Cyber Security Consultants Ref. 2779

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

Information Assurance and Specialists
London
Permanent
£45,676 plus an annual National Security Payment of £2,428 subject to mandatory training. London Allowance of £5,500.

Job Summary

At GCHQ, we unlock the complex world of data and communications to keep the UK and its citizens safe, both in the real world and online. Working closely with our British Intelligence partners in MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from threats including serious organised crime, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. A role in GCHQ means you’ll have varied and fascinating work in a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, is the UK Government’s lead authority on cyber security. The organisation is at the heart of the Government’s cyber security strategy and has the aim of making the UK the safest place to live and work online.   

The National Cyber Security Centre’s Government team, part of the Resilience Directorate, is looking for a capable and ambitious self-starter to support the UK government sector’s cyber security objectives.

You will develop close working relationships and insights with customers across government, leveraging the full range of NCSC services to enhance their cyber resilience. You will provide (or secure) bespoke specialist advice; help establish good risk management practice; develop guidance; explain cyber threats; and support customers in the event of a cyber incident. You will also work closely with the UK government, sector partners, and local responders (police, fire, ambulance, health, etc). 

The ability to work collegiately with others across NCSC is an essential element of the role. You will work effectively with colleagues from across the Resilience Directorate, with deep technical specialists, incident management experts, and more to ensure we deliver practical advice. You will form relationships with external partners, understand the needs of different organisations and influence their direction to achieve positive cyber security outcomes.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. You will join a team who are focused, politically savvy and come from a variety of backgrounds. We genuinely believe different perspectives and experiences make all the difference and you will have the opportunity to influence our work and define how we make a difference. 

Hybrid working is well embedded in the team and the team culture is vibrant and energising where individuals’ ideas are welcomed and championed.  

You will be required to travel to our London and Cheltenham buildings, and local / central government offices as required.  


Job Description

What will the successful candidate be doing?

-    Develop and implement high quality strategies and plans to improve the cyber resilience of customers
-    Build great relationships within customer departments and organisations. You’ll understand the key objectives and direction of the organisation and will understand how the key NCSC service offerings can help them.
-    Tackle cross cutting and shared challenges that aligns with and supports other parts of the NCSC and key stakeholder Departments.
-    Bring internal and external stakeholders together to address some of our most significant cyber challenges. You’ll bring creative thinking, strategy and delivery.
-    Represent NCSC externally, including with relevant associations and bodies, and through speaking and other events.
-    Capture and use customer insights to improve delivery on an ongoing basis 
-    Help to create an inclusive environment that supports high performance and where all team members feel fully supported and engaged at work.


Person Specification

The successful applicant will need to have:

-    A proven track record of managing and/or influencing strategic customer relationships.
-    Excellent understanding of cyber risk within the government sector.
-    Ability to translate complicated, technical advice and solutions to make it accessible for those without experience in that area of work.
-    Understanding and experience of delivering positive impacts to multiple and varied customers.
-    An understanding or interest (and willingness to learn) in cyber security and cyber risk management. 
-    A strong political and business awareness and experience of successfully handling challenging issues, balancing risk vs business outcomes.
-    An ability to turn complex insights into clear engagement strategies with a keen awareness for risks and opportunities.
-    Excellent organisational skills, the ability to juggle multiple priorities and work under pressure to achieve results.
-    Excellent influencing skills, able to persuade senior leaders and inspire colleagues to perform at their best.

Experience in representative and policy roles would be welcome - including experience of managing external relationships and understanding complex customer environments. 

Cyber security experience is of course ideal, but if you have a different background with relevant transferable skills and a genuine interest in this domain, we will provide extensive cyber security training and development opportunities. We will provide support to develop and evidence cyber security skills if you do not already have these assessed NCSC skills.


GCHQ Competency Requirements

•    Communication and Knowledge sharing - Higher.
•    Corporate Vision and Efficiency - Intermediate.
•    Change and Innovation - Intermediate.
•    Analysis and Decision Making - Intermediate.
•    Contribution to Delivery - Higher.
•    Managing the Customer Relationship - Higher.
•    Working with and Leading Others - Higher.

You can familiarise yourself with the general competencies we use to assess the aptitude of candidates here - Recruitment Process


Benefits we offer

At NCSC and 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.

You’ll receive a starting salary of £45,676 plus an annual National Security Payment of £2,428, subject to mandatory training. A London Allowance of £5,500 is applicable for London contracted employees. 

Plus support to develop and evidence skills that qualify for a skills payment.

Other benefits:

•    25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
•    An environment with flexible working options
•    Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
•    Interest-free season ticket loan
•    Cycle to work scheme
•    Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
•    Paid parental and adoption leave.
•    A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%


Selection Process

Before You Apply

To work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

The role is based in London so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.

Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

What to Expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

•    Application sift
•    Interview
•    Short Presentation
•    If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment subject to vetting.


Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you to continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.


We’re Disability Confident

GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme.  This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.  Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a person-to-person interview to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role.  This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). 


Equal Opportunities

At GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.


Our Vetting

To work in this role, you will need the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community must go through and it can take some time. As part of the DV process you will be asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire and attend an interview with a vetting officer. In your interview the vetting officer will have a thorough, compassionate, and honest discussion with you about you as a person and your life experiences, to ensure holding a DV clearance is right for you. You don’t need to do any preparation for your vetting interview, just be honest and be yourself. All applicants for DV are treated impartially and consistently, irrespective of gender, race, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics.


The closing date for this role is: 11:55pm on 21st February 2023

Right to Withdraw Statement: 

Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

This Program / Vacancy is closed to applications.