Brendan A.

Product Engineer

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia15 yrs 7 mos experience

Key Highlights

Experienced Penetration Tester with diverse engagement types.
Strong background in client management and mentoring.
Technical and soft skills complementing cybersecurity expertise.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Cybersecurity Specialist with a focus on Penetration Testing and Client Management.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Penetration TestingClient ManagementWeb Application SecurityTeam Leadership

Other Skills

Client LiaisonScopingMentoringCat HerdingBeekeepingBoulderingOSWPWireless SecurityOSCPEthical HackingStakeholder ManagementPowershellMobile DevicesScheduling ManagementNetwork Security Testing

About

Opinions expressed here are my own and not those of current or past employers. Brendan is a Penetration Tester capable of multiple engagement types including but not limited to Web Applications, API, Mobile Applications, External and Internal Network Pentesting, Physical Pentests, Configuration Reviews and Wi-Fi tests across a wide range of industries and client sizes. Prior to Penetration Testing, Brendan has worked as a business analyst, presenter of medieval education, frontline worker during the COVID pandemic and a facilitator for online conferences and training. The soft skills gained in these professions complement the technical knowledge he brings to engagements and ensures that any vulnerabilities and threats uncovered are understood by all levels of the business. When Brendan isn't doing penetration testing, he enjoys hobbyist beekeeping and bouldering.

Experience

15 yrs 7 mos

Total Experience

2 yrs 11 mos

Average Tenure

10 mos

Current Experience

Career Break

Sep 2025 – Dec 2025 · 3 mos

Career break to accomplish personal projects, provide caregiving, dedicate study time to cybersecurity certifications, travel, and prepare for my next contract or permanent role: Could it be with you and your organisation?

Contract

Penetration Tester

Jul 2025 – Present · 10 mos · Hybrid

Contract and bespoke penetration testing engagements
Offensive Security Consultancy, Penetration Tester Management and Delivery as required.
Client Liaison, Scoping and Requirements Elicitation as required.
Team Leadership and Mentoring as required.
Continued knowledge and skills building between engagements.

Penetration TestingClient LiaisonScopingMentoringClient Management

Freelance

Repulsion of AI Automatons

Jul 2025 – Jul 2025 · 0 mo

Cat HerdingBeekeepingBouldering

Undisclosed firm #2

2 roles

Acting Head of Testing

Apr 2025 – May 2025 · 1 mo

Acting Head of Testing (April 2025 to May 2025 inclusive) while Head of Testing on annual leave.
Duties include scheduling of penetration tests across the testing team (onsite and remote testers), client and stakeholder management, handling of escalations, scoping of penetration tests requests, mentoring associates and providing expert input to other teams including but not limited to Sales, GRC and Executive

Client Expectations ManagementRequirements GatheringMentoringScopingEscalations ManagementScheduling Management+2

Penetration Tester

Nov 2023 – Jun 2025 · 1 yr 7 mos

Performed penetration testing for clients of multiple sizes, industries and maturities.
Penetration tests included but were not limited to: Web application, API, mobile, external network, internal network, mail defense, phishing, vishing and physical.
Other duties included Quality Assurance (QA) of reports, scoping of tests, client management, mentorship of associate pentesters, process improvement, reporting tool maintenance, how-to writeups and client presentations.

Web Application SecurityOSWPWireless SecurityOSCPEthical HackingStakeholder Management+16