Job responsibilities
Your main responsibilities will include:
- Working with the Programme Director, the post holder will lead on the security workstream for the UK Health Security Campus Programme, to embed the security design principles across the programme.
- Work in close corroboration with UKHSA to support the transformation of the security operating model for the UK Health Security Campus Programme and Harlow campus.
- Providing assurance to the Programme Director that security risks across the programme are being identified, managed and mitigated effectively.
- Ensuring that security principles and requirements are standard industry practice, and these are embedded across all aspects of the programme, from programme information assurance and personnel security controls to construction security and cyber security controls for new digital services.
- Working in collaboration with APHA, National Technical Authorities, Counter Terrorism Security Advisor, security colleagues and suppliers to develop requirements and high-level designs for physical and cyber security controls.
- Assuring supplier delivery against contractual schedules and security management plans.
- Support UK Health Security Campus Programme work with corporate services and business colleagues to develop transition roadmap from current site status to future end state, making best use of short-term investment in security controls to mitigate risk.
- Driving strong security culture across the programme, ensuring effective security practices across all aspects including physical infrastructure development, digital development, and changes to business services.
- Developing and maintaining the UK Health Security Campus Programmes Security Management System.
- Reporting on security risks and updates to UK Health Security Campus Programme and wider UKHSA Boards.
- Ensuring that industry good practice security principles and requirements are embedded across all aspects of security within UK Health Security Campus Programme and UKHSA.
- Driving strong security culture across UK Health Security Campus Programme and UKHSA, ensuring effective security practices are implemented and maintained.
- Understanding business and information risk context in relation to physical, personnel and cyber security threats and impacts.
- Being a role model for the security community and modelling Civil Service values to foster and develop the teams professional capability.
- Leading on the continuous improvement of the UK Health Security Campus Programme Threat Vulnerability Risk Analysis and Operating Requirements in collaboration with UKHSA stakeholders.
- Provide operational management, continuous improvement and direction for the UK Health Security Campus Programme Security Function.
- Provide leadership and guidance to the security team, building capacity and capability and play a valued role in our organisation wide Senior Leadership Team
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
The successful candidate will hold or be required to obtain SC clearance or higher and may be required to obtain DV clearance at a later date.
Essential criteria
The ideal candidate will have experience of security service delivery, and ideally some experience of service transition and/or change management. Strong organisational and interpersonal skills are essential.
- Educated to degree level in a security and risk management or related field, or equivalent relevant experience
- Demonstrable experience of working in security and risk management, cyber security, physical security, personnel security, or technology fields
- Experience of working in the Civil Service or a large corporate environment within a high-risk industry
- Experience of managing contracts and supplier relationships
- Demonstrable experience in security, compliance, business continuity or incident management roles
- Proven ability in defining requirements and high-level design criteria for security controls in one or more domains (cyber security or physical security)
- Ability to anticipate future risks and strategically planning to mitigate them
- Ability to work across organisational boundaries and across disciplines to deliver results, collaborating effectively with stakeholders
Selection process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your behaviours and technical skills.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:
- an application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)
- a 1200 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.
You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V please beadvisedyou will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.
Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than1200 words. We will not consider any words over 1200 words.
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
Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:
- Demonstrable experience of working in security and risk management, cyber security, physical security, personnel security, or technology fields
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.
Please do not exceed 1200 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Stage 2: Interview
You will be invited to a remote interview.
Behaviours and technical will be tested at interview.
You will be required to prepare a 5-10 minute presentation as part of the interview. This will assess your project delivery and technical knowledge. The details of this will be sent to you prior to the interview.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
- Leadership (lead behaviour)
- Working Together
- Changing & Improving
- Delivering at Pace
Interviews are planned in late January or early February 2026. Please note, these dates are subject to change.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Location
This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our core HQs in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf).
We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using 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 be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, averaged over a month) in one of our core HQs.
Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
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 will require Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) as a minimum with willingness and capability to work towards Security Check (SC) clearance.
You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years to obtain Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting at this higher level and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
Salary information
If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.
Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.
Grade 7
- £56,185- £66,581 (National)
- £58,340- £68,574 (Outer London)
- £60,494- £70,566 (Inner London)
Please note: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) group, where this role sits, is undergoing organisational change over the next 1218 months. While the process is still in the planning stage, some roles may be affected by future restructuring. We are committed to keeping candidates informed and will share updates as they become available.
