Cyber Security Consultant - SC Cleared

Sanderson Government & Defence; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 109,000 - 142,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government & Defence is seeking a Cyber Security Specialist to oversee cloud security assurance for secure environments, ensuring services meet risk and compliance requirements throughout their lifecycle.

You will work with security teams and stakeholders across government-facing programmes, applying NCSC principles and UK security standards while coordinating third‑party assessments.

Qualifications

• Experience in cloud security assurance within UK Government or Defence sectors.
• Familiar with NCSC Cloud Security Principles.
• Knowledge of Cyber Essentials Plus and Def Stan 05-138.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end cloud security assurance from assessment to approval.
• Review cloud services against security standards and regulatory requirements.
• Provide guidance to project teams on security assessments.
• Monitor through-life assurance and audit activities.
• Present findings and risk assessments to governance boards.
• Engage with government and defence organisations on security matters.

Skills

Cloud security

GRC

Governance

Security assurance

Job description

Cyber Security Consultant - SC Cleared £680 per day (Inside IR35) | 12-Month Contract | London (2 Days per Month Onsite) | SC Clearance Required

Are you an experienced Cyber Security professional with a strong background in Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) and cloud security assurance? We're supporting a leading consultancy delivering secure, mission-critical services within highly regulated environments and are seeking a Cyber Security Specialist to join a key security assurance programme.

This is an excellent opportunity to work on high-profile secure network environments, providing cloud security assurance, governance oversight, and security compliance guidance across a broad portfolio of cloud services.

The Role

As a Cyber Security Specialist, you will be responsible for overseeing the assurance and approval of cloud-based services operating within secure environments. Working closely with security teams, project stakeholders, governance forums, and government-facing organisations, you'll ensure cloud services meet stringent security, risk and compliance requirements throughout their lifecycle.

You'll play a key role in influencing secure cloud adoption, managing assurance activities, providing expert guidance, and ensuring alignment with UK Government and Defence security standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end cloud security assurance process from initial assessment through to final approval.
• Conduct security assurance activities for core cloud platforms and services.
• Provide oversight and guidance to consultants and project teams undertaking security assessments.
• Review cloud services against security standards, regulatory requirements and best practices.
• Monitor and support ongoing compliance, audit and through-life assurance activities.
• Track security risks, action plans and remediation activities.
• Provide subject matter expertise on cloud security, governance and risk management.
• Support security audits, accreditation activities and certification programmes.
• Manage third-party access approvals and ongoing security assurance requirements.
• Present findings, recommendations and risk assessments to governance boards and senior stakeholders.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including government and defence-related organisations.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in cloud security assurance within UK Government or Defence related environments.
• Strong understanding of:
  • NCSC Cloud Security Principles
  • NCSC Principles for Using SaaS Securely
  • ISN 2024/06
• Experience working with UK Government security frameworks and standards, including:
  • Cyber Essentials Plus
  • Def Stan 05-138
  • Secure by Design
  • Cyber Security Model
  • Industry Security Notices
• Knowledge of UK Government personnel and physical security requirements, including UKSV and NPSA guidance.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate security risks and controls to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.

Desirable Experience

• ISO 27017 and ISO 27018.
• Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) CCM and STAR.
• Familiarity with UK Nuclear industry regulations and ONR SyAPs.
• Experience supporting ISO 27001 audits and certification activities.

Reasonable Adjustments

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.