Senior Cyber Security Advisor
Job summary
Cyber Operations purpose is to support safe care and build public trust by building NHS England's cyber resilience and enabling the wider health system to be cyber resilient, supporting Transformation Directorate's purpose of delivering the best care and outcomes for the NHS.
The Cyber Operations sub-directorate consists of four operational areas:
- Cyber Security Operations Unit (CSOU & SIO)
- Cyber Delivery Unit (CDU)
- Cyber Improvement Programme
- Chief Information Security Office Function (CISO)
The Senior Security Advisor (CISO) for Insider Risk sits within the CISO Security Assurance team, supporting NHS England to manage cyber and information security risk through assurance, monitoring and risk-led security activity.
The role will help develop our insider risk capability, using security telemetry, behavioural indicators and investigative tooling to identify, assess and respond to potential misuse, compromise or inappropriate access to NHS England systems and data.
Working with Cyber Operations, CSOC, governance, data protection, investigations, policy and personnel security teams, the post holder will support proportionate, evidence-led approaches to insider risk and personnel security.
Main duties of the job
Main duties include acting as a specialist escalation point for insider risk matters, providing technical advice, case support and judgement across complex or sensitive activity.
The role will use threat hunting, KQL and detection engineering to identify indicators of misuse, compromise, inappropriate access or unusual activity requiring review.
The post holder will analyse Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Purview, Azure AD sign-in and other telemetry; support investigations; advise on monitoring, cloud controls, DLP, eDiscovery and tooling; improve workflows, playbooks and reporting; and identify control or response gaps.
The successful candidate will be an experienced cyber security professional with strong analytical, investigative and stakeholder engagement skills, able to apply technical expertise in a sensitive, proportionate and evidence-led way.
They will understand insider risk across technology, people, process and trust, and bring the judgement, discretion, curiosity and resilience needed to handle sensitive matters in a complex national organisation.
About us
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information about the role and responsibilities.Please ensure your supporting statement includes demonstratable evidence and specific examples on how you meet the criteria for each of the key skills specified. This will be used in both the shortlisting and interview processes
Important: Please be aware there are residency requirements you need to meet:
All NHS England Cyber Security personnel must hold Security Clearance level as a minimum. To meet National Security Vetting requirements, SC clearances require 5 years continuous UK residency. In certain cases, this can be reduced to three years continuous UK residency, with additional overseas checks for the previous two years. Candidates who were posted abroad for service with HM Government, Armed Forces or within a UK government role - will still be considered.
Please make sure you meet these requirements before applying for this role. You dont need to have SC already, however, failure to achieve the requirements for SC after offer will result in the job offer being withdrawn. For further advice please check https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels#security-check-sc
Please be aware that should you be successful in this position, you will be hired to the job title of Senior Security Advisor (CISO).
The post of Senior Security Advisor (CISO) has been awarded a Recruitment and Retention Premia (RRP) in response to current labour market conditions. In recognition of this, the role attracts an additional monthly RRP payment equal to 20% per annum.Please be aware that RRP is non-contractual and subject to review
If you like what you have read and think you have the skills and experience, we need then don't delay, apply today! We get lots of applications for our roles and so we sometimes have to close our posts early. Don't miss out!
Person Specification
Knowledge
- Proven knowledge of the processes, tools and techniques of information security management, ability to deploy and monitor information security systems, as well as detect, resolve and prevent violations of IT security, to protect organisational data.
- Demonstrable knowledge of modules, processes and technologies of Information Security Operation Centre (ISOC); ability to detect, response and utilise related platform and applications to perform cyber security initiatives.
- Proven knowledge of technologies and technology-based solutions dealing with information security issues; ability to apply these in protecting information security across the organisation.
Skills & Experience
- Demonstrable knowledge of and the ability to protect information and information systems while ensuring their confidentiality, integrity and availability.
- Extensive knowledge of tools, techniques, approaches and processes of cybersecurity risk management; ability to ensure organisational network operation and minimise negative effect by cybersecurity risks.
Qualifications
- Masters level degree in Cyber Security or similar subject or equivalent level of experience.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
NHS England
Address
Wellington Place, Leeds / Hexagon House, Exeter / Wellington House, London
Leeds / Exeter / London
LS1 4AP
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/