Incident Response Specialist

National Energy System Operator Limited; Warwick; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus based on company performance

26 days annual leave

Pension with 12% company contribution

NESO Savings Plan

Flexible benefits programme

Private Medical Insurance

Job summary

National Energy System Operator Limited (NESO) is seeking an Incident Response Specialist to lead incident handling, triage high-priority events, and drive improvements in security response across the organization.

You will develop incident response plans, coach colleagues, and liaise with senior leadership and external partners to ensure readiness and effective risk management. The role offers hybrid work from office and home, with NSV clearance required.

Qualifications

• Significant experience or degree-level qualification in Incident Response or associated disciplines.
• Prior SME expertise in a technical cyber discipline.
• Experience shaping capability and strategy.
• Some demonstrated involvement in national or industry forums.
• Proven analytical skills and capable of independently solving new and complex problems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience of adapting these for different audiences.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Handle high priority incidents and ensure appropriate escalation.
• Triage incidents and own high-priority cases.
• Produce incident summaries for varied audiences.
• Support complex incident calls and communications with senior leaders.
• Lead design and maintenance of incident response plans.
• Coach junior colleagues in professional development.
• Identify gaps and uplift NESO incident response maturity.
• Own relationships across business departments and external partners.
• Advise senior leadership on risk and post-incident improvements.
• Participate in on-call rotas.

Skills

Incident response

Cyber security

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Strategic capability

Education

Degree-level qualification in Incident Response or related disciplines

Job description

About the Role

Exciting opportunity to join the Security Incident Response Team, part of the Security function within DD&T. Our team is responsible for: Ensuring we effectively respond to cyber and physical security incidents; Mitigating potential security threats by identifying lessons learned and translating these into business improvements; Developing Incident Response readiness plans and processes; Exercising and testing to ensure NESO is prepared to respond to the security threats we face. The Incident Response Specialist will lead the team's response to security incidents, following industry best practice incident management frameworks. Day-to-day, they will triage incidents that are reported to our team, take ownership for high priority incidents, and support junior colleagues in managing lower priority events. More strategically, the specialist will proactively identify opportunities to refine our response to incidents, particularly those impacting our Critical National Infrastructure assets; they will support the team in monthly activities of analysing incident trends and identifying potential improvements; and maintain productive relationships with external stakeholders. This role can be based from Wokingham or Warwick and we continue to offer hybrid working from office and home. We are open to full time and part time applicants, as well as flexible working arrangements. This role is designated as requiring a National Security Vetting (NSV) clearance. You will usually need to have been a resident in the UK for the last five years to apply for the required level of clearance.

Key Accountabilities

• Incident Response Handle the response to high priority incidents, ensuring our response is necessary, proportionate, and handled by the appropriate experts.
• Independently solve complex, ambiguous incident response challenges.
• Produce clear incident summaries at pace and adapt communication style for various audiences.
• Provide direction and tactical support to colleagues handling incidents, including supporting complex incident calls and managing communications with senior leaders.
• Participate in on-call rotas as required.

Capability Development

• Lead the design and maintenance of incident response plans, processes, and supporting documentation.
• Coach junior colleagues in their professional development.
• Identify gaps and drive uplift in NESO-wide incident response maturity.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Own productive relationships across business departments.
• Maintain relationships with external partners.
• Advise senior leadership on risk, incident response status, and post-incident improvements.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK by the start of employment. Visa sponsorship may not be available for this role and will be considered in line with business requirements.

About You

• Significant experience or degree-level qualification in Incident Response or associated disciplines.
• Prior SME expertise in a technical cyber discipline.
• Experience shaping capability and strategy.
• Some demonstrated involvement in national or industry forums.
• Proven analytical skills and capable of independently solving new and complex problems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience of adapting these for different audiences.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.

What You'll Get

• A competitive salary of £60,000 - £68,000 dependent on experience and capabilityAs well as your base salary, NESO's core benefits are the essential perks and advantages that form part of your employee package.
• You will receive a bonus based on company performance- 26 days annual leave as standard - A competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%.
• Annual Enrollment to NESO Savings Plan, when you save between £20- £500 a month from your take-home pay, we will pay a 50% matching contribution.
• NESO's flexible benefits programme provides you with more flexibility around your health, lifestyle and protection benefits, here's just a few available:
• Flexible Bank Holidays & Holiday Trading
• Additional Birthday Day Off
• Cycle to Work Scheme, Retail & Gym Discounts
• Private Medical Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance & Personal Accident Insurance

About Us

At the National Energy System Operator (NESO), we play a vital role in tackling climate change and securing Great Britain's energy future. We already operate the world's fastest decarbonising electricity system and are working towards our ambition to run it carbon-free for a short period this year - provided the market supplies electricity exclusively from renewable sources. Alongside this, we provide expert advice to government on how to deliver a clean power system by 2030. In autumn 2024, the Electricity System Operator (ESO) transitioned to become NESO - an independent, expert public corporation with a whole-system view across electricity, gas, and hydrogen. NESO operates independently and transparently, always acting in the best interests of all energy users. Licensed and regulated by Ofgem, we make impartial decisions that balance sustainability, affordability and security. Our organisation is fully independent from government, the regulator and all commercial interests, with a clear focus on system-wide benefit, long term thing and public value. The time to deliver is now. Join the energy transformation and help shape the future. Your energy. Our future. Together

More Information

This role closes at 23:59, on the day before date shown above, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary. Research shows that some people may hesitate to apply unless they meet every single requirement. At NESO, we believe potential comes in many forms and we're committed to a fair, inclusive recruitment We're committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve, and a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential. If this role sparks your interest but you're not sure you tick every box, we still want to hear from you. process where everyone has the opportunity to show their talents. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds. At the National Energy System Operator (NESO), we play a vital role in tackling climate change and securing Great Britains's energy future. We already operate the world's fastest decarbonising electricity system and are working towards our ambition to run it carbon-free for a short period this year - provided the market supplies electricity exclusively from renewable sources. Alongside this, we provide expert advice to government on how to deliver a clean power system by 2030. In autumn 2024, the Electricity System Operator (ESO) transitioned to become NESO - an independent, expert public corporation with a whole-system view across electricity, gas, and hydrogen. NESO operates independently and transparently, always actin in the best interests of all energy users. Licensed and regulated by Ofgem, we make impartial decisions that balance sustainability, affordability and security. Our organisation is fully independent from government, the regulator and all commercial interests, with a clear focus on system-wide benefit, long term thing and public value. The time to deliver is now. Join the energy transformation and help shape the future. Your energy. Our future. Together