Penetration Testing Team Lead at Sofia Stars

Sofia, Sofiya, Bulgaria -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

08 May, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

07 Feb, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Penetration Testing, Offensive Security, Application Security, Purple Team Exercises, Threat Intelligence, Security Architecture, Network Protocols, Cloud Environments, Communication Skills, Automation, Security Tools, Vulnerability Assessment, Risk Management, Team Leadership, Mentoring, Collaboration

Industry

Business Consulting and Services

Description

Sofia Stars is an operational services company based in Sofia. We offer a range of solutions for online businesses, including R&D, Marketing, Customer Support, KYC, Risk, and Anti-Fraud services. With 300+ bright stars on our team, we deliver secure, reliable solutions with a touch of quality that shines. When you join us, you’ll be part of a place where ideas light up, and growth isn’t just a promise—it’s a journey. We invite a Penetration Testing Team Lead to join our team. It's an office-based role. Core Mission To lead and grow the Offensive Security function while maintaining a strong hands-on role. Leverage an attacker mindset to identify critical business logic vulnerabilities and attack paths (kill chains), drive collaboration with Application Security and Security Operations teams, and lead purple team activities. ✅ Responsibilities: ✔️ Build the Offensive security function from the ground up: define methodologies, reporting standards, and the hiring plan for future team expansion. ✔️ Recruit, mentor, and develop the team of offensive security engineers, ensuring technical excellence and consistent delivery quality once hired. ✔️ Perform deep-dive manual penetration testing for complex, high-risk, or business-critical assets, focusing on realistic attack scenarios rather than high-volume "bug-bounty style" findings. ✔️ Lead and coordinate purple team exercises with the SOC/Blue Team, simulating real-world attacks to validate detection capabilities and tune SIEM/EDR rules. ✔️ Collaborate closely with the Application Security Team to validate vulnerabilities and guide effective remediation strategies. ✔️ Translate offensive findings into actionable threat intelligence, TTPs, and recommendations to enhance detection and threat hunting. ✔️ Act as a subject matter expert in security architecture discussions, secure design reviews, and security code reviews. ✔️ Stay current with emerging attack techniques, tools, and security trends, and ensure knowledge is shared within the engineering teams. ✅ Areas of Ownership: ✔️ 0-to-1 establishment of the offensive security capabilities and team roadmap. ✔️ End-to-end ownership of penetration testing execution, quality, and reporting. ✔️ Identification of critical attack paths that threaten the company’s core business products. ✔️ Delivery of TTPs and threat-hunting insights for purple team initiatives. ✔️ Effective cross-team collaboration with Application Security, Security Operations, and Engineering. ✅ Requirements: ✔️ 5+ years of hands-on experience in Penetration Testing, including web, mobile, API, and cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP). ✔️ Experience building offensive security processes, methodologies, or tools from scratch. ✔️ Strong "playing coach" mindset: willingness to remain highly hands-on (70-80%) while setting up the function. ✔️ Deep understanding of penetration testing methodologies and frameworks (OWASP Top 10, SANS Top 25). ✔️ Demonstrated experience contributing to purple team exercises and working closely with SOC to improve detection logic. ✔️ Strong hands-on experience with industry-standard tools (Burp Suite Pro, Metasploit, Nmap, etc.) and ability to develop custom automation (Python, Go, PowerShell, Bash). ✔️ Solid knowledge of network protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP/S, DNS), operating systems (Linux, Windows), and cloud-native architectures (Docker, Kubernetes). ✔️ Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly present critical business risks to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. ✅ Nice to Have: ✔️ Advanced certifications such as OSCP, OSCE, OSWE, CRTP, or SANS GIAC. ✔️ Experience in fast-growing companies (Gaming/Fintech) with exposure to industry-specific security challenges. ✅ We offer excellent benefits, including but not limited to: 🏖️ Up to 25 vacation days; 🤒 6 Undocumented Sick Leave Days; 💷 Monthly food vouchers (102 EUR); 🏥 Private Medical Insurance; 🏋🏼 Multisport Card; 🎁 Birthday, Wedding and Newborn gifts; 🍔 Breakfast, Friday lunches, fruits, and snacks in the office; 🎭 Monthly company activities and team-building events; 🚀 Career growth opportunities. Ready to shine? Let’s make it real. By submitting your application, you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Responsibilities

Lead and grow the Offensive Security function while maintaining a strong hands-on role. Build the Offensive security function from the ground up and perform deep-dive manual penetration testing for complex, high-risk assets.