Pentester (Offensive Security)
Attacks your systems before real attackers do: penetration testing, red teaming, vulnerability exploitation.
Why this hire matters.
An exploited breach costs hundreds of thousands of euros on average — before counting reputational damage, GDPR notification duties and, for B2B SaaS, enterprise deals lost for lack of certification. The pentester is your attacker under contract: they find flaws before criminals do and hand you a prioritized fix list. It's also a commercial prerequisite: security due diligence (SOC 2, ISO 27001) and customer questionnaires demand regular penetration tests. Hiring in-house vs commissioning a firm depends on your attack surface: a product shipping weekly justifies an embedded offensive profile. Verify real-world experience (CTFs, bug bounty, OSCP) — the field attracts many theoretical profiles.
Key missions.
- Run penetration tests (web, API, infra, mobile)
- Lead red team and social engineering exercises
- Document vulnerabilities and prioritize remediation
- Re-test after fixes
- Contribute to compliance audits (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
- Train development teams on secure coding
- Track emerging attack techniques
Skills.
Technical skills
- Web (OWASP), network and Active Directory exploitation
- Offensive tooling (Burp, Metasploit, Nmap)
- Scripting (Python, Bash)
- Actionable report writing
- OSCP/OSEP certifications valued
Expected qualities
- Impeccable ethics
- Obsessive curiosity
- Teaching mindset toward devs
Common stack
Salaries 2025-2026
| Level | Experience | Annual gross base |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | 0-2 yrs | 42–50 k€ |
| Mid-level | 2-5 yrs | 52–70 k€ |
| Senior | 5-8 yrs | 70–95 k€ |
| Lead / Red team | 8+ yrs | 95–130 k€ |
Paris market ranges, 2025-2026.
Outside the Paris region, expect 10 to 20 % less.
Sources : Cyberini 2026 · Get in Talent 2026 · Michael Page 2026
Hiring this profile.
Typical background
Cyber engineering school, or self-taught path validated by CTFs/bug bounty and certifications. Audit-firm experience is a classic accelerator.
When to hire
In-house once product security becomes continuous (Series B+, enterprise customers). Before that, quarterly external pentests often suffice.
Career path
Senior → Pentest lead / Red team lead → CISO, or independent expertise (bug bounty, consulting).