Cyber Security Advisor

UNSW; Sydney; On-site; AUD 139,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

3 days leave during December festive 1

Career development opportunities

Up to 50% discount on UNSW courses

Flexible 17% Superannuation

Discounts and entitlements (retail, ed

Job summary

UNSW seeks an experienced Cyber Security Advisor to support the operational delivery of an adaptive Cyber Security Governance framework and ISMS. The role focuses on protecting institutional assets, aligning with governance standards, and reporting on risk across HR, Finance and IT.

The successful candidate will perform risk assessments, security assurance, and advisory services, engaging with key university stakeholders and guiding policy updates. Sponsorship is not available.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience delivering cyber security risk assessment and advisory services.
• Relevant degree with background in cyber security GRC or operations.
• Strong knowledge of standards such as ISO 27001, NIST 800-53 and MITRE ATT&CK.

Responsibilities

• Deliver cyber advisory and risk assessment services to university stakeholders.
• Review architectures and provide detailed risk reports with remediation steps.
• Conduct third-party security assessments across cloud, AI, identity and ERP systems.
• Maintain and socialize the cyber risk register and support audits.
• Guide on security policy updates and practical exemption decisions.

Skills

Cyber security risk assessment

Advisory services

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical skills

Education

Relevant tertiary degree

Job description

• Employment Type: Full Time, 12-month Fixed Term Contract
• Remuneration: Level 9: From $153,933 + 17% superannuation and leave loading
• Location: Kensington with transition to newly renovated office at our Randwick campus, anticipated for October 2026

This Job is based in Australia

About UNSW

At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work. We aspire to be Australia’s global university, improving and transforming lives through excellence in research, outstanding education and a commitment to advancing a just society.

About The Role

The Business Optimisation Strategy (BOS) is a landmark investment to modernise UNSW’s enterprise platforms and transform service delivery across HR, Finance and IT through the implementation of the ServiceNow and Oracle SaaS platforms. By simplifying processes, improving data foundations, and enabling intelligent automation, BOS supports UNSW’s Progress for All strategy — returning valuable time to staff for teaching, research, and student impact.

As BOS mobilises, we are seeking an experienced Cyber Security Advisor to support the operational delivery of an adaptive Cyber Security Governance framework and Information Security Management System (ISMS).

This role will play a pivotal part in delivering specialized risk assessments, security assurance, and strategic advisory services to the program and key university stakeholders. By embedding robust information security practices and ongoing operations, the advisor ensures institutional digital assets remain resilient and aligned with governance standards.

This role reports directly to the BOS Program Manager – Technology, this individual acts as a primary subject matter expert across the organization. The position carries no direct reports and focuses on evaluating and mitigating risks tied to ICT services and digital initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Deliver expert cyber advisory and risk assessment services to university stakeholders while building strong collaborative relationships.
• Review system architectures and solution designs to identify risks and produce detailed reporting with actionable treatments.
• Conduct third-party and supply chain security risk assessments across cloud, AI, identity, ERP, and web technologies.
• Maintain the cyber risk register by logging, socialising, and tracking risks from projects, pen tests, exemptions, and system changes.
• Scope and review penetration testing activities, ensuring identified vulnerabilities are assessed, escalated, and remediated.
• Ensure compliance with security policies, standards, and legal or regulatory requirements, while supporting independent statutory audits.
• Guide stakeholders on practical security principles, advise on complex exemption requests, and recommend updates to university security policies.

About You

• At least 5 years of experience delivering cyber security risk assessment and advisory services, preferably within global consultancies, tech firms, defence, or large government environments.
• Relevant tertiary degree paired with extensive experience in cyber security GRC or operations, or an equivalent combination of education and background.
• Solid GRC fundamentals and deep familiarity with major standards and frameworks such as ISO 27001, ISO 42001, NIST 800-53, Essential 8, and MITRE ATT&CK.
• Industry certifications such as CISSP (ideal), CISM, CRISC, CEH, or cloud security specialisations (AWS/Azure highly desirable).
• Strong technical grasp of contemporary security technologies, cloud-native controls, and risk management strategies across complex systems.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and analytical skills to influence stakeholders and translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.

For further information on the role & responsibilities, please refer to the Position Description.

Please note: Sponsorship is not available for this role, valid Australian working rights are required on application.

UNSW Benefits and Culture

People are at the core of everything we do. We recognise it is the contributions of our staff who make UNSW one of the best universities in Australia and the world.

Our benefits include:

• Additional 3 days leave during December festive period.
• Career development opportunities
• Up to 50% discount on UNSW courses
• Flexible 17% Superannuation contributions, additional leave-loading payments and salary sacrifice.
• Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness passport)

UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff.

Pre-Employment Checks

Aligned with UNSW’s focus on cultivating a workplace defined by safety, ethical conduct, and strong integrity preferred candidates will be required to participate in a combination of pre-employment checks relevant to the role they have applied for.

• National and International Criminal history checks
• Entitlement to work and ID checks
• Working With Children Checks
• Completion of a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Declaration
• Verification of relevant qualifications
• Verification of relevant professional membership
• Employment history and reference checks
• Financial responsibility assessments/checks.
• Medical Checks and Assessments

Compliance with the necessary combination of these checks is a condition of employment at UNSW.