NCSC Deputy Director for the UK's Private Sector Critical National Infrastructure

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About the NCSC

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was set up in 2016 as the UK's National Technical Authority and lead operational body for cyber security. We are part of GCHQ, which gives us unparalleled insight into the current and potential cyber threats the UK faces.

The NCSC's main functions include:
• Acting as the lead operational unit for major cyber security incidents affecting the UK. This includes co-ordinating the response to nationally significant cyber-attacks, supporting the victims in their remediation efforts, and heading the cross-Government response. This can involve acting as the lead operational unit in the Government's crisis management centre, as well as acting as the primary organisation communicating to the public.
• Maintaining and enhancing world-class covert and overt capabilities to detect and prevent major cyber-attacks. NCSC draws on the full capabilities of GCHQ and its partners to reduce the ability of attackers to undermine the UK.
• Providing the whole of the UK economy and society, including UK businesses, public organisations, voluntary bodies and private citizens, with effective, easy to follow advice on staying safe online. This is underpinned by world class technical expertise which we use to communicate complex technological issues.
• Supporting the UK in improving the cyber protection and resilience of the UK's most critical infrastructure.
• Heading the Government's world-leading programme of technological improvements to deliver protection at scale, tackling high-volume commodity attacks through a range of digital services known collectively as Active Cyber Defence.
• Playing a key role in the development of UK cyber skills and commercial cyber security capability.

The UK's private sector Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) encompasses a range of systems that are vital to our nation's way of life. NCSC works alongside partners across the private (including owners, operators, key suppliers) and public sectors (including Lead Government Departments and regulatory oversight bodies), as well as drawing on the full breadth of GCHQ capabilities, to help protect the UK's CNI in cyber space.

About the role

The Deputy Director for Private Sector Critical National Infrastructure (DD PSCNI) leads the NCSC's mission to improve the cyber resilience of this sector of the UK economy.

As stated in our recent Annual Review, there is a widening gap between the increasingly complex and constantly evolving threats we face online and the UK's collective defensive capabilities. It is therefore vital we increase our cyber resilience across the whole of the UK, particularly that of our CNI, and that we do so with urgency.

You will lead the efforts of the NCSC and its partners to drive cross-government and wider ecosystem change to raise the resilience of the UK's most critical privately owned systems to some of the world's most sophisticated cyber actors: this includes infrastructure underpinning the UK's communications, finance, energy, civil nuclear, transport, space, and water sectors.

Much of your work will be in shaping and directing the UK's national approach to cyber security and in delivering impact at scale. There are also wider programmes of such national importance that your team, along with experts from the wider organisation and beyond, will be required to provide direct support. You will oversee and be responsible for the expert advice and services that the NCSC provides to such programmes.

When nationally significant incidents impact the UK's CNI you will work in partnership with the NCSC's Incident Management team and other partners (such as Cabinet Office and Lead Government Departments) to ensure those affected respond, recover, and learn from such events.

You will lead a highly skilled team split between Cheltenham, London, Manchester, and Scarborough. In an organisation that values individual well-being, diversity, a positive and inclusive culture and the development of our people, the team will look to the new Deputy Director to lead by example and continue to reinforce that culture, both within the team and across GCHQ.

How we work is as important as what we do, and we always operate with the upmost integrity. Our advice is always impartial and provided in the best interests of the UK. We have a relentless focus on the user-need, are transparent, trustworthy, and value different perspectives.

About you

Essential Criteria

We expect those applying to have demonstrable evidence of the following essential criteria:
• Relationships are instrumental to the successful delivery of the role and the NCSC's ability to positively impact the resilience of the UK's CNI. You will have extensive experience building relationships and genuine partnerships across a range of organisations and at different levels. This would ideally include experience of dealing with stakeholders across the public and private sectors.
• The role is significantly outward-facing, and you will be comfortable talking to, briefing, and influencing at all levels, from specialists to Cabinet Ministers and Chief Executives. You must have experience tailoring complex messages whilst remaining credible and understandable, in both verbal brief and written form.
• You will need to speak credibly about both cyber security and resilience, and as such you will need to demonstrate an understanding, in broad terms, of how cyber threats can impact technology systems, and a proven ability to leverage high-end expertise.
• You will be able to demonstrate strategic thinking and innovation, ideally within a cyber security context: the ability to understand complex problems and develop strategic direction alongside stakeholders and experts is essential.
• You will have experience balancing multiple and competing needs, both operational and strategic. You will be expected to achieve a good balance for the team, including space for personal development and protecting and maintaining staff wellbeing.
• You will be able to demonstrate strong leadership values, including being recognised as somebody who is inclusive, listens to diverse views and develops and coaches others.

