JOB SUMMARY

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government. Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.
We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.
The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.
Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You’ll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.
The Office of Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) in GDS leads the whole of the UK public sector to do technology well by providing know-how and tools to technologists and foster digital communities. A strong priority of the overall digital and technology vision is to keep our digital services resilient to cyber security and technology risks and their consequences.

JOB DESCRIPTION

You will be a Cyber Security Risk Manager in the Securing Digital Transformation team in OCTO, where you will work with central government organisations to develop guidance and provide expert advice on identifying and managing common cyber risks and improving resilience.
You will work with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Cabinet Office Government Security Group (GSG) to make government digital services secure and resilient through tailored technical guidance and advice, and will play a key role in driving the Government Cyber Security Strategy and delivery of strategic priorities.

At this role level, you will:

• be responsible for advising government departments on identifying, assessing, and managing cyber security risks based on the Secure by Design approach
• support risk-based decision-making across programmes, projects, and operational services
• explore the benefits of cross-government alignment and develop practical guidance in alignment with government frameworks such as NCSC guidance, GovAssure, and Secure by Design
• collaborate with cyber, digital, and business teams to ensure proportionate security controls are in place
• engage with senior stakeholders to communicate risks and recommend mitigation strategies
• monitor evolving threats and regulatory changes to ensure continued risk relevance and compliance
• contribute to risk governance processes, reporting, and assurance activities
• provide leadership and mentoring within teams

WHILE WE VALUE THE USE OF AI TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE OUR DAILY WORK, WE ALSO VALUE THE PERSONAL TOUCH AND URGE APPLICANTS TO WRITE COVER LETTERS WITHOUT THE USE OF AI TO EMPHASISE THEIR OWN UNIQUE EXPERIENCES.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is: strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, including experience advising senior leaders
In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• working together
• making effective decisions
• leadership
• developing self and others
• seeing the bigger picture
• communicating and influencing

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Digital, Data and Technology Profession Capability Framework for the Security Architect role:

• Analysis
• Communication
• Enabling and informing risk-based decisions
• Research and innovation
• Security technology
• Understanding security implications of transformation

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government. Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountabilit

At this role level, you will:

• be responsible for advising government departments on identifying, assessing, and managing cyber security risks based on the Secure by Design approach
• support risk-based decision-making across programmes, projects, and operational services
• explore the benefits of cross-government alignment and develop practical guidance in alignment with government frameworks such as NCSC guidance, GovAssure, and Secure by Design
• collaborate with cyber, digital, and business teams to ensure proportionate security controls are in place
• engage with senior stakeholders to communicate risks and recommend mitigation strategies
• monitor evolving threats and regulatory changes to ensure continued risk relevance and compliance
• contribute to risk governance processes, reporting, and assurance activities
• provide leadership and mentoring within team

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 90 minute video interview. This interview with feature a presentation and the details will be shared prior to the interview commencing for invited applicants

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• working together
• making effective decisions
• leadership
• developing self and others
• seeing the bigger picture
• communicating and influencin

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Digital, Data and Technology Profession Capability Framework for the Security Architect role:

• Analysis
• Communication
• Enabling and informing risk-based decisions
• Research and innovation
• Security technology
• Understanding security implications of transformatio