Physical Security Engineer

Government Recruitment Service; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Disability Confident employer scheme

Job summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate. We are transforming the Civil Service by creating great places to work and leading major programmes across the UK, while driving sustainability and value for taxpayers.

We are seeking a Physical Security Engineer to design and oversee security across GPA’s office estate, embedded in Workplace Services, and capable of advising

Responsibilities

• Interpreting and implementing GPA’s physical security policies and strategies and leading on their communication.
• Advising on threats and assessing risk and assurance of the appropriate physical (including blast design) and electronic (e.g., CCTV and ACS) security and resilience engineering standards and process.
• Setting the technical and process standards for the physical security aspects of the GPA public office estate.
• Leading on the engineering aspects of GPA’s security and resilience planning.
• Defining and updating the employers’ security requirements.
• Defining the physical security assurance and due diligence requirements, and ensuring statutory compliance for safe office buildings.
• Applying security industry best practice and innovation.
• Setting the requirements for delivery of physical security across project lifecycles and RIBA stages.
• Advising on access control solutions.
• Identifying and promoting the best VfM.
• Providing security assurance support and advice to Workplace Services and their service contractors.
• Managing external professional services contractors.
• Leading the physical and electronic security and resilience function within the Design and Engineering team.
• Maintaining up-to-date professional knowledge through Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
• Managing strategic supplier relationships with GPA’s framework partners for security consultancy and design services
• Acting as a key member of the wider GPA Security Function and collaborating with GPA CSO and Security Team.

Job description

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with morethan £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work,leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbonemissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we arelooking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leadingsignificant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme,Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplaceservices.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning,where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and growtogether:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just aboutdriving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet theneeds of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensurethat we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularlyinviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, andpeople who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability,nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth.

We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningfulimpact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape ourfuture direction.

Physical Security Engineer for the Government Property Agency (GPA) is responsible for all aspects of physical and electronic security; leading security design and overseeing its implementation across the new, refurbished and GPAs onboarded office estate; understanding governments diverse security needs; and advising on physical security procedural solutions. This requires an understanding and articulation of GPA’s risk appetite, proposing mitigation options where available and appropriate.

This role will be responsible for embedding the physical security approach across the organisation, as described in the physical security standards and guidance technical annex of the Workplace Design Guide. It also has functional responsibility for the assured delivery of physical security in the GPA managed office estate that Workplace Services is responsible for. This means the role will have real influence across the GPA and other government departments.

Note the role will require an ability to travel nationally to all UK sites/facilities.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to Head of Physical Security, the Physical Security Engineer will be responsible for:

• Interpreting and Implementing/ executing GPA’s physical security policies and strategies and leading on their communication.
• Advising on threats and assessing risk and assurance of the appropriate physical (including blast design) and electronic (eg CCTV and ACS) security and resilience engineering standards and process.
• Setting the technical and process standards for the physical security aspects of the GPA public office estate.
• Leading on the engineering aspects of GPA’s security and resilience planning.
• Defining and updating the employers’ security requirements.
• Defining the physical security assurance and due diligence requirements, and ensuring associated statutory compliance for safe office buildings.
• Applying security industry best practice and innovation.
• Setting the requirements for delivery of physical security across project lifecycles and RIBA stages
• Advising on access control solutions.
• Identifying and promoting the best VfM.
• Providing security assurance support and advice to Workplace Services and their service contractors.
• Managing external professional services contractors.
• Leading the physical and electronic security and resilience function within the Design and Engineering team.
• Maintaining up-to-date professional knowledge through Continuing Professional Development (CPD), demonstrating security design awareness and applying knowledge, experience and skills effectively.
• Managing the strategic supplier relationships with GPA’s framework partners for security consultancy and design services
• Acting as a key member of the wider GPA Security Function, maintaining a collaborative working relationship under a devolved management arrangement with the GPA CSO and GPA Security Team, and to play a role in cross Whitehall government security initiatives.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Physical Security Engineer

Company: Government Recruitment Service Salary: £58,478 to £64,743 a year Hours: Full-time Location: Cardiff Job type: Permanent Posting date: 30 Oct 2026 Closing date: 22 Nov 2026

Summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with morethan £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work,leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbonemissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we arelooking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leadingsignificant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme,Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplaceservices.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning,where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and growtogether:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just aboutdriving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet theneeds of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensurethat we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularlyinviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, andpeople who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability,nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth.

We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningfulimpact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape ourfuture direction.

Physical Security Engineer for the Government Property Agency (GPA) is responsible for all aspects of physical and electronic security; leading security design and overseeing its implementation across the new, refurbished and GPAs onboarded office estate; understanding governments diverse security needs; and advising on physical security procedural solutions. This requires an understanding and articulation of GPA’s risk appetite, proposing mitigation options where available and appropriate.

This role will be responsible for embedding the physical security approach across the organisation, as described in the physical security standards and guidance technical annex of the Workplace Design Guide. It also has functional responsibility for the assured delivery of physical security in the GPA managed office estate that Workplace Services is responsible for. This means the role will have real influence across the GPA and other government departments.

Note the role will require an ability to travel nationally to all UK sites/facilities.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to Head of Physical Security, the Physical Security Engineer will be responsible for:

• Interpreting and Implementing/ executing GPA’s physical security policies and strategies and leading on their communication.
• Advising on threats and assessing risk and assurance of the appropriate physical (including blast design) and electronic (eg CCTV and ACS) security and resilience engineering standards and process.
• Setting the technical and process standards for the physical security aspects of the GPA public office estate.
• Leading on the engineering aspects of GPA’s security and resilience planning.
• Defining and updating the employers’ security requirements.
• Defining the physical security assurance and due diligence requirements, and ensuring associated statutory compliance for safe office buildings.
• Applying security industry best practice and innovation.
• Setting the requirements for delivery of physical security across project lifecycles and RIBA stages
• Advising on access control solutions.
• Identifying and promoting the best VfM.
• Providing security assurance support and advice to Workplace Services and their service contractors.
• Managing external professional services contractors.
• Leading the physical and electronic security and resilience function within the Design and Engineering team.
• Maintaining up-to-date professional knowledge through Continuing Professional Development (CPD), demonstrating security design awareness and applying knowledge, experience and skills effectively.
• Managing the strategic supplier relationships with GPA’s framework partners for security consultancy and design services
• Acting as a key member of the wider GPA Security Function, maintaining a collaborative working relationship under a devolved management arrangement with the GPA CSO and GPA Security Team, and to play a role in cross Whitehall government security initiatives.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.

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