NCSC Deputy Director - Media & External Communications Ref.1855

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is the UK government’s lead authority on cyber security. Its headquarters are in London, but its roots are in GCHQ’s world-class expertise. NCSC is at the heart of the Government’s new cyber security strategy and has the aim of making the UK the safest place to live and do business online.
 
The NCSC has quickly become a leading national voice on one of the most important issues of our time. It is simplifying the current cyber security landscape and seeks to:

• Reduce the cyber security risk to the UK
• Respond effectively to cyber incidents
• Understand the UK’s cyber security environment, sharing knowledge, addressing systemic vulnerabilities
• Nurture the UK’s cyber security capability, providing leadership on key national cyber security issues

You will need to be able to demonstrate the following:

• First-rate news judgement under pressure
• Crisis management skills to lead a team which has managed over 1600 cyber incidents including high profile incidents such as Wannacry as well as state attribution
• A strong grasp of the wider media and political context in which the NCSC operates
• Experience of taking a strategic approach to short and long term campaigns
• An understanding of, and ideally strong experience of, the use of digital media as part of your media execution
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• The leadership skills to motivate and develop a team of ambitious professionals

This post will appeal to an experienced and confident press operator, who enjoys working with senior officials and journalists; who is equally confident that they can articulate the clear sense of direction necessary to motivate a high-performing team.

Key responsibilities include:

• Run the NCSC external affairs team, delivering a high-quality 24/7 media operation, reporting to Director Policy and Communications
• Lead and respond to cyber incidents, managing the media response as well as cross-Whitehall co-ordination
• Lead a strong digital and social media team
• Oversee the development of a trusted digital platform
• Lead and develop, in line with GCS principles, the NCSC news desk, digital team, enquiries team and CiSP (Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership) team
• Financial responsibility for the external comms team including budget management and contract management for the services provided
• Be an active part of both the NCSC senior management team and the Government communications senior community

Who are we looking for?  

The following skills and experience are essential for this role:

• You will be an experienced communications professional with demonstrable evidence of developing and leading communications teams that deliver excellent impact and outcomes
• Confident and resilient, you will be comfortable challenging the status quo, and being challenged.
• You will be an innovator with strong collaborative skills
• A track record of positive and effective people leadership
• Building positive and reciprocal relationships with partners inside and outside of NCSC and GCHQ

Specialist skills:

• Build strong, trusted relationships with senior journalists
• Provide swift, effective rebuttal on wide range of issues
• Take editorial responsibility for the production and delivery of news content, including press notices, direct and digital communications and short articles

Developed Vetting (DV) is a requirement of this post and if you do not already hold this level of clearance, we will require you to pass this before you take up the post.

We are seeking applicants from the widest possible talent pool. Applications from staff working full-time, compressed hours or job-share are encouraged. We will take a flexible and positive attitude to how you’d get the job done. Please come and talk to us about how we can shape the role to work for the business and for you.

Competencies

• Seeing the big picture
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at pace
• Managing a quality service

Selection Process

If you’re excited about working with us and think you have some of what we’re looking for but aren’t sure if you’re 100% there yet… why not just give it a go!

To apply for this position, you must meet our nationality and residency requirements. You’ll find more details here: Recruitment Process.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we also guarantee to interview all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for our roles.

You will need to submit a short covering letter setting out what you would bring to the job, as detailed in the role description and person specification.

You will need to submit a CV as part of your application, giving details of relevant achievements in recent posts.

Applications will be sifted and any candidate passing the sift will be invited to a panel interview.

The closing date for applications is 16th August 2019, however if we receive a high amount of applications we may close the vacancy early. Applicants are encouraged to apply promptly to avoid disappointment. We reserve the right to close the advert early.