Mandate Skills (Must-Have) :
These are required to qualify :
Education & Experience :
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, or equivalent experience.
- 7+ years of professional experience in penetration testing / offensive security.
- Minimum 2 years of red team operations experience.
- Minimum 2 years of practical cloud penetration testing (AWS, Azure, GCP).
Technical Expertise :
Strong hands-on experience in infrastructure penetration testing (internal & external).Manual web, mobile, and API penetration testing experience.Deep knowledge of network protocols, Active Directory, privilege escalation techniques.Demonstrated use of C2 frameworks (e.g., Cobalt Strike, Silver, Core Impact, Outflank).Proficiency in scripting / coding languages (Python, PowerShell, Bash, etc.).Ability to simulate real-world adversarial techniques and build creative attack chains.Professional Skills :
Strong reporting skills (technical vulnerabilities, exploit paths, remediation).Effective client-facing communication (explaining risks & mitigation to technical and non-technical stakeholders).Analytical and offensive mindset with ability to adapt to new technologies quickly.Good-to-Have Skills (Value-Add) :
These are not mandatory but will make a candidate stand out :
Hands-on experience with cloud container security and IAM privilege escalation.Familiarity with threat simulation frameworks (MITRE ATT&CK, APT TTPs).Prior experience in social engineering engagements and physical security assessments.Experience developing or customizing offensive security tools / scripts.Knowledge of threat intelligence and ongoing research on CVEs, emerging exploits.Prior involvement in methodology / tool development for red team or pentest functions.Content contribution : blogs, training material, or conference presentations.Mentorship and team training experience.Advanced use of Burp Suite, BloodHound, or custom tooling.(ref : hirist.tech)