Job summary
The Department for Business and Trade's Digital, Data & Technology directorate are 550 colleagues committed to delivering a wide array of high quality services, tools and capabilities to support the department's objectives. As we mature after a period of rapid growth, this is an exciting opportunity to shape the evolution of our Cyber-Security team as the first CISO in the department. You will play a key role in protecting critical national infrastructure that is essential to ensuring goods cross our borders and businesses flourish.
You will join a kind and supportive culture that works in a matrix model aligned to the Government Digital Service's capability framework. The Cyber team are key to our work whether it is building, buying or delivering digital, data and technology services.
Job description
The Chief Information Security officer creates an environment and culture in the department that ensures the security of its information and technology. They enable the department to achieve its objectives and deliver services in a safe and secure way.
The Chief Information Security officer role is part of both the Government Digital and Data profession and the Government Security profession.
In this role, you will:
- Create a strategy for information and cyber security that supports both the department's strategy and wider government security strategy
- Lead the department in implementing the information and cyber security strategy
- Evaluate the current status and maturity of information and cyber security in the department
- Determine how to get to the level of information and cyber security maturity the department needs
- Understand risks across the department and advise leaders on how to mitigate risks in their areas and in future plans
- Enable the department to be innovative in a safe and secure way
- Ensure the department is prepared for cyber attacks and can detect, respond to and recover from an attack
- Ensure that information and cyber security aspects of crisis management are effective
- Encourage a culture of cyber security awareness and good security practices
- Implement practices to increase the maturity of information and cyber security
Person specification
You must demonstrate experience of collaborative leadership and stakeholder management and meet the following Cyber experience:
- Strategic Cyber Security Planning.
- Cyber Security Governance.
- Cyber Risk Management.
- Security Architecture.
- Cyber Incident Management.
Details of the criteria listed above can be found on the Government Digital Data Profession Capability Framework.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £76,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
Hays, an Executive Search firm, have been appointed to assist with this recruitment campaign. To apply for this post, you will need to submit documentation below via the following link, by no later than 23:55pm on Sunday 3rd August 2025.
Follow this link to apply
If you have any issues accessing the link or questions regarding the documentation, please contact:
Documentation:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A Supporting Statement of around two pages of A4 explaining how you meet the requirements of the person specification as far as you are able to, including your language ability for the role.
Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. Please ensure that both documents contain your full name.
Please see the candidate information pack link at the bottom of the page for further information on the vacancy and the recruitment process.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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 developed vetting (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).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name :
- James Walsh
- Email :
- james.walsh1@hays.com
- Telephone :
- 07756222394
Recruitment team
- Email :
- Joel.Mundy@hays.com
Further information
Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints
Attachments
Chief Information Security Officer Candidate Pack (1)
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(pdf, 5442kB)Accessible Candidate Pack - Chief Information Security Officer
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(docx, 150kB)
