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UK Health Security Agency
About
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats, and providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage. UKHSA will ensure the nation can respond quickly and at greater scale to deal with pandemics and future threats.
Lead Cyber Security Architect
Accepting applications until: 01-Oct-2024 23:59
Vacancy status: Open
Accepting applications until: 01-Oct-2024 23:59
Key details
Location
- Gwefan
- Any UKHSA site with hybrid/homeworking available
- Tref
- Any UKHSA site with hybrid/homeworking available
- Cod post
- E14 4PU
- Major / Minor Region
- London
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Oriau
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Home or remote working
Salary
- Cyflog
- £51,824 - £65,089 Per annum, pro rata (plus market pay supplement of up to £15,000)
- Cyfnod cyflog
- Yearly
- Gradd
- (Civil Service: Grade 7)
Specialty
- Prif leoliad
- Cyber Security
The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.
UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:
- Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
- Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
- Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
- Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
- Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.
Trosolwg o'r swydd
We are looking for a Lead Security Architect to work within the Cyber Security Architecture Delivery team. It is an exciting, fast-paced role that will drive strategic change across the organisation both in terms of data and analytic capability, and culture.
UKHSA’s Cyber Security Architecture Delivery team is responsible for defining cyber security technical standards for the organisation, providing technical guidance and consulting to help service teams to deliver against those standards, and supporting the selection of security tools and technology.
As Lead Security Architect, you will be responsible for overseeing the secure delivery of projects and data platforms; ensuring architectural design reviews (High Level Design HLD/Low Level Design LLD) and threat models are carried out to a high standard.
Advert
As Lead Security Architect you will:
- Work closely with security architects, overseeing their work and providing assurance that architectural design reviews and threat models are carried out consistently to the required standard.
- Ensure the team have the appropriate blueprints, guidance, policies and standards required to complete their work.
- Develop and communicate meaningful security policies.
- Identify and promote best practices for multidisciplinary teams to deliver resilient, secure and scalable services.
Gweithio i'n sefydliad
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Swydd ddisgrifiad a phrif gyfrifoldebau manwl
The Cyber Security Architecture Delivery team is a mix of permanent civil servants (two Lead Security Architects and Head of Department) and contract Security Architects (6 to 10).
As Lead Security Architect you will:
- Work closely with security architects, overseeing their work and providing assurance that architectural design reviews and threat models are carried out consistently to the required standard.
- Ensure the team have the appropriate blueprints, guidance, policies and standards required to complete their work.
- Take a risk based and outcome driven approach to secure architecture.
- Develop and communicate meaningful security policies.
- Identify and promote best practices for multidisciplinary teams to deliver resilient, secure and scalable services.
- Identify, own, and respond to security risks and issues as they arise.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with other security teams within UKHSA, Cabinet Office, NCSC and the rest of government.
Essential criteria
- Can demonstrate cyber security knowledge in a previous hands-on role.
- Have experience of security management and information assurance practices.
- Can demonstrate a sound understanding of how to securely architect a cloud infrastructure (Saas, Paas and IaaS) environment.
- Understands security end-to-end, from security considerations in the design of services, through to architecture reviews, threat modelling, controls and remediation.
- Builds strong relationships and communicates effectively with senior stakeholders and colleagues, ensuring that security considerations are well accounted for and built into ways of working.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working within big transformational programmes of work.
- Experience with modern software engineering practices.
Selection Process
Stage 1: Application & Sift
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the 5 essential criteria listed, and this will be in the form of :
- a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
- a 500 word Statement of Suitability
This should outline how your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. The CV and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.
In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist.
In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the essential criteria of:
- Can demonstrate cyber security knowledge in a previous hands-on role
Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment
Please do not exceed 500 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Stage 2: Interview (Success Profiles)
You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.
Behaviours, technical, experience, abilities and strengths will be tested at interview.
There will be a technical test and assessment.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be
• Delivering at Pace (lead behaviour)
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
Interview dates to be confirmed.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Eligibility Criteria
External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Security Clearance Level Requirement
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed: Security Check (SC) willingness and capability to obtain this.
For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.
This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)
For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.
The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.
For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.
For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You can not take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy.
Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.
Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here.
Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.
Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.
UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.
If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
Benefits of working at UKHSA include:
- Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday - Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
- Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
- Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
- We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
- We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.
Hybrid Working
UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce.
As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.
Disability Confident Scheme
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview. If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.
Reasonable Adjustments
The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.
To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.
An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.
This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.
If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:
Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.
You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/
International Police Check
If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period.
Person specification
CV and Statement of Suitability
Meini prawf hanfodol
- CV and Statement of Suitability
Behaviours
Meini prawf hanfodol
- Delivering at Pace (Lead Behaviour)
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
Documents
- Job description (PDF, 312.4KB)
- Functional Requirements form (PDF, 344.6KB)
- Civil Service Recruitment Principles (PDF, 2.6MB)
- Civil Service Nationality Rules (PDF, 195.3KB)
- Application Form Guidance Notes (PDF, 77.3KB)
- Information Sheet - Starting salaries and benefits (PDF, 129.4KB)
- Information Sheet - Selection Process (PDF, 110.1KB)
- Working at UKHSA and your benefits (PDF, 219.2KB)
Further details / informal visits contact
- Enw
- Lisa Tweedie
- Teitl y swydd
- Resourcing Support Officer
- Cyfeiriad ebost
- [email protected]
- Gwybodaeth i gefnogi eich cais
For information regarding the role please contact Kal Singh, Head of Cyber Architecture and Delivery, [email protected]
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