About the job

Job summary

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.  

We provide the frameworks that deals with insolvency and the financial misconduct that sometimes accompanies or leads to it. Our aim is a corporate and personal insolvency regime which is regarded as fair and that gives businesses and investors confidence to take the commercial risks necessary to support economic growth.

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability & Health, FACES Network Group, Grass Roots, LGBT+, Mind Matters, No Limits, Part Time Workers, The Shed, and Women’s Network Group. 

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.  

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career. 

Job description

The Cyber Security function sits within Change and Technology Services (CTS) which is responsible for the delivery of all the agency’s change program and information and communication technology services. We aim to provide best in class digital technology services across our IT landscape, by working together with our partners, customers, our people, and the wider community. We are focused on improving the quality of delivery across our services and providing effective support for our applications and systems. We put our customers at the heart of what we do, helping to identify and deliver the best services for their needs.

Our Cyber Security Team provides a dedicated security service for our digital and technology function, ensuring that the Insolvency Service can fully support CTS colleagues, the delivery model, and provide security advice and support across the agency.

Successful Candidate/s can expect to be involved in the following:

• Overseeing the IT Security landscape and obligations for the Agency and advise the Senior Leadership Team on risks and mitigating actions.
• Governing the IT Security landscape across the Service Integration And Management (SIAM) Ecosystem to ensure compliance, availability and the protection of Agency assets.
• Acting as an escalation and evaluation point for participants within SIAM Ecosystem.
• Creating and maintaining policies in alignment with guidelines and best practice.
• Being responsible for the secure operation and continuous improvement of the service, ensuring processes are adhered to.
• Receiving and evaluating security information, metrics and measurements; interpreting and overseeing the response to security events, producing required internal reports.
• Coordinating regular and ad-hoc security testing exercises.
• Collaborating across the wider organisation to inform, educate and advise stakeholders.
• Steering the development of proposals, including assessment, in alignment with the strategic direction to ensure compliance with current policy, practice and guidelines.
• Balancing objectives and manage dependencies of varying complexity as priorities change.
• Removing blockers, manage risks and expectations.
• Effectively managing and communicating between complex stakeholder groups.
• Maintaining the community of practice for this role, building capability and excellence and championing across government and in industry.
• Supporting the Head and Deputy Head of Cyber Security as required and other tasks commensurate with the post.

Person specification

The successful candidate should have:

• The ability to inspire and influence others with integrity and trust; allowing you to contribute to a team by generating enthusiasm and confidence among others.
• The ability to build and maintain positive business relationships with a wide range of people.
• Self-motivation and proactive thinking with complementary business skills and demonstrable commercial acumen.
• Confidence, credibility and influence as a communicator with internal and external stakeholders.
• The ability to take a strategic view and maintain sight of the bigger picture.
• A logical and creative approach to problem solving with an ability to identify critical issues with ease

Skills & Knowledge

The successful candidate will have:

• Knowledge of Cyber Security elements and controls across the Service Portfolio, from an Application, Cloud and Infrastructure perspective.
• An understanding of the technical aspects of IT Security and related concepts to engage with security technologists.
• The ability to identifying potential vulnerabilities and risks in systems across the estate.
• The ability to collaborate with business and technology stakeholders in a language that is appropriate to the audience to elicit and evaluate the security implications of business change.
• The ability to identify and explore opportunities for service and business improvement ensuring the organisation derives maximum reasonable value whilst also maintaining compliance.
• An appreciation of commercial aspects of service delivery and decommissioning.
• The ability to maintain the cadence of delivery through proactive engagement with Service Portfolio development, contract management, technical and service awareness.
• An understanding of current Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Service Management practices and methodologies.
• The skills to ensure that a set of IT products and Service Providers come together to deliver a secure IT service.
• The capability of making disciplined decisions based on available information through the application of logical thinking and analysis of information.
• The skills needed to apply reasonable risk mitigation within technological, organisational and financial constraints.

Please note: This vacancy is advertised across 11 locations; however, Stratford and Croydon are only available to current Insolvency Service Staff.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,880, Insolvency Service contributes £11,307 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, and a 500-word personal statement . Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 

Please outline how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience meet the essential criteria for the role, outlined in the person specification. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using candidate experience, based on your CV and Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview. 

We will test your experience as part of the sift process, and if successful, you will be invited to a short interview where we will test your behaviours and technical skills. Full details of the selection process will be made available to shortlisted candidates once the sift has been completed.

Expected Timeline (subject to change) 

Sift – w/c 01/04/24 

Interview – w/c 08/04/24 

Location - MS Teams 

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Insolvency Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access 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

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be 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 circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Transforming Workplaces

The Insolvency Service is currently delivering an exciting five-year transformation project that started in April 2022 which will define our future direction supporting a gradual migration to a Regional Centre model combined with smarter ways of working. As part of this, transforming our estate will align us with the government modernisation programmes making The Insolvency Service a great place to work.  

We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are joining the Insolvency Service and are recruited into an office over the next five years that is not one of the Regional Centres, you will be expected to move to one of the Regional Centres in the future. This move would not attract financial assistance.   

The 11 Regional Centres are : Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Stratford.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

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 Government Recruitment Service via insolvencyrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as 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. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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 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.