Director, Culture and Communities

GSK; Irvine; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

GSK is seeking a Director, Culture and Communities to lead the end‑to‑end capability, including strategy, delivery and performance across the security awareness and risk‑culture agenda. The role requires building and growing communities, partnering with senior stakeholders, and delivering measurable behavioural improvement at scale.

The position is hybrid in the United Kingdom, with leadership across global teams and collaboration with security champions, Secure Together, and external partners

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant discipline, or related experience.
• Experience in security awareness, behavioural change or internal communications.
• Working knowledge of campaign design and measurement.
• Practical experience with stakeholder engagement across a global organisation.
• Working knowledge of human psychology, behavioural science or decision science, applied to influencing behaviour at scale.
• Proven experience building and growing communities, both inside and outside the organisation.
• Strong track record of using data and evidence, rather than effort or activity, to prove behavioural and cultural outcomes.
• Substantial experience in cyber security, including end-to-end ownership of a capability.
• Proven experience leading and developing technical or specialist teams.
• Experience managing budget, suppliers and delivery commitments.
• Strong influencing and communication skills with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own the Culture and Communities capability end to end, including roadmap, delivery and service performance.
• Lead and develop the team, setting priorities and managing performance.
• Own the capability budget and supplier relationships.
• Report capability performance and risk to CSO leadership and governance forums.
• Own the cyber security awareness and behavioural change programme across GSK.
• Apply human psychology, behavioural and decision science to the design of culture and awareness interventions, moving beyond industry‑typical training and awareness approaches to build habits and defaults that measurably influence behaviours and reduce risk.
• Bring innovative and creative thinking to how GSK builds a risk‑aware culture, testing and scaling new approaches rather than repeating industry‑standard practice.
• Design and run campaigns which measurably influence the behaviours that drive GSK risk informed by current threat intelligence, evolving attacker tradecraft, and data including incidents, phishing simulations and other sources.
• Grow and run the Cyber Defenders security champions network across business units and sites, including sub‑networks of Code Defenders among developers and AI Igniters promoting safe and secure adoption of AI across the business.
• Grow and run the Secure Together community which encourages collaboration and sharing across Pharma and Life Sciences on shared security challenges, as well as sets expectations with suppliers and engages partners from Venture Capital and technology to influence roadmaps and investment priorities to align with GSK and industry security risk challenges.
• Own phishing simulation strategy, including scenario design, targeting and follow‑up learning.
• Measure behavioural outcomes rather than completion rates, and report on what is changing.

Skills

Cloud Security

Cybersecurity

Data Integrity

Executive Reports

Identity Access Management

Risk Assessments

Risk Management

Risk Management Framework

Security Architecture Design

Security Compliance

Security Policies

Security Risk

Third Party Risk Management

Vulnerability Management

Web Application Security

Job description

Director, Culture and Communities Business Introduction

GSK remains committed to achieving bold commercial ambitions for the future. By 2031, we aim to deliver £40 billion in annual sales, leveraging our existing strong performance momentum to significantly increase our positive impact on the health of billions of patients globally. Our Ahead Together strategy is centred on early intervention to prevent and alter the course of disease, thereby protecting people and supporting healthcare systems. Our diverse portfolio consists of vaccines, specialty medicines, and general medicines. Through continuous innovation and a dedicated focus on scientific and technical excellence, we strive to develop and launch new, groundbreaking treatments that address critical health challenges.

Job Purpose

The Director, Culture and Communities will own the Culture and Communities capability end to end, including its strategy, delivery and performance. This is a leadership role accountable for the capability and the team that delivers it. This role brings a science-based approach -- grounded in human psychology, behavioural and decision science -- to building a risk‑aware culture that produces measurably superior outcomes than industry‑typical training and awareness efforts.

About the team.

Culture and Communities changes how GSK people behave, not just what they know. The team owns security awareness, risk‑culture building and behavioural change, a world‑class grass‑roots ‘Cyber Defenders’ champions network internally, and our external Secure Together community of peers, partners and strategic suppliers external to GSK.

Key responsibilities:

• Own the Culture and Communities capability end to end, including roadmap, delivery and service performance.
• Lead and develop the team, setting priorities and managing performance.
• Own the capability budget and supplier relationships.
• Report capability performance and risk to CSO leadership and governance forums.
• Own the cyber security awareness and behavioural change programme across GSK.
• Apply human psychology, behavioural and decision science to the design of culture and awareness interventions, moving beyond industry‑typical training and awareness approaches to build habits and defaults that measurably influence behaviours and reduce risk.
• Bring innovative and creative thinking to how GSK builds a risk‑aware culture, testing and scaling new approaches rather than repeating industry‑standard practice.
• Design and run campaigns which measurably influence the behaviours that drive GSK risk informed by current threat intelligence, evolving attacker tradecraft, and data including incidents, phishing simulations and other sources.
• Grow and run the Cyber Defenders security champions network across business units and sites, including sub‑networks of Code Defenders among developers and AI Igniters promoting safe and secure adoption of AI across the business.
• Grow and run the Secure Together community which encourages collaboration and sharing across Pharma and Life Sciences on shared security challenges, as well as sets expectations with suppliers and engages partners from Venture Capital and technology to influence roadmaps and investment priorities to align with GSK and industry security risk challenges.
• Own phishing simulation strategy, including scenario design, targeting and follow‑up learning.
• Measure behavioural outcomes rather than completion rates, and report on what is changing.

Why you?

We are looking for professionals with the following required skills to achieve our goals:

Basic Qualifications:

• Degree in a relevant discipline, or related experience.
• Demonstrated experience in security awareness, behavioural change or internal communications.
• Working knowledge of campaign design and measurement.
• Practical experience with stakeholder engagement across a global organisation.
• Working knowledge of human psychology, behavioural science or decision science, applied to influencing behaviour at scale.
• Proven experience building and growing communities, both inside and outside the organisation.
• Strong track record of using data and evidence, rather than effort or activity, to prove behavioural and cultural outcomes.
• Substantial experience in cyber security, including end‑to‑end ownership of a capability.
• Proven experience leading and developing technical or specialist teams.
• Experience managing budget, suppliers and delivery commitments.
• Strong influencing and communication skills with senior stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience running phishing simulation programmes.
• Content production and communications skill.
• Experience operating across multiple languages and regions.
• Relevant certification such as CISSP, SANS security awareness credentials, CIPP.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, life sciences or another highly regulated industry.
• Background in marketing, psychology or another adjacent behavioural or social science field is desirable.

Closing Date:

Closing Date: 6th November 2026

Working Pattern

This role is based in the United Kingdom and offers a hybrid working model, with 2/3 days a week onsite at our central London HQ.

Skills

• Cloud Security
• Cybersecurity
• Data Integrity
• Executive Reports
• Identity Access Management (IAM)
• Risk Assessments
• Risk Management
• Risk Management Framework
• Security Architecture Design
• Security Compliance
• Security Policies
• Security Risk
• Third Party Risk Management
• Vulnerability Management
• Web Application Security

Why GSK?

We are a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale. People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

We are a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years. Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together. Find out more on our career site.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law. We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are. Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us at [e-mail] where you can also request a call. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments, we will not be able to support you through these channels. However, we have created a Recruitment FAQ guide.