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Permanent & Contract · Canada

Hire Penetration Testers

Screened for testers who think like an attacker and report like a partner.

Why STACK IT

Built to hire penetration testers, not fill seats.

Most agencies optimize for volume. We optimize for the one hire who’s right, vetted by people who understand the work.

A calibrated 3–5 person shortlistTypically within five business days, candidates chosen for your team, not a résumé flood.

Recruiters who speak offense

We screen for whether a tester can find and chain real weaknesses, and report them so they get fixed, not just run a scanner. No candidate reaches you without two recruiters signing off.

Every candidate is real

Fake profiles, proxy interviews, and AI-assisted answers are everywhere in tech hiring. We meet each candidate face-to-face on video and screen for AI patterns, so who you interview is who shows up.

Screened to stay, not just to start

A hire that leaves in a year isn't a win. We align trajectory, growth, and total comp so the tester grows with your team instead of moving on.

You pay only when they start

Success-based and non-exclusive, no upfront fees, no retainers. We invoice on your tester's first day, not before.

How we screen

The Penetration Testers Evaluation Rubric.

We screen for how penetration testers actually think. Every shortlist is judged against the same five criteria that predict whether someone delivers in your codebase.

Open any criterion to see what separates a strong hire

Strong signal

Chains small weaknesses into a real attack path, not just a scanner report.

Falls short

Runs a vulnerability scanner and pastes the output.

Strong signal

Goes deep across web, network, and cloud, and writes their own when tools fall short.

Falls short

Only knows the point-and-click tools.

Strong signal

Scopes engagements carefully and avoids collateral damage.

Falls short

Goes off-scope or knocks over production.

Strong signal

Writes findings developers can act on, with clear remediation steps.

Falls short

Drops a wall of severity ratings with no path to a fix.

Strong signal

Operates with discretion and a clear ethical line you can trust.

Falls short

Treats access casually or oversteps the engagement.

A candidate only reaches your shortlist after they meet all of our standards.

Hire penetration testers with confidence.

Real technical screening, a calibrated shortlist in days, and candidates vetted for fit, not just resumes. Let’s start your search.

  • Pay only when they start
  • First candidates in 24–48 hrs
  • Screened for skills and fit

Specializations

Penetration Testers, across your whole stack.

Whatever your team runs on, we screen for the people who do the work right.

Web App Testing

Finding the flaws in web applications.

OWASP Burp Suite

Network & Infra

Breaking into networks and hosts.

Nmap Metasploit

Cloud Pentesting

Attacking misconfigured cloud.

AWS Azure

Red Teaming

Full-scope adversary simulation.

Red Team C2

Social Engineering

Testing the human layer.

Phishing Pretext

Reporting & Remediation

Findings devs can actually fix.

Reports Remediation

The cost of waiting

An open role isn’t free.

An empty seat doesn’t delay work, it redistributes it. The longer the search drags, the more it costs.

Every week a role stays open, the cost lands on the team you already have.

  • Work waits in the backlog while priorities pile up.
  • They cover work that isn’t theirs, until something slips.
  • The longer the seat stays empty, the harder the restart.

Speed isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between a gap and a setback.

Time to fill this role

Industry average National, by experience & seniority
~62 days
With STACK IT typical placement
2–3 weeks
48 hrs
First qualified candidate
3–5 days
Calibrated shortlist
18%
Fewer delivery delays once they start

How you hire

Permanent or contract, your call.

Two models, one standard of quality. Bring on the penetration testers you need the way that fits your timeline and budget.

Permanent

Permanent hire

Best when you’re building the team for the long term.

  • You only pay when they start, success-based, no upfront fee.
  • Full-cycle vetting for technical and cultural fit.
  • Backed by our 90-day replacement guarantee.
OR

Contract

Contract hire

Best when you need delivery capacity now, without adding headcount.

  • We’re the employer of record: payroll, compliance, and onboarding handled.
  • Most contractors placed in 5–10 business days.
  • Convert to permanent anytime, with a buyout discount that grows each month.

Not sure which fits? Compare permanent vs. contract

FAQ

Hiring penetration testers, answered.

The questions teams usually ask before starting a search with us.

Recruiter-led and scenario-based, not a cert checklist. We walk through real engagements to see how they found a path in, stayed in scope, and reported for remediation. Every candidate is met face-to-face over video, the same practice behind our AI hiring fraud protection, and no one reaches your inbox until a second reviewer signs off.

You'll typically see your first qualified candidate within 24–48 hours, and a calibrated shortlist of three to five within about five business days. Most permanent roles close in two to three weeks; contract placements often start within 5–10 business days.

For permanent hires it's success-based: you pay only when a candidate starts, with no upfront fee or retainer. Contract placements run on a transparent hourly rate that already covers payroll, compliance, and onboarding. There's no cost to simply engage us.

Permanent placements are backed by our 90-day replacement guarantee: if it doesn't work out within the first 90 days, we replace them at no charge. It's part of how we stay accountable long after the placement. For contract roles, our backfill guarantee means we replace a contractor quickly and at no extra cost if they exit early.

No. We work non-exclusively by default, so you can keep your internal sourcing running or use other firms alongside us. We'd rather earn repeat business through results than lock you into an agreement. We just work best when feedback is quick and expectations are clear.

Still have a question? Talk to a recruiter

Bill 190 compliant by default.

Every search keeps your hiring audit-ready in Ontario.

See the Bill 190 checklist
  • Salary-range disclosure
  • AI-use transparency
  • Decisions within 45 days