S&T7 Group Information Security Officer

Department of Defence; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A governmental department in the United Kingdom seeks an experienced Group Information Security Officer to lead cybersecurity efforts for Defence Science and Technology Group. This role involves managing cybersecurity operations and incident response, working collaboratively across various stakeholders, and adapting security strategies for complex research environments. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in cybersecurity management and innovative problem-solving skills.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading cybersecurity initiatives in complex environments.
• Ability to adapt security controls for research and innovation settings.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational cybersecurity for the Defence Science and Technology Group.
• Manage cybersecurity incident response and develop advanced cyber skills and tools.
• Achieve formal compliance with security standards and regulations.

Skills

Cybersecurity management techniques

Innovative leadership

Collaboration skills

Risk management

Job description

Overview

The Group Information Security Officer (GISO) leads the operational cybersecurity for the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), within the overall Defence cybersecurity framework. The role preserves from compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of DSTG’s information assets. It extends Defence ICT security capabilities with specialist cybersecurity capability tailored to unique, highly complex research environments.

About our Team

GISO is part of the Digital Science and Scientific Computing (DSSC) team, which enables and accelerates Defence Innovation, Science and Technology through advanced ICT capabilities. GISO leads a team of 15 cybersecurity professionals covering the following key functional roles:

• Cybersecurity risk and assurance. The development of the DSTG Information Security Management System (ISMS) and the leadership to achieve formal Assessment and Authorisation of the DSTG fleet of digital research systems to meet Whole of Australian Government (WofAG) and Defence mandated system compliance, and International Standard ISO27001.
• Cybersecurity technical capability. The planning, development, integration and deployment of advanced cybersecurity assurance tools and methods to secure DSTG’s digital research systems including the integration of key Defence security capability into DSTG systems.
• Cybersecurity operations. Management of DSTG cybersecurity incident response. The development of advanced cyber skills and tools to enable sophisticated hunt missions, advanced log analysis capability, and advanced vulnerability analysis. To achieve the Group Cybersecurity and DSTG Mission the GISO will need to engage and leverage capability from across the DSTG and Defence cybersecurity ecosystem.

Our Ideal Candidate

If you are looking for a career-defining role, this is the opportunity for you. We are seeking an experienced cybersecurity leader that is ready to step up to a role that will challenge them to respond to some of the most challenging threats in a national security environment. They need to be innovative, to lead cybersecurity in a research environment where the normal best practice is not always effective. They will need to bring an outcome focus, to ensure DSTG can achieve its mission with cybersecurity that balances risk reduction against the risk of Defence not achieving impact through Science and Technology. They will need to be a collaborative leader, building effective relationships across a broad set of stakeholders that need to work in concert to achieve secure outcomes. They will need to be ready to respond to a threat environment that includes some of the most sophisticated and well-resourced actors in the world.

Our ideal candidate will be recognised as an authority in applying world leading cybersecurity management techniques, including capability, governance, risk management and compliance, to complex heterogeneous research environments. They will be adept at leading the adaptation of security controls to suit research and innovation environments.

Application Closing Date: Sunday 21 September 2025