Cyber Security Lead

Salt; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Salt is seeking an Interim Cyber Security Lead in Slough with hybrid working arrangements (2–3 days in the office). You will strengthen cyber security and resilience across council services, lead cyber assurance, risk management and improvement activity, and oversee incident readiness and response.

You will turn assessment findings into clear, prioritized actions and track delivery through to completion, working with operational IT teams and partners.

Qualifications

• Experience leading cyber security functions across multiple teams.
• Practical CAF knowledge and improvement planning.
• Strong governance, risk management, assurance and control assessment experience.
• Experience managing cyber incidents, vulnerabilities and security risks.
• Ability to explain cyber risks and recommendations to senior non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with IT, information governance, third party suppliers and managed security services.
• Ability to influence delivery and establish ownership of actions.

Responsibilities

• Lead work towards the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) for local government, coordinating assessments, gathering evidence and identifying gaps.
• Maintain a prioritised cyber improvement plan with clear ownership, tracking delivery and reporting progress, risks and outstanding actions.
• Lead cyber incident response and resilience activities, maintaining and exercising response plans and coordinating investigation, escalation and recovery.
• Support business continuity planning and turn lessons from incidents and exercises into practical improvements.
• Work with operational IT teams and the managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) to review alerts, threat intelligence and vulnerabilities, prioritise remediation and follow through on actions.
• Advise on security controls across cloud and on premises services.
• Coordinate cyber audits and assessments, review control effectiveness and supporting evidence, and track improvements through to completion.
• Escalate unresolved risks through the council's governance arrangements.
• Contribute to security policies, technical design reviews, change assurance and staff awareness activities.

Skills

Cyber security leadership

Policy and governance

Risk management

Incident response

Job description

Interim Cyber Security Lead Location: Slough, hybrid, 2 to 3 days per week in the officeOrganisation: Local authorityReporting to: Head of Enterprise Architecture & Cyber SecurityContract: Interim We are looking for an experienced Cyber Security Lead to strengthen a local authority's cyber security and resilience. You will lead cyber assurance, risk management and improvement activity, alongside practical oversight of incident readiness and response. Working across council services, operational IT teams and technology partners, you will turn assessment findings and security risks into clear, prioritised actions and track delivery through to completion.

Key responsibilities

• Lead work towards the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) for local government, coordinating assessments, gathering evidence and identifying gaps.
• Maintain a prioritised cyber improvement plan with clear ownership, tracking delivery and reporting progress, risks and outstanding actions.
• Lead cyber incident response and resilience activities, maintaining and exercising response plans and coordinating investigation, escalation and recovery.
• Support business continuity planning and turn lessons from incidents and exercises into practical improvements.
• Work with operational IT teams and the managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) to review alerts, threat intelligence and vulnerabilities, prioritise remediation and follow through on actions.
• Advise on security controls across cloud and on premises services.
• Coordinate cyber audits and assessments, review control effectiveness and supporting evidence, and track improvements through to completion.
• Escalate unresolved risks through the council's governance arrangements.
• Contribute to security policies, technical design reviews, change assurance and staff awareness activities.

Essential experience

• Experience leading or managing cyber security functions and coordinating delivery across technical and service teams.
• Practical experience applying CAF, assessing maturity, identifying gaps and developing improvement plans.
• Strong knowledge of cyber governance, risk management, security assurance and control assessment.
• Experience managing cyber incidents, vulnerabilities and operational security risks.
• Ability to explain cyber risks and recommendations clearly to senior leaders and non technical stakeholders.
• Experience working with operational IT, information governance, third party suppliers and managed security services.
• Ability to influence delivery, establish ownership and demonstrate completion of agreed actions.

Desirable experience

• Local government or comparable public sector experience.

Working arrangements

Hybrid working, with 2 to 3 days per week in the Slough office.

Rates depend on experience and client requirements