Protective Security Risk Lead

Pertemps; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range £41,775–£53,000

26–30 days annual leave

Contributory pension

Performance bonus

Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a Protective Security Risk Lead to oversee risk assessments, governance and reporting. You will translate complex security risks into practical actions and embed risk management into business processes, ensuring resilience and protection of critical assets.

The role requires experience in protective security, strong analytical and stakeholder-management skills, and the ability to communicate clearly with senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Experience in a regulated or Protective Security environment with practical risk management.
• Proven ability to conduct risk assessments, maintain risk registers, develop KRIs and implement risk/control frameworks.
• Strong understanding of risk management principles, including threats, vulnerabilities and impacts.
• Excellent analytical, organisational and communication skills with ability to manage changing priorities and deadlines.
• Confident in building relationships and influencing stakeholders, including presenting complex information to senior leaders.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Forms) and Power BI.
• Experience in developing and managing risk assessment schedules and continuous improvement.
• Experience in Critical National Infrastructure or water industry; project management is advantageous.
• Security qualification in risk management would be desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead Protective Security risk assessments using threat and vulnerability data to identify risks and treatments.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance to stakeholders and embed risk management into business processes.
• Define and communicate security risk tolerances and appetite aligned with enterprise risk thinking.
• Develop and improve Protective Security Risk Management and Control frameworks.
• Maintain risk registers and KRIs with clear, up-to-date reporting.
• Produce and present risk reports and briefings for stakeholders.
• Lead governance and assurance, tracking risk actions and supporting policy reviews.
• Maintain a robust risk assessment schedule understood across the business.

Skills

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Risk reporting

MS Office / Power BI proficiency

Education

Security qualification (risk management)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Forms

Power BI

Job description

Join Thames Water as our Protective Security Risk Lead and play a key role in protecting our people, critical infrastructure, assets and operations.

You’ll lead the identification and management of protective security risks, working closely with teams across the business to turn complex risks into clear, practical actions.

This is a high-impact opportunity for an experienced security professional who combines strong analytical thinking with confident stakeholder engagement and a passion for protecting essential services.

What you will be doing as a Protective Security Risk Lead:

• Lead Protective Security risk assessments, using threat and vulnerability information to identify risks and recommend appropriate treatments.
• Act as a trusted Protective Security subject matter expert, providing specialist advice and guidance to stakeholders while embedding Protective Security risk management into business processes, decision-making and organisational activities.
• Define, maintain and communicate security risk tolerances and appetite, ensuring alignment with wider enterprise risk thinking.
• Develop and continually improve the Protective Security Risk Management and Control frameworks, ensuring risks, gaps and vulnerabilities are effectively identified and managed.
• Maintain risk registers and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs), identifying emerging security risks and providing clear, up-to-date reporting.
• Produce and present clear risk reports, briefings and presentations for a range of stakeholders, turning complex information into actionable insights.
• Lead Protective Security governance and assurance, ensuring risk actions are tracked, monitored and reported, while supporting reviews of security policies and standards.
• Develop and maintain a robust risk assessment schedule, ensuring security risks are regularly reviewed and clearly understood across the business.

The successful candidate will be required to undertake a Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) before starting in this role.

Location:

Hybrid - Kemble Court – Reading

Hours of work:

36 Hours per week (Monday to Friday)

What you should bring to the role:

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:

• Experience working within a regulated or Protective Security environment, with practical risk management experience.
• Proven ability to conduct risk assessments, maintain risk registers, develop KRIs and implement risk and control frameworks.
• Strong understanding of risk management principles, including threats, vulnerabilities and potential impacts.
• Excellent analytical, organisational and communication skills, with the ability to manage changing priorities and deadlines.
• Confident building relationships and influencing stakeholders, including presenting complex information to senior leaders.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Forms and Power BI.
• Experience developing and managing risk assessment schedules and supporting continuous improvement.
• Experience within Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) or the water industry and project management experience would be advantageous.
• A relevant Risk Management and/or Security qualification would also be desirable.

What’s in it for you?

• Offering a salary from £41,775 to £53,000 per annum depending on skills and experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays)
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.