salary get more applications than those that hide it, and a figure at or above the midpoint is the single cheapest thing you can do for the response.

  • Remote or anchored

    A fully remote role draws the whole country and can pay a little under the London figure; an anchored one competes locally and cannot.

  • Greenfield or inherited

    Building from nothing is worth more to the right person than running what exists, and they will ask which it is.

  • Someone senior to learn from

    A strong lead in the team is worth thousands on the offer; without one, expect to pay for that experience directly.

Who you are competing with

Hiring penetration testers on Cyber Security Jobs right now

Three live adverts for the role, as candidates see them. How rivals pitch it is worth a look before you write yours.

Punk Security

Infrastructure Penetration Tester

  • Northallerton
  • Remote
  • £37,000 – £50,000 pa
  • Mid-level

Deliver infrastructure penetration tests, vulnerability assessments and security audits across varied client environments, combining automation and tooling with hands-on investigation. Produce clear reports and debriefs for technical and non-technical audiences, manage multiple engagements, and help improve team methodologies and tooling alongside the web application team.

OSCP · CRT · CSTM +3

DV clearance Today

Punk Security

Infrastructure Penetration Tester

  • Northallerton
  • Remote
  • £37,000 – £50,000 pa
  • Mid-level

Deliver infrastructure penetration tests and vulnerability assessments across varied customer environments, combining automation and security tooling with human-led investigation. Produce clear reports and client debriefs for technical and non-technical audiences, manage multiple engagements, and collaborate with infrastructure and web application teams. Fully remote with rare client site visits.

OSCP · CRT · CSTM +3

DV clearance Yesterday

SmartSourcing Ltd

Penetration Tester

  • Manchester
  • Remote
  • £60,000 – £80,000 pa
  • Mid-level
  • Permanent

Deliver penetration testing and consultancy across networks, web and mobile apps, APIs and cloud environments, using manual and automated techniques to simulate real-world attacks. Produce technical reports and executive summaries for technical and non-technical stakeholders, and contribute to service development and research. Requires CHECK Team Member certification and SC clearance eligibility.

Kali Linux · Burp Suite · Metasploit +6

SC clearance Last week

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