Security Tester – Contract (SC Cleared | Hybrid Leeds | Inside IR35) Up to £375 per day (Inside IR35) Hybrid – two days per week on site in West Yorkshire Initial contract until August 2026 Active SC clearance required Overview We are seeking an experienced Security Tester to join an established testing team working on large scale, secure systems within the public sector. The role focuses on manual security testing, vulnerability management, and cyber resilience, supporting ongoing work around identity and access management and data protection. This is a hands on position where you will identify risks, validate security controls, and help deliver robust and resilient solutions. You will work closely with technical teams and contribute to improving the organisation's overall security posture. Key Responsibilities Identify and report security gaps across systems, applications and processes Develop and execute comprehensive cyber security test strategies Perform manual testing of systems, APIs and applications Conduct vulnerability scanning, prioritisation and remediation validation Validate multi factor authentication and related mechanisms including OAuth, SAML and JWT Support disaster recovery and restore testing to ensure system resilience Analyse and interpret security dashboards for monitoring and reporting Promote security awareness and assist in developing the team's cyber testing capability Technical Skills and Experience Essential Strong background in manual testing of systems and APIs Practical experience with security testing and vulnerability management Scripting skills in Python or JavaScript Familiarity with tools such as Jira, Confluence, Jenkins and Splunk Understanding of Azure security risks, particularly relating to storage and data protection Experience with disaster recovery and backup validation testing Desirable Knowledge of authentication protocols such as OAuth, SAML and JWT Experience within healthcare or other regulated environments Clearance Requirement Applicants must hold active and transferable SC clearance that meets the following criteria Granted within the last ten years Used on a government project within the last twelve months Must have more than twelve months validity remaining Ideal Candidate This position is suited to a hands on Security Tester or Quality Assurance Engineer with strong manual testing experience, solid understanding of vulnerability management and cyber resilience, and recent exposure to Azure and identity management security. The successful candidate will be proactive, detail focused and capable of working effectively within a secure public sector environment.