Principal Cyber Security Adviser

NHS; Greater London, Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 99,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

A national health service organization is seeking a Principal Cyber Security Adviser to lead cyber risk assessments and manage system cyber risk across the health sector. The role requires strong risk management and communication skills along with expertise in cyber security. Candidates should have experience in complex environments and a commitment to professional development. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and various flexible working patterns.

Benefits

30% RRP payment due to market conditions

Flexible working hours

Potential for job share

Qualifications

• Expertise in managing cyber security risks in complex environments.
• Commitment to continuing professional development.
• Ability to communicate cyber security risk topics effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead cyber risk assessment capabilities.
• Advise on national interventions for cyber risk.
• Report on system cyber risk to the National Chief Information Security Officer.

Skills

Cyber security knowledge

Risk management skills

Communication

Education

ISACA: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

Job description

This role sits within the Joint Cyber Unit (JCU), a collaboration between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE). The JCU is embedded within the Digital Policy Unit (DPU), a unit comprising both DHSC staff and NHSE staff intended to design, plan and build a digitally enabled, data driven and safe health and social care system with ministers and the NHS.

The purpose of the JCU is to provide strategic leadership in cyber security across the health and care sector, assure the cyber security of the sector, act as system stewards to improve cyber resilience across the health and care system and to provide advice which empowers health and care staff to share information appropriately and securely to deliver care.

The JCU sets, develops, and implements strategy, policy and standards for cyber security across the NHS and Adult Social Care in England. It has responsibility for designing, implementing and the ongoing assurance of the cyber security system risk management and compliance framework in place across the wider health and care system.

The JCU is comprised of two divisions:

• Governance, Risk and Compliance - cyber and information governance, system engagement, system compliance, system supply chain, system risk management and internal JCU business operations.
• Strategy and Policy - development and implementation of national strategy, policy and regulation.

Main duties of the job

The Principal Cyber Security Adviser post sits within the Governance, Risk and Compliance division in the System Cyber Risk and Assurance function which is responsible for managing cyber risk across the health and care system, ensuring that we operate within the appetite set by both the NHSE and DHSC board.

As a Principal Cyber Security Adviser assigned to lead the cyber risk assessment capability, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting managers and staff across the Joint Cyber Unit to:

• Provide expert level subject matter knowledge in the cyber security area from both a technical and a business perspective to advise on issues across the cyber security domain and all activity across the Joint Cyber Unit.
• Establish and oversee process for assessing cyber risk and advising proportionate national interventions, including funding and regulatory levers, across the system.
• Lead the development of risk assessments into flagged scenarios and make recommendations as to how risk is best managed, articulating recommendation verbally and in writing, potentially to senior audiences.
• Lead on the reporting to the National Chief Information Security Officer on system cyber risk through development and oversight of a system cyber risk scenario library, drawing on support from the cyber risk intelligence and cyber governance teams.

Job responsibilities

The post holder should have expertise in managing cyber security risks in large and complex environments and should be able to evidence their commitment to continuing professional development. This is a lead role within the risk and assurance function, and the post holder will need line management experience and the ability to deal with competing priorities and tight deadlines.

They should have the ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with other teams and be able to communicate cyber security risk topics to a range of stakeholders (both technical and non‑technical).

The post holder will provide efficient, effective and high quality, professional and well‑co‑ordinated cyber security leadership meeting all statutory, regulatory and NHS requirements ensuring alignment with the activity of the organisation.

• Establishing and leading a capability to assess system cyber risk and recommending proportionate national interventions (e.g. regulatory action, funding decisions, and technical support) to manage it.
• Delivering risk assessments, potentially to extremely tight timescales and with limited information, including recommendations on how to proportionally manage the risk.
• Contributing to Cyber Improvement programme where relevant to areas of responsibility.
• Building relationships across Joint Cyber Unit, NHSE, and NHS more broadly to facilitate understanding of system cyber risk and embed a rational risk basis into all of the units' activity.
• Working closely with the cyber risk intelligence team to understand the state of system cyber risk and appropriately feed this into risk assessments.

Essential criteria

• Subject matter expertise across a number of key areas relating to cyber security.
• Strong risk management and risk analysis skills and an expert grasp of the cyber components.
• Evidence of post‑qualifying and continuing professional development.
• Appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations.
• Experience delivering against competing priorities and deadlines while also directing the work of teams/individuals.
• Willingness to train to gain appropriate cyber qualifications (ISACA: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)).

Important Information for Role

• All NHS England Cyber Security personnel must hold security clearance SC level as a minimum. To meet National Security Vetting requirements, you must have resided in the UK for a minimum of 3 out of the past 5 years for SC clearance. Candidates who were posted abroad for service with HM Government, Armed Forces or within a UK government role will still be considered.
• The post of Principal Cyber Security Adviser has been awarded a Recruitment and Retention Premia (RRP) in response to current labour market conditions. In recognition of this, the role attracts an additional monthly RRP payment equal to 30% per annum. Please be aware that RRP is non‑contractual and subject to review.
• All roles in the Technology, Digital & Data Directorate require a Basic DBS check.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Willingness to train to gain appropriate cyber qualifications: ISACA: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

Knowledge & Experience

• Subject matter expertise across a number of key areas relating to cyber security.
• Evidence of post‑qualifying and continuing professional development.
• Appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations.
• Experience delivering against competing priorities and deadlines while also directing the work of teams/individuals.

Skills

• Strong risk management and risk analysis skills and an expert grasp of the cyber components.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Contract

Secondment

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Job share, Flexible working

Reference number

990-TDD-DIG-19317-E

Job locations

Wellington Place, Leeds or Wellington House, London

Salary

£99,483 to £115,287 a year (this includes an RRP payment of 30%). Exclusive of HCAS.

About us

Our work supports the NHS to deliver high quality services for patients and best value for taxpayers.

Our staff bring expertise across hundreds of specialisms—including clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial—enabling us to design and deliver high‑quality NHS services.

We lead the NHS in England by:

• Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
• Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
• Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care.
• Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation.

Additional information

Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, leading to full integration. The aim is to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and eliminates waste.

If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the recruitment process.

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.