Please be aware that this role requires that the successful candidate will be publicly avowed, possibly on the NCSC's website, which would directly link them to GCHQ.

SCS Competency Framework

The role is broad and varied in scope, but particularly focused on cyber security leadership and the following SCS1 Behaviours (Level 5):
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Driving Innovation and Change
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Collaboratively
• Making Effective Decisions

We would expect all applicants to be leading inclusively.

Terms and Conditions:
• This is an SCS Pay Band 1 position, and applications on promotion are welcomed.
• Whilst formally assessed skills are not a pre-requisite for this role, we do welcome applicants with skills relevant for the role and who are in receipt of skills payments. As such, the delivery and output of the role may change dependent upon whether the successful candidate has those skills. This will be discussed following selection of the successful candidate.

Salary and Compensation
• Annual salary £96,981 up to £113,211 based on skills and experience.
• National Security Payment £3,030 ( NSP is non-consolidated, and it is not reckonable for Pension or superannuation purposes ).
• Specific relevant skills applicable to the role may also attract a £23,920 allowance ( Specialist skills payments are non-consolidated, non-pensionable additional to basic pay. )
• London Pay Allowance of £6,250 for London contracted employees ( LPA is non-consolidated, and it is not reckonable for Pension or superannuation purposes ).

Rewards and Benefits

A range of benefits will be available to you, including the following:
• 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Excellent pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave.

Location and Working Pattern

The preferred location for the role will be London, based at NCSC's headquarters in Central London. We will look at candidates willing to work from either our Manchester or Cheltenham office, subject to a commitment to travel regularly to see your main interlocutors in London. If you choose to be based in Manchester or Cheltenham, you will likely need to be in London at least one day per week, and frequently two days per week.

Our cyber security work is informed by our unique position as a full part of GCHQ and as such regular in-office work is required. Occasional home working will be available; you should expect to be in the office for at least 80% of your time in this role.

UK-based travel will be frequent and essential, as your stakeholders are based across the UK. There will be a need for occasional overseas travel, and you should expect to be a senior relationship lead for one of NCSC's key international partnerships.

We welcome applications from those working part-time or job sharing. Please get in touch via email at seniorrecruitment@gchq.gov.uk to discuss how we might tailor the job to your circumstances.

How to Apply and the Selection Process

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Your application should be submitted via the Submit button at the bottom of the page by 5pm on Tuesday 25th February 2025.

The panel will conduct a shortlist review, during which they which will assess your application to select those demonstrating best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided.

Candidates will be informed as soon as possible thereafter if they have been selected to proceed. The selection process will comprise the following:
• Staff Engagement Panel, which is expected to be held virtually w/c 17th March 2025
• Panel interview, to be held in London on 31st March and 1st April 2025.

Whilst we would ask that, if successful, you aim to prioritise these dates to attend assessments and interviews, we are able to exercise a degree of flexibility in extenuating circumstances. Please get in touch via email at seniorrecruitment@gchq.gov.uk to discuss.

The preferred candidate will also be subject to a Sensitive Post Check (SPC1).

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification, as not all strong candidates will meet every single qualification as listed.

Releasability

Please ensure you have discussed your releasability with your line manager. The target fill date for the role is 1st May 2025, subject to clearances. Candidates with no existing clearance should expect to take up post later in 2025.

Further information

We expect significant interest in this role. We are arranging informal briefings from current SCS leadership in our Resilience mission - these are scheduled to take place on the following dates:
• Tuesday 11th, 4pm-5pm
• Monday 24th, 3pm-4pm

If interested, please register your details with seniorrecruitment@gchq.gov.uk

If you are short-listed for interview, you will be offered the opportunity for a chat with either the current line manager or existing post-holder.

Equal Opportunities

Diversity and inclusion are critical to our partnership and mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodiverse conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website: www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-ncsc/equality-diversity-inclusion

We're Disability Confident

GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP's Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a fair and proportionate number of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our 'Offer of Interview' (OOI).

To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
• Meeting the eligibility criteria
• Meeting the essential criteria for the role at initial sift"

Before You Apply

To work at NCSC, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process and our eligibility criteria here:

http://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/how-to-apply.html

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can't take any recreational drugs and you'll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more discretely.

Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

Right to Withdraw Statement

Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

To view the candidate pack for this vacancy, please click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.