The cybersecurity landscape is shifting rapidly, and traditional red team hiring approaches are failing to keep pace. Many organisations still recruit penetration testing professionals with narrow skill sets, expecting them to handle increasingly complex security challenges that span multiple disciplines. This approach leaves significant gaps in security coverage and limits the effectiveness of red team operations.
Modern cyber threats don’t respect departmental boundaries. They exploit vulnerabilities across cloud infrastructure, development pipelines, and business processes simultaneously. Your red team needs professionals who can think beyond traditional penetration testing and understand how security integrates across your entire technology stack.
This guide explores why cross-functional skills are becoming vital for red team professionals and how you can adapt your hiring strategy to attract the multi-skilled talent your organisation needs. You’ll learn practical techniques for identifying these candidates, structuring competitive compensation packages, and avoiding common recruitment mistakes that drive away top talent.
Traditional red team roles focus heavily on penetration testing skills, creating professionals who excel at finding vulnerabilities but struggle to understand their broader business impact. This narrow specialisation worked when networks were simpler and threats were more predictable. Today’s security challenges require a different approach.
Key limitations of single-skill specialists include:
The modern threat environment demands professionals who can think like attackers across multiple disciplines. Cyber criminals don’t limit themselves to one attack method, so your defensive teams shouldn’t limit themselves to one area of expertise either.
These limitations become particularly problematic in fast-moving environments where security teams need to adapt quickly to new threats. Specialists who can only operate within their narrow domain slow down response times and create coordination challenges across security functions.
Cross-functional red team skills combine traditional penetration testing expertise with broader security knowledge and business understanding. These professionals can assess vulnerabilities, understand their operational impact, and communicate risks effectively across different organisational levels.
| Skill Area | Key Capabilities | Business Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Security Integration | Container security, serverless architectures, cloud-native attacks | Realistic attack path identification |
| DevSecOps Integration | CI/CD pipeline security, automated testing | Seamless development workflow integration |
| Threat Intelligence | Industry-specific attack patterns, threat actor behaviours | Actionable defensive insights |
| Incident Response | SOC coordination, response procedures | Complementary security operations |
| Business Risk Communication | Executive reporting, risk prioritisation | Strategic security investments |
Cross-functional red team professionals work more effectively with security operations centres because they understand how defensive tools and processes operate. This knowledge helps them design tests that provide realistic training for security analysts while avoiding false positives that waste operational resources.
They can also contribute to threat hunting activities by providing insights into attacker techniques and helping security teams understand what suspicious behaviours to monitor. This collaboration strengthens overall security posture beyond what traditional penetration testing achieves.
Identifying cross-functional red team candidates requires looking beyond traditional penetration testing experience. You need to evaluate how candidates think about security challenges, not just their technical skills in specific tools or techniques.
Essential evaluation criteria:
Strong cross-functional candidates will naturally consider multiple perspectives and demonstrate understanding of how different security functions interconnect.
Practical assessments work better than traditional technical interviews for evaluating cross-functional capabilities. Design scenarios that require candidates to consider business context, coordinate with other teams, and balance competing priorities. These exercises reveal how candidates approach complex, real-world challenges.
Reference checks become particularly important when evaluating cross-functional candidates. Speak with former colleagues from different departments to understand how effectively the candidate collaborated across team boundaries.
Structure interviews to include representatives from different teams the red team professional will work with. Include someone from incident response, a development team member, and a business stakeholder in the interview process. This approach helps you evaluate how candidates interact with different personality types and communication styles.
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Cross-functional red team professionals command premium compensation because their diverse skill sets make them more valuable and harder to replace. Your compensation strategy needs to reflect the additional value these professionals bring to your organisation.
Compensation framework for cross-functional roles:
Career progression paths become particularly important for retaining cross-functional talent. These professionals often have management aspirations because their broad skill sets prepare them for leadership roles.
Emphasise the learning opportunities and professional growth potential your organisation offers. Cross-functional professionals are typically motivated by opportunities to expand their expertise and take on new challenges. Highlight projects that span multiple security domains and opportunities to work with different business units.
Recognition programs should acknowledge contributions across multiple domains. Traditional performance metrics focused on single functions don’t capture the full value these professionals provide.
Research compensation data from multiple role categories when benchmarking cross-functional positions. Look at penetration testing salaries, security architecture compensation, and incident response pay scales to understand the full market range. Your offer should reflect the premium for combined expertise.
Many organisations lose qualified cross-functional candidates by applying traditional hiring approaches to these hybrid roles. Understanding these pitfalls helps you avoid costly recruitment errors.
Top hiring mistakes to avoid:
| Mistake | Impact | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Unrealistic skill requirements | Eliminates viable candidates | Focus on core competencies and learning ability |
| Neglecting soft skills | Poor team integration | Prioritise communication and collaboration |
| Unrealistic timelines | Drives away experienced professionals | Set realistic expectations for complex work |
| Poor candidate experience | Talented candidates withdraw | Streamline processes and respect time |
Prioritise candidates who demonstrate strong learning agility and interpersonal skills over those with perfect technical credentials.
Over-emphasising technical testing at the expense of evaluating collaboration and communication skills misses the core value of cross-functional professionals. Their primary advantage lies in bridging different security domains and teams, not in demonstrating superior technical skills in isolated areas.
Using interview panels composed entirely of technical staff limits your ability to evaluate cross-functional capabilities. The evaluation approaches used for eDiscovery professionals often work well for assessing cross-functional security candidates because both roles require similar collaboration and communication skills.
Cross-functional red team hiring represents the future of cybersecurity recruitment. Organisations that adapt their hiring strategies to attract and retain these multi-skilled professionals will build more effective security teams capable of addressing modern threat landscapes.
Success requires rethinking traditional approaches to job requirements, compensation, and candidate evaluation. Focus on learning agility, communication skills, and collaborative mindset rather than exhaustive technical checklists. Structure compensation and career paths that recognise the premium value these professionals provide.
The investment in cross-functional talent pays dividends through improved security effectiveness, better team coordination, and enhanced ability to respond to evolving threats. Organisations that continue relying on narrow specialists will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in both security outcomes and talent acquisition.
At Iceberg, we understand the unique challenges of identifying and attracting cross-functional cybersecurity talent. Our specialised approach to red team hiring connects organisations with professionals who bring the diverse skill sets modern security teams need to succeed.
If you are interested in learning more, reach out to our team of experts today.
