Head of Security Services Group

Ministry Of Defence; Bristol; On-site; GBP 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK Government Department is seeking a Head of Security Services Group to lead a multi-functional team of 325 staff, managing complex security functions and ensuring effective service delivery. The role requires outstanding leadership and communication skills, with a focus on strategic thinking and proactive delivery management. This position offers a salary of £95,000 and extensive benefits including a generous pension plan.

Benefits

Civil Service pension contribution of 28.97%

Flexible working options

Learning and development tailored to the role

Qualifications

• Outstanding leadership skills to build and motivate multi-functional teams.
• Experience leading a complex security function with best practices.
• Exceptional communication skills to build trust with stakeholders.
• Proven ability to blend technical expertise with strategic thinking.
• Proactive and delivery-focused in ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead a geographically dispersed security organization of 325 staff.
• Oversee financial management of a team budget of circa £32m.
• Ensure delivery of technical security capabilities safely and effectively.
• Develop research and development teams for future technology.

Skills

Leadership skills

Communication and interpersonal skills

Technical security expertise

Customer service focus

Proactive delivery management

Job description

Overview

As the MOD Technical Authority and Head of Specialism for Above Secret Physical and Technical Security, Head of Security Services Group (Hd SSG) is responsible for anticipating challenges against assessed risks and leading the delivery of appropriate, assured and proportionate security architecture operationally, commercially and financially to a demanding MOD and cross-Government customer base. Strong engagement is a key part of this role as Hd SSG will act as the MOD's Strategic Expert Advisor and work collaboratively across government to promote security mindedness, to offer SSG technical security expertise and to ensure the niche Defence owned IDS capability is optimised to meet strategic priorities cross-Government in support of UK National Security and resilience. Innovation sits at the heart of this role, collaborating across the Government Security Profession, security industry and academia to drive best practice and exploit new and emerging technology to future proof the SSG and its Defence capability in response to changing threat, business requirements and government policy.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible and effective leadership of a geographically dispersed and multi-functional organisation of up to 325 staff with Developed Vetting, providing a 24/7 technical security capability in support of Defence, wider Government and UK critical national infrastructure across the UK and overseas.
• Lead response to urgent security operational requirements on an ad hoc basis, including out-of-hours events.
• Ensure SSG outputs are delivered safely, in accordance with Defence and cross-Government priorities, supported by a robust delivery assurance regime, in accordance with Army and MOD policies.
• Oversee financial management and a team budget of circa £32m; provide a well governed and assured through-life training and education opportunity for all SSG members and support the workforce model, ensuring consistent engineering standards and enhancing the employment offer to SSG employees.
• Serve as MOD Head of Specialism for Technical Security and Departmental Technical Authority for Above Secret, Secret Strap and ACTO equipment; build strong relationships with key security stakeholders across Government to optimise Defence's Incident Prevention and Response (IPR) Owned Sovereign capability.
• Set standards for installation and maintenance of security systems and provide a bespoke Government use-only sovereign Intruder Detection System (IDS) and related products.
• Develop a Futures SSG Research and Development team to ensure Defence has the right technology to meet current and future threats, linked across Government and Academia as required to retain SSG as Defence's key in-house security capability.

Requirements

• Outstanding leadership skills to build, inspire and motivate multi-functional teams and drive inclusion to create a resilient, high-performing environment.
• Experience leading a complex security function, delivering high-quality customer service with security best practice, assurance, and sound financial and commercial processes.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to build trust and relationships with diverse stakeholders and deliver effective security solutions.
• Proven ability to blend technical security expertise with strategic thinking in a multi-stakeholder environment to meet BAU requirements or respond to threats.
• Proactive, delivery-focused with the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams at pace in ambiguous environments, maintaining resilience and calm leadership.

Assignment and Security

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. The assignment duration is an expectation to enable delivery of key business outcomes and career depth; it is not a contractual term and may be affected by personal circumstances and business needs.

Security: Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before appointment. The level required is developed vetting. See the vetting charter. Baseline personnel security standard checks apply for those working with government assets.

Application Process

To apply, complete the online application by 23:55 Sunday 12 October 2025 and submit the following documents via the Civil Service Jobs portal:

• A CV (no more than 2 pages) detailing career history, key responsibilities and achievements, with explanations for any gaps in the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) describing how your skills, qualities and experience demonstrate suitability for the role.

Artificial Intelligence may be used to support applications, but all content must be truthful and from your own experience. Plagiarism or AI-generated content presented as your own may lead to withdrawal of the application. Refer to the candidate guidance for details.

External candidates who join the MOD and are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Benefits

• Salary of £95,000 plus a Civil Service pension contribution of 28.97% and a £27,521 employer contribution under the Defined Benefit scheme.
• Learning and development tailored to the role.
• Flexible working options and an environment that promotes inclusion and diversity.

For accessibility, contact [e-mail]. Feedback is provided only after interviews or assessments.