Cyber Essentials Analyst

Focus Group (UK); Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday Allowance 24 days + bank

Hybrid working options

Enhanced maternity, paternity andadopt

Volunteer day

Company benefits across health, well‑b

Job summary

Focus Group (UK) is seeking a Cyber Essentials Analyst to guide customers through CE and CE+ certification, helping strengthen security postures and navigate compliance with IASME and NCSC guidelines. The role combines advisory work with hands‑on remediation and evidence preparation.

You will coordinate with engineering, service delivery and cybersecurity teams to assess environments, identify gaps and provide practical recommendations while maintaining strong customer relationships.

Qualifications

• Experience in IT infrastructure, security operations or managed services.
• Strong understanding of Microsoft 365 administration and security capabilities.
• Experience administering Microsoft Azure environments with identity and access controls.
• Knowledge of endpoint management platforms.

Responsibilities

• Guide customers through full Cyber Essentials lifecycle.
• Conduct readiness assessments across control areas.
• Identify compliance gaps and remediation steps.
• Provide remediation recommendations aligned to IASME and NCSC.
• Prepare evidence packs for assessor review.
• Support CE/CE+ audit preparation and testing.

Skills

IT Infrastructure

Cyber Security Operations

M365 Security

Azure Security

Endpoint Security

Intune

Firewall Technologies

Defender/Bitdefender

Patch Management

Security Hardening

Communication Skills

Stakeholder Management

Documentation Standards

Travel Willingness

Education

CompTIA Security+

Microsoft SC-900

IASME Cyber Essentials Practitioner

Microsoft Security Certifications

Tools

ServiceNow

IT Glue

Hudu

Job description

Cyber Essentials Analyst

Department: Technical Operations

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Multiple Locations

Compensation: £35,000 - £40,000 / year

Description

Location: Hybrid / Manchester Salary: Competitive Contract: Permanent

Cyber security is now a critical priority for organisations of all sizes, and Cyber Essentials has become one of the UK's most recognised security certifications.

As a Cyber Essentials Analyst, you'll play a key role in helping businesses strengthen their security posture, achieve certification and reduce cyber risk. Working directly with customers, you'll provide practical guidance, technical expertise and hands‑on support throughout the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certification journey.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a strong technical background who enjoys combining cybersecurity expertise with customer engagement and consultancy. You'll work alongside experienced security professionals while helping organisations navigate compliance requirements and adopt security best practices.

As a Cyber Essentials Analyst, you will be responsible for guiding customers through the complete Cyber Essentials (CE) and Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification lifecycle.

You’ll work directly with customers to assess their environments against the Cyber Essentials framework, identify compliance gaps, recommend remediation activities and support them through certification readiness and submission.

Working closely with internal engineering, service delivery and cybersecurity teams, you’ll help customers improve their security controls across core focus areas including secure configuration, user access management, patch management, malware protection and firewall security.

The role combines technical assessment, advisory services, compliance support and customer engagement, making it ideal for someone who enjoys solving security challenges while building trusted relationships with customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide customers through the full Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certification lifecycle
• Conduct readiness assessments across the five Cyber Essentials control areas
• Identify compliance gaps, vulnerabilities and areas of non-conformance within customer environments
• Provide clear recommendations and remediation plans aligned to IASME and NCSC requirements
• Perform light remediation activities including configuration changes, policy updates, security hardening and patch validation
• Coordinate with internal Engineering and Support teams where specialist remediation activities are required
• Prepare comprehensive evidence packs, supporting documentation and technical records for assessor review
• Support customers through Cyber Essentials Plus audit preparation and testing activities
• Explain security risks, technical concepts and compliance requirements in clear, accessible language for non-technical stakeholders
• Build trusted relationships with customers and act as a security advisor throughout the certification process
• Ensure all customer assessments, documentation and recommendations are completed accurately and to a high standard
• Maintain awareness of evolving Cyber Essentials requirements, IASME updates and NCSC guidance
• Identify opportunities to further improve customer security maturity beyond minimum compliance requirements
• Support the development of internal cybersecurity processes, templates and delivery methodologies
• Collaborate with automation and development teams to improve compliance assessment and reporting capabilities
• Recognise opportunities for additional security services and collaborate with Sales and Pre-Sales teams where appropriate

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Experience working within IT Infrastructure, Systems Administration, Cyber Security Operations, Technical Support or Managed Services environments
• Strong understanding of Microsoft 365 administration and security capabilities
• Experience administering Microsoft Azure environments, including identity and access controls
• Knowledge of endpoint security and device management platforms such as Microsoft Intune, Datto RMM or similar solutions
• Understanding of network infrastructure, firewall technologies and perimeter security controls
• Experience working with endpoint protection platforms such as Microsoft Defender, Bitdefender or equivalent security solutions
• Understanding of patch management processes and vulnerability remediation practices
• Knowledge of security hardening principles, security baselines and cyber security best practices
• Strong understanding of the practical controls required to meet Cyber Essentials requirements
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to explain technical security concepts to non-technical audiences
• Strong customer engagement and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail and documentation standards
• Ability to manage multiple customer engagements simultaneously
• Self-motivated and able to work independently while collaborating effectively within a wider team
• Willingness to travel for occasional customer site visits

• Previous experience supporting Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus assessments and submissions
• Knowledge of broader compliance frameworks including ISO 27001, SOC 2 and the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF)
• Relevant certifications such as:
  • CompTIA Security+
  • Microsoft SC-900
  • IASME Cyber Essentials Practitioner
  • Microsoft Security certifications
• Experience working with ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow or similar service management tools
• Experience using documentation platforms such as IT Glue, Hudu or equivalent solutions
• Understanding of cyber security risk management methodologies
• Exposure to Security Operations Centre (SOC) environments
• Experience with SIEM, MDR, EDR or XDR technologies
• Familiarity with compliance automation and security orchestration platforms

Job Benefits

• Holiday Allowance - 24 days + bank holidays + birthday leave.
• Hybrid working options - performance depending.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Paid volunteering day * regular charity events.
• Wider company benefits across health, financial wellbeing, Pension etc.

Internal job reference: Senior Associate