Senior Consultant, Human Threats

About Coalfire

Coalfire is on a mission to make the world a safer place by solving our clients’ hardest cybersecurity challenges. We work at the cutting edge of technology to advise, assess, automate, and ultimately help companies navigate the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. We are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices across the U.S. and U.K., and we support clients around the world.

But that’s not who we are – that’s just what we do.

We are thought leaders, consultants, and cybersecurity experts, but above all else, we are a team of passionate problem-solvers who are hungry to learn, grow, and make a difference.

Position Summary:

The Human Threats Senior Consultant will serve as a senior technical consultant on the DivisionHex Human Threats team, assessing the security posture and human-centered detection and response capabilities of client organizations. The role will place a strong emphasis on authorized physical security assessments, including facility access controls, perimeter and entry-point security, visitor and badge-management processes, secure-area protections, employee behaviors, and other physical safeguards. The Senior Consultant will also perform and support social engineering activities, including phishing, vishing, pretext development, human risk assessment, and awareness and behavior measurement, to evaluate how physical and digital attack paths can exploit people, processes, and technology.

The ideal candidate will bring expert-level knowledge of physical security assessment methodologies and adversary tradecraft, along with deep experience in one or more social engineering disciplines. They will work with the Managing Principal of Human Threats, Project Managers, Directors, and client Points of Contact to plan and execute engagements, meet project requirements, and provide subject matter expertise across social engineering domains. As a trusted client advisor, the Senior Consultant will use objective testing, onsite assessment activities, social engineering exercises, and clear reporting to help clients identify weaknesses, prioritize remediation, and improve resilience against physical and other human-centric threats.

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What You'll Do

• Conduct human threat engagements, including social engineering, phishing, vishing, physical security assessments, and human risk evaluations.
• Plan, scope, and execute physical security assessments across facilities, offices, campuses, and other client locations in accordance with approved rules of engagement.
• Evaluate physical security controls, including perimeter protections, entry points, locks, badges, visitor management, reception procedures, secure areas, employee access practices, and related processes.
• Develop assessment scenarios, pretexts, and test plans that safely evaluate how physical and social engineering techniques may be combined to gain access to people, facilities, information, or technology.
• Coordinate onsite logistics, client communications, safety considerations, evidence collection, and testing activities while maintaining strict adherence to scope and client authorization.
• Document observations and evidence through accurate notes, timestamps, photographs, interviews, and other appropriate assessment records, while protecting sensitive client information.
• Deliver timely client briefings and debriefs that clearly communicate physical security gaps, social engineering results, business impact, and prioritized remediation actions.
• Manage priorities and tasks to achieve delivery utilization targets and ensure client deliverables and services are delivered on time.
• Maintain current industry certifications and knowledge of emerging physical security, social engineering, and human threat tactics, technologies, and trends.
• Collaborate with project managers, quality management, sales, and other delivery team members to drive customer satisfaction and meet project deliverables.
• Mentor junior consultants in physical assessment techniques, social engineering tradecraft, client communications, reporting, and engagement execution.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of Human Threat methodologies, tooling, playbooks, and service offerings, with an emphasis on repeatable physical assessment practices.
• Contribute to thought leadership through research, blogs, whitepapers, webinars, and conference presentations on physical security, human threat, and related security topics.
• Contribute to other offensive security engagements, as needed, based on business demand, skillset alignment, and delivery priorities when not assigned to Human Threat assessments.
• Perform other responsibilities as needed in support of client delivery, practice development, and team success.

What You'll Bring

• 5 - 8 years client-facing consulting experience with 3 - 5 years experience in social engineering, red team, insider risk, physical security.
• Demonstrated expertise of:
  • Social engineering principles and techniques
  • Phishing, vishing, smishing, and other communication-based attack methods
  • Pretext development and adversary emulation against human targets
  • Human risk assessments and behavior-based security evaluations
  • Report writing and client presentation delivery
• Demonstrated knowledge of:
  • Current threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures involving human targets
  • Physical security concepts and badge/access control weaknesses
  • Email security controls, identity-based attacks, and user-targeted attack paths
  • Security awareness, culture, and behavior change principles
• Ability to travel up to 75%
• Strong writing skills, personal accountability, and the ability to complete work to established standards without direct supervision.
• Demonstrated experience planning and conducting authorized physical security assessments, facility walkthroughs, access control reviews, and onsite testing.
• Ability to identify, document, risk-rate, and communicate physical and human-centered security vulnerabilities with clear, practical remediation recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex security concepts through written content, client presentations, executive briefings, and public speaking.
• Strong time management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities, engagements, deadlines, and onsite requirements.
• Ability to protect sensitive client information and maintain accurate assessment evidence and engagement records.
• Working knowledge of social engineering tactics, phishing, vishing, pretext development, human risk, and related human threat disciplines.
• Willingness and ability to travel to client sites and participate in onsite assessments as required.

Bonus Points

• ASIS Certified Protection Professional certification or a comparable physical security credential.
• Knowledge of physical red team tactics and techniques.
• Behavioral science, psychology, or influence-based training.
• Threat intelligence related to social engineering campaigns and threat actor tradecraft.
• Insider risk program development.
• Hardware, badge, or access-control related social engineering experience.
• Published research, blogs, whitepapers, or conference presentations related to social engineering, human threat, or offensive security.

\n$146,000 - $180,000 a yearThe salary range listed is a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role based on national salary averages. The actual salary offer to the successful candidate will be based on job-related education, geographic location, training, licensure and certifications and other factors. You may also be eligible to participate in annual incentive, commission, and/or recognition programs. \n

Why You’ll Want to Join Us

At Coalfire, you’ll find the support you need to thrive personally and professionally. In many cases, we provide a flexible work model that empowers you to choose when and where you’ll work most effectively – whether you’re at home or an office.

Regardless of location, you’ll experience a company that prioritizes connection and wellbeing and be part of a team where people care about each other and our communities. You’ll have opportunities to join employee resource groups, participate in in-person and virtual events, and more. And you’ll enjoy competitive perks and benefits to support you and your family, like paid parental leave, flexible time off, certification and training reimbursement, digital mental health and wellbeing support membership, and comprehensive insurance options.

At Coalfire, equal opportunity and pay equity is integral to the way we do business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Coalfire is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact our Human Resources team at [email protected].