From an engagement
Stabilising a pentest team and developing its next leaders
A confidential engagement with a penetration testing company of approximately 20 testers.
- The problem
- Frequent resignations, inconsistent quality and fragmented communication left capable testers feeling unsupported as work continued to be booked.
- The judgment
- Further senior recruitment would struggle to succeed unless the conditions in which the team worked changed.
- Simon's responsibility
- Simon headed the testing function and became the main leadership contact for scheduling, scoping and quality while establishing clearer support and standards.
Observed results
Greater stability
Voluntary resignations fell from roughly one per month to two during a subsequent twelve-month period.
Broader contribution
More testers supported presales, scoping and a wider range of technical engagements.
Internal leadership
Senior team members began taking on leadership responsibilities, with Simon's involvement reducing from four days a week to two.
An account of Simon's engagement, with the client anonymised. The initial resignation rate is approximate, and work to develop the business continues.