Director of Assurance & Cyber Security

NHS; Manchester; On-site; GBP 91,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare trust in Manchester is seeking a Director of Assurance & Cyber Security to lead its Cyber Security strategy. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in IT Security leadership, budget management, and stakeholder engagement. This full-time position offers an annual salary ranging from £91,342 to £105,337, with a focus on continuous improvement and innovation in a complex healthcare environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Career development opportunities

Full-time position with benefits

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in IT Security.
• Expertise in security standards and best practices.
• Experience in strategic planning and financial management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Trust's Cyber Security strategy.
• Oversee technical and process security controls.
• Lead a specialist team for innovative Cyber Security capabilities.

Skills

Leadership in IT Security

Cyber Security expertise

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

Education

Masters Degree or equivalent qualification

Formal certifications (CISSP, CISM, CRISC)

ITIL Qualification

COBIT certification

Tools

Firewalls

Identity and access management

SIEM

Cloud technologies

Job description

Overview

Director of Assurance & Cyber Security - Manchester Foundation Trust. The closing date is 21 September 2025.

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a motivated and organised Director of Assurance & Cyber Security to join the Group Digital Services Team at Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT).

The Director of Assurance and Cyber Security (and CISO) will be responsible for developing and implementing the Trust's information Cyber Security strategy in line with the Digital Strategy.

You will form part of a growing, motivated, and supportive team and will be well placed to develop your skills and knowledge.

Main duties of the job

Provide a clear vision and direction for information and Cyber Security operations, promoting continuous improvement, innovation, and agility in service delivery, whilst working in consultation and collaboration with colleagues across the Trust to ensure that all information and cyber security policies are implemented and enforced.

Responsible for overseeing a range of technical and process security controls and leading a programme of continuous improvement in response to changing security threats and risk.

Leading and developing a specialist team to provide a progressive service developing innovative, future focused information and Cyber Security capabilities that can address the dynamic nature of cyber threats. Providing robust governance and assurance services across the entire IT security portfolio of activities.

The role requires a thorough understanding of the technology underpinning the Trust digital systems, as well as a broad, up-to-date knowledge of information security frameworks, pertinent regulation and legislation, vulnerability management, incident management and response, secure development techniques and approaches, Cyber Security engineering and operations, and management and governance of Cyber risk and Cyber Security.

Please review the Job Description and Person Specification document attached for details of the role and comparison against your skills, experience and knowledge.

About us

MFT is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England with a turnover of over £3bn and is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We are creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.

Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 30,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you'll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.

We have also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.

We are proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. We are also embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.

At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, review the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. To be well informed before applying, read the Candidate Essentials Guide that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how we care for you as you care for others. It also contains critical information youll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating, and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at [e-mail].

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Education to a minimum of Masters Degree level or equivalent post graduate qualification or equivalent senior level experience
• Formal certification (CISSP, CISM or CRISC) and/or formal training in information security standards and best practice (e.g.: ISO 27001/2, COBIT, Cyber Essentials)
• Advanced level of IT literacy with experience of using a range of IT applications
• Significant evidence of continued professional development
• ITIL Qualification
• COBIT

Knowledge and Experience

• Proven and significant leadership experience and/or formal management qualification
• Demonstrated expertise in an IT Security environment
• Direct experience of strategic and budgetary planning and financial management and controls
• Previously worked within the NHS
• A good practical knowledge of security technologies and wider business solutions including Firewalls, IDS/IPS, Identity and access management, SIEM, remote working and cloud technologies
• Proven experience of working at a senior level leading and delivering IT Security in a sensitive and complex environment which is undergoing significant change
• Experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders
• Demonstrable commitment to partnership working with a range of external organisations
• Experience in engaging and influencing stakeholders from diverse backgrounds
• Experience of managing and prioritising a budget, as part of financial management of a department
• Experience in implementing / developing security policies and technical documentation
• Experienced in developing and managing best-of-breed enterprise IT security solutions and processes
• Robust understanding of audits and review process
• Experienced in Contingency and Disaster Recovery Planning
• Expert knowledge of security standards, legislation and best practice
• Experienced in leading, developing, performance managing and motivating a team of subject matter experts
• Experience of staff management of teams
• Experience providing IT focused Enterprise Architecture and strategy
• Understanding of the role of Data in all aspects of NHS operational activity and 'business' processes
• Demonstrated expertise in a Healthcare environment
• Significant management experience at senior level in the NHS

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Cobbett House

£91,342 to £105,337 a year per annum (pro rata)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

349-COR-7335430-RL4

Job locations

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Cobbett House