Deputy Director Strategy and Policy Ref. 2293

Mind Achieving Impact AwardSocial Mobility Foundation AwardThe Times Top 100Disability confident leaderThe Prince's Responsible Business

Cyber
London
Permanent
Starting salary of 83,856, plus NSP of 2963, subject to meeting qualifying conditions

At GCHQ, we are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment that’s designed to encourage open minds and attitudes. As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential. With comprehensive training and development opportunities, tailored to your needs and the requirements of your work, we will enable you to flourish in your role and perform to the very best of your abilities.


• Access to learning and development tailored to your role and support to gain professional qualifications and certifications.
• Although this role will require frequent travel to London due to the stakeholders, it is also possible to work flexibly from home on a regular basis
• A culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
• Support to gain professional qualifications and certifications
• A civil service pension
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days based on length of service.


An exciting opportunity has arisen to lead GCHQ’s Strategy and Policy Teams as a Deputy Director.

The post of Deputy Director Strategy and Policy is a critical role at the heart of GCHQ. You’ll help to set the organisation’s direction, drive transformation, empower mission impact and connect GCHQ, inside and out.

Policy making matters to GCHQ more than ever before. The world is changing ever faster: more people, more data, more opportunities and more threats. Our role in keeping the UK safe through our security, intelligence and policy advice to Government has never been as important, nor as challenging. We’ve just launched our new strategy - GCHQ to 2025 – which sets out our vision, priorities and how we are going to pioneer a new security for a digital age. In this role you’ll be responsible for leading its implementation and providing thought leadership about where we need to go next.

On the policy side, you’ll be leading GCHQ's contribution to national security and technology policy that has real world impact. You’ll develop GCHQ’s policy position through identifying interests across the organisation, ensuring proposals are technically credible and operationally viable. The team tackles some of the most challenging cross-cutting policy issues, such as the UK’s encryption policy, GCHQ’s approach to Artificial Intelligence and the future regulation of the UK internet. Your teams will be collaborating and working closely with mission partners, technologists, Whitehall, academia and civil society. You will also, alongside NCSC, lead the departmental response on parliamentary oversight and engagement.

On the strategy side, you’ll be responsible for embedding GCHQ to 2025 – our new vision and priorities that will shape the future of the organisation. Your teams will work closely with colleagues across GCHQ and the wider national security community, ensuring that GCHQ to 2025 supports the priorities set out in the Government’s Integrated Review, notably the ambitions for the UK to be a Responsible Cyber Power and Great Science Power.

The role of Deputy Director Strategy and Policy is all about partnerships. Internally you’ll be a collaborative leader, working closely with that National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), National Cyber Force (NCF) and other GCHQ DG areas, enabling GCHQ to be more than the sum of its parts. Externally you’ll be working closely with Whitehall, academia and civil society to promote GCHQ’s work and values, build trust and bring together different perspectives to develop good quality national security policy and strategy.
You’ll be a self-starter with experience of problem-solving and be comfortable working with ambiguity and changing priorities. You’ll be able to demonstrate intellectual curiosity and an ability to engage and inspire people. You’ll be alive to national politics and external strategy and be able to translate it into action within GCHQ.

The post holder will be part of the London GCHQ leadership community. Working patterns are flexible. The Individual should be prepared to travel to other sites and there is the opportunity for some work to be completed remotely, either from home or from other locations.

The successful applicant will:
• Have experience of central government policy making and/or strategy and have a proven track record of leading on policy and/or strategy formation. Ideally have some experience of working with the national security community.
• Be an inclusive leader, with excellent communication skills, able to bring colleagues together from many different parts of the organisation and externally, set a common vision, and jointly deliver.
• Display excellent verbal, written and presentational skills with a demonstrable track record in delivering excellent stakeholder management.

The following competencies are essential for this post (level 5/ DD)  

Seeing the Big Picture – essential
Changing and improving – essential
Leading and Communicating – essential
Collaborating and Partnering – essential
Building capability for all – essential

Please find the link to CS competency framework below:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436073/cscf_fulla4potrait_2013-2017_v2d.pdf

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… Back yourself and give it a go!


To apply for this position, you must meet our nationality, residency requirements. You’ll find more details here – www.gchq-careers.co.uk/recruitmentprocess

Be prepared to dedicate 60-90 minutes to completing your application. We’re conscious this might be more time than you expected, so our system will allow you to save your application at any time and come back to it later. But remember to submit your full application before the closing date.

Once we’ve established that you meet our eligibility criteria, the next steps of this selection process are:
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to participate in a Panel Interview.

Interviews are due to commence on 16th-20th August 2021, though these timelines may be subject to change.


If you successfully complete these stages, you’ll receive a job offer, conditional upon you undertaking and passing a drugs test and completing our developed vetting (DV) process which enables you to obtain the level of security clearance required to perform this vital role

This Program / Vacancy is closed to applications.