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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.
Contact
- Address
- 10 South Colonnade
- London
- E14 4PU
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Cyber Security Operations Technical Team Member
Accepting applications until: 30-Jul-2025 23:59
Vacancy status: Open
Accepting applications until: 30-Jul-2025 23:59
Key details
Location
- Site
- Homeworking
- Town
- Homeworking
- Postcode
- E14 4RU
- Major / Minor Region
- London
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Home or remote working
Salary
- Salary
- £40,661 - £50,472 Per annum, Pro Rata. (Market Pay Supplement min - Up to £3,350, max -Up to £10,000)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Grade
- (Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO))
Specialty
- Main area
- Cyber Secruity
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.
Job overview
Do you have a passion for Cyber Security?
Do you have experience as a cyber security professional, working as part of a Security Operations team?
Are you interested in working for an organisation that truly champions a healthy work/life balance?
If so, continue reading to find out more about this fantastic opportunity to join UKHSA Cyber Security.
Now is a great time to join us as we establish a team of outstanding people in the field of Cyber Security Operations. This is a chance to work on services that matter and affect the lives of millions of citizens.
UKHSA’s Cyber Security Operations team is responsible for the operational cyber security of UKHSA.
We are looking for an enthusiastic Cyber Security Operations Team Member, with great technical and collaborative skills. In this role you will participate in areas such as security engineering, protective monitoring, vulnerability management and incident response.
Advert
Reporting to a Cyber Security Operations Team Lead you will be a part of the UKHSA Security Operations team, to ensure effective delivery of security operations projects and BAU delivery into the business. You will also support in complex incident management, including response activities, working with technical staff and suppliers to detect, contain and remediate security events and risks. The role can be fast paced and reactionary when dealing with a live incident.
You will manage networks of internal and external stakeholders. You will have a technical background in cyber security operations, with some knowledge of key security technologies, frameworks and best practices.
Working for our organisation
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. Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The successful individual will be expected to carry out all functions in all of the “Operations” Role Family outlined in Government Security Profession Career Framework, including:
Monitoring
- Monitor, triage and investigate security alerts on protective monitoring platforms to identify security incidents and perform analysis of security event data to support the response, reporting or escalating where appropriate
- Design, develop and support automated monitoring processes, using a variety of the latest SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and network analysis tools, techniques and procedures to detect malicious activity and ensure continuous improvement through dashboard monitoring or retrospective assessment
Response
- Carry out UKHSA’s response policies and processes to meet the needs in line with appropriate standards
- Provide standardised advice on mitigation, escalating to a team leader where appropriate
Vulnerability Management
- Triage and prioritise vulnerabilities, implement mitigating measures, and support in the life cycle of vulnerability management, providing standardised advice on ways to improve control mechanisms and mitigate risk
- Communicate common mitigation strategies such as patching and basic configuration change (system hardening)
Digital Forensics
- Support the application of forensic readiness policy and work with other teams to ensure its implementation
- Analyse evidence to identify breaches of policy, regulation or law
In addition to the above core skills the successful individual will be expected to:
- Contribute to strong operational relationships with internal cyber security, technology, and privacy teams to maintain efficient communication and collaboration on security issues.
- Any other responsibilities appropriate for this grade. Cyber Security Operations can be fast paced and will require a degree of flexibility.
Essential role criteria
- An interest in cyber security
- A proactive approach to investigating data in a work or educational environment
- Demonstrable ability to analyse and interpret data
- Effective verbal and written communication skills
- Knowledge of Common Security Vulnerabilities (CVEs) and remediation techniques
- Solid operational knowledge of working with Threat Intelligence Platforms, SIEM appliances, or intelligence feeds that have been acquired in large organisations
- Experience with large LANs and cloud environments, preferably AWS/Azure
Selection Process Details:
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (7) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
- Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
- 750 word supporting statement
This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.
The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together.
Longlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
- Meets no essential criteria
The following will be taken through to the next stage:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
Shortlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:
- Solid operational knowledge of working with Threat Intelligence Platforms, SIEM appliances, or intelligence feeds that have been acquired in large organisations
- Demonstrable ability to analyse and interpret data
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment
Please do not exceed 750 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV
Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)
You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.
Behaviours, technical, and experience will be tested at interview.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service – Lead behaviour
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
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).
Location
Remote working (anywhere in the UK).
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. The level of security needed is Security Clearance.
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
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Link below:
Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers
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. You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. 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 cannot 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.
The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.
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.
Internal Fraud check
If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.
Security Vetting
Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels
Applicant requirements
Person specification
Application form & supporting statement
Essential criteria
- Application form & supporting statement
Behaviours
Essential criteria
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service – Lead behaviour Delivering at Pace
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Documents
- JD (PDF, 360.4KB)
- 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
- Name
- Gurkamal Bhambra
- Job title
- Resourcing
- Email address
- [email protected]
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