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Job summary

Main area
Cyber Security
Grade
Civil Service: Grade 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Job share
  • Flexible working
  • Home or remote working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
919-LT-303679-EXT
Employer
UK Health Security Agency
Employer type
Public (Non NHS)
Site
Any UKHSA site with hybrid/homeworking available
Town
Any UKHSA site with hybrid/homeworking available
Salary
£51,824 - £65,089 Per annum, pro rata (plus market pay supplement of up to £15,000)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
01/10/2024 23:59

Employer heading

UK Health Security Agency logo

Lead Cyber Security Architect

Civil Service: Grade 7

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

  • Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
  • Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
  • Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
  • Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
  • Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

Job overview

We are looking for a Lead Security Architect to work within the Cyber Security Architecture Delivery team. It is an exciting, fast-paced role that will drive strategic change across the organisation both in terms of data and analytic capability, and culture.

UKHSA’s Cyber Security Architecture Delivery team is responsible for defining cyber security technical standards for the organisation, providing technical guidance and consulting to help service teams to deliver against those standards, and supporting the selection of security tools and technology. 

As Lead Security Architect, you will be responsible for overseeing the secure delivery of projects and data platforms; ensuring architectural design reviews (High Level Design HLD/Low Level Design LLD) and threat models are carried out to a high standard. 

Main duties of the job

As Lead Security Architect you will:

  • Work closely with security architects, overseeing their work and providing assurance that architectural design reviews and threat models are carried out consistently to the required standard.
  • Ensure the team have the appropriate blueprints, guidance, policies and standards required to complete their work.
  • Develop and communicate meaningful security policies.
  • Identify and promote best practices for multidisciplinary teams to deliver resilient, secure and scalable services.

Working for our organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.   

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.  

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Cyber Security Architecture Delivery team is a mix of permanent civil servants (two Lead Security Architects and Head of Department) and contract Security Architects (6 to 10).

As Lead Security Architect you will:

  • Work closely with security architects, overseeing their work and providing assurance that architectural design reviews and threat models are carried out consistently to the required standard.
  • Ensure the team have the appropriate blueprints, guidance, policies and standards required to complete their work.
  • Take a risk based and outcome driven approach to secure architecture.
  • Develop and communicate meaningful security policies.
  • Identify and promote best practices for multidisciplinary teams to deliver resilient, secure and scalable services.
  • Identify, own, and respond to security risks and issues as they arise.
  • Cultivate and maintain relationships with other security teams within UKHSA, Cabinet Office, NCSC and the rest of government.

Essential criteria

  • Can demonstrate cyber security knowledge in a previous hands-on role.
  • Have experience of security management and information assurance practices.
  • Can demonstrate a sound understanding of how to securely architect a cloud infrastructure (Saas, Paas and IaaS) environment.
  • Understands security end-to-end, from security considerations in the design of services, through to architecture reviews, threat modelling, controls and remediation.
  • Builds strong relationships and communicates effectively with senior stakeholders and colleagues, ensuring that security considerations are well accounted for and built into ways of working.

Desirable criteria

  • Experience of working within big transformational programmes of work.
  • Experience with modern software engineering practices.

Selection Process 

Stage 1: Application & Sift 

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the 5 essential criteria listed, and this will be in the form of :

  • a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
  • a 500 word Statement of Suitability

This should outline how your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. The CV and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist.

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the essential criteria of:

  • Can demonstrate cyber security knowledge in a previous hands-on role

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.  

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment 

Please do not exceed 500 words.  We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview  (Success Profiles)

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.
Behaviours, technical, experience, abilities and strengths will be tested at interview. 
There will be a technical test and assessment.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be

•    Delivering at Pace (lead behaviour)
•    Making Effective Decisions
•    Leadership
•    Communicating and Influencing

Interview dates to be confirmed. 

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria 

External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).  
 
Security Clearance Level Requirement  

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed: Security Check (SC) willingness and capability to obtain this.
 
For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years as the role requires  Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice. 

Person specification

CV and Statement of Suitability

Essential criteria
  • CV and Statement of Suitability

Behaviours

Essential criteria
  • Delivering at Pace (Lead Behaviour)
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Leadership
  • Communicating and Influencing

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Purple SpaceApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveImproving working livesMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerThe Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei) is the UK's leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion issues in the workplace.Carer Confident -AccomplishedHappy to Talk Flexible Working

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Lisa Tweedie
Job title
Resourcing Support Officer
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

For information regarding the role please contact Kal Singh, Head of Cyber Architecture and Delivery, [email protected]

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