Head of Cyber Security

British Library; Boston Spa; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

A national institution in the UK is seeking a Head of Cyber Security to establish and oversee its cyber security strategy. The role involves leading a team of professionals to deliver strong protections against emerging threats. Candidates should have a solid background in cyber security governance and incident response, along with leadership experience to collaborate with senior management effectively.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Fantastic pension scheme

Flexible working hours

25 days holiday

Digital allowance

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leadership roles within cyber security.
• Strong understanding of legal requirements and national standards in cyber security.
• Ability to define and implement comprehensive security strategies.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain the Library’s cyber security vision and governance.
• Lead a team to deliver robust protection and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with senior leadership on evolving security measures.

Skills

Cyber security governance

Incident response

Risk management

Leadership

Collaboration with senior leadership

Job description

Head of Cyber Security

Location: Boston Spa / St Pancras

Contract: Fixed Term for 18 months

Hours: Full time (36 hours)

Grade: SB3

Salary: £60,564 - £78,738 (Boston Spa) / £65,972 - £84,826 (St Pancras)

Telephone: 019

About the role

The British Library is recruiting for a Head of Cyber Security. This is a crucial role within our Technology team, responsible for establishing and maintaining the Library’s cyber security vision, governance, and risk management framework, while leading a team to deliver robust protection, incident response, and continuous improvement.

The post holder will lead a team of security professionals, collaborate with senior leadership, and ensure that our security measures evolve with emerging threats and industry best practices. The successful candidate will also define, develop, and implement a comprehensive cyber security strategy aligned with the organisation’s business goals and in line with national standards, legal requirements, and sector best practice.

About us

We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

What we can offer you

• A competitive salary.
• A fantastic pension scheme with minimum employer contributions of 28.97% (this may be higher dependent on grade).
• Flexible working hours, with the ability to take up to 5 days flexi leave in a 3-month period.
• 25 days holiday.
• Full details of employee benefits can be found on our Careers: Benefits.
• This role qualifies for a digital allowance.

Closing date

7 December 2025

We welcome applications from

Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. We would like to increase the representation of these groups within The British Library to ensure our workforce is as diverse as the public that we serve. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.