Head of Cyber Security

At our heart, we are the department for opportunity. We work to deliver better life chances for all - breaking the link between background and success. We do this by protecting children and ensuring the delivery of higher standards of education, training and care.
Our Cyber Security department
The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships, and wider skills in England. We work to protect the department’s essential services, like funding schools and colleges, and safeguarding children from cyber threats, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data that underpin these essential citizen services.
We are responsible for the whole spectrum of cyber and information security services across the department, including Information Security, Security Operations, and Security Architecture and Engineering. We also lead on the department’s cyber security offering to the education sector, developing strategies and leading on the development of services to increase cyber resilience throughout education.
This is a great opportunity if you want a challenge at a national level in a role that makes a difference to so many. Joining us means you will help to safeguard children and ensure their education and care is delivered effectively.
What you’ll do
Reporting directly to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), you will serve as the cyber subject matter expert in the Cyber & Information Security Senior Management Team, and for the wider department. You will lead and support on the development of strategies, and guide teams and projects across the department’s full range of responsibilities, including implementing the Government Cyber Security Strategy for the department and 18 agencies and public bodies and non-ministerial departments, and our sector cyber initiatives to increase resilience throughout the education sector. Working closely with our Head of Information Security, Head of Security Operations and Live Services, and Head of Cyber Transformation, you will be instrumental in our ability to develop and deliver holistic security solutions and transformation throughout the department., Responsibilities in this role will include:
+ Developing security strategies for the department, our ALBs, and education sector, working with peers in our other security functions as well as wider departmental colleagues.
+ Act as the Cyber Subject Matter Expert for the department, providing cyber security advice and guidance to the Department and other bodies it is responsible for.
+ Lead, manage and mentor teams of security specialists and generalists, providing technical guidance and oversight as required to deliver our key security initiatives.
+ Building relationships and stakeholder networks, to become the primary point of contact on cyber security with key partners.
+ Influencing the security culture of the Department.
+ Being part of the C&IS Senior Management team, helping to shape and lead the direction of the Division., This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - it's called name blind recruitment (opens in a new window).
Please ensure that you remove from your application, all references to your:
+ name/title
+ educational institutions
+ age
+ gender
+ email address
+ postal address
+ phone number
+ nationality/immigration status
We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.
We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.
The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs
Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.
Reasonable adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming 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/
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
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
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

+ A track record in cyber security leadership, strategy development and planning in large and complex organisations, with demonstrable technical security knowledge of modern security concepts, principles and technologies for Azure, AWS, and SaaS.
+ Expert knowledge of typical threats and attack vectors with appropriate remediation methods.
+ Developed problem solving skills including addressing complex technical security and process challenges that ensure delivery at pace to an appropriate risk appetite.
+ Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex security concepts to non-technical stakeholders, influence stakeholders and create easy to consume articles such as blogs, policies and presentations.
Desirable Criteria
It is desirable that you have:
+ Experience of day-to-day management of multi-disciplinary teams of cyber security professionals.
+ Experience of effective strategies for Zero Trust, DevSecOps and SecDevOps.
+ Knowledge of Agile methodologies and previous exposure to Agile ways of working.
Desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview, in the event of a tie break situation, to make an informed decision.

+ Your Statement of Suitability: In no more than 750 words, provide examples to explain how your personal skills, qualities and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role. You should refer to the essential criteria listed in the "Person Specification" section of this advert.
Please note:
CV details must be contained within the template on the application form. Any CV or Statement of Suitability that has been emailed to our team will not be considered.
Please adhere to the statement wordcount as anything over 750 words will not be considered.
Stage 2: Sift
At Sift stage, your application will be assessed by the panel on how your CV and Statement of Suitability align to the essential criteria listed in the “Person specification” section of this advert.
This will be scored holistically by assessing your CV and Personal Statement together on how well your experience meets the essential criteria.
We receive many applications, and unfortunately, we’re not able to provide feedback for candidates who aren’t shortlisted.
Stage 3: Interview
If successful at sift you will be invited to attend a 90-minute interview, focusing on Experience.

Alongside your salary of £68,623, Department for Education contributes £19,880 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.
As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.
You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.
We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.