About the job

Job summary

The Head of Security Governance, Culture, and Engagement is a strategic leadership position within HMRC's Security team. This role is responsible for setting and implementing the strategic direction of HMRC's security practices, fostering a culture of security awareness, and leading a team dedicated to governance, risk management, and training. The successful candidate will innovate and drive improvements in security culture, collaborate closely with senior stakeholders, and support HMRC's security transformation agenda.

Job description

Key Responsibilities:

• Security Strategy, Planning & Investment: Driving improvements in HMRCs security posture by embedding HMRC Security Strategy in the organisation, set expectations, and provide direction to internal and external stakeholders to drive progress in meeting HMRC Security’s objectives
• Security Governance and Leadership: Deliver governance and manage allocation and oversight of actions to address internal HMRC Security matters, enhance the security posture of HMRC, and enable senior leaders to make informed decisions; 
• Secure Communications: Oversee, assure, and maintain security safeguards to ensure that sensitive information assets and associated infrastructure and processes are adequately protected in the wider government security community in which HMRC operates.
• Business Engagement: Develop and lead the processes, and tooling that will provide access to security services, consultancy and advice (front-door)
• New Service Business Architecture: Work with the business and stakeholders to develop the appropriate service artefacts and developing security business requirements to initiate projects for new services within HMRC Security
• Culture, Education & Awareness;  Create and execute the strategy and plan for promoting, embedding and maintaining a security-focused culture and good security management practices across HMRC, VOA and Third-Party Suppliers
• Operational Excellence, Culture, Capability and Professionalism; create and promote security professionalism pathways, training, and other career enhancements, ensuring HMRC plays a leading role across government using its capabilities to enhance HMG’s responses through the security profession
• Corporate Services: Provide the CSO and HMRC Security Directorate with the business services, logistics and co-ordination required to run effectively and efficiently; 
• Functional Leadership & Management: Recruit, lead, motivate, develop and appraise staff across five functional teams and the Business Information Security Officers (BISO) network.
• Strategic Partnerships: Be a leadership role model for the Government security community and model Civil Service values to foster and develop the profession across government
• Support Operational Delivery: Contribute to the overall strategic and operational management of HMRC’s enterprise security, risk management and data protection agenda

Key Interactions

• Reporting to Chief Security Officer
• Business Information Security Officers (BISOs)
• Security and Information Business Partners (S&IBPs)
• HMRC Security Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
• Chief Digital and Information Office (CDIO) SLT
• Executive Committee (Excom)
• Valuation Office Authority (VOA)
• Third-party suppliers
• Government Security Group

Person specification

We are looking for an experienced senior security profession leader who takes an inclusive and transformational approach to building successful, motivated, and effective teams. with the ability to think strategically and manage a complex stakeholder landscape you will provide the strategy, governance, engagement, and business foundations that underpin a professional customer- focussed Security Function

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate relevant experience and effective delivery of the following essential criteria.

Essential Criteria:

• Extensive experience in security leadership and management of security initiatives within complex organisations
• Proven experience in leading large-scale, complex engagement strategies
• Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders across a range of business areas and networks to develop concise, compelling and realistic strategies with clear outcomes
• Demonstrable experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams and being a skilled negotiator adept at motivating, inspiring and guiding others across diverse cross-functional teams across locations
• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills to articulate a clear vision and a track record of operational delivery, outcomes and benefits realisation
• Demonstrate third party management of supplier and vendor contracts, services and relationships

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £20,250 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

Application:

To apply for this post, you will need to complete an online application by submitting the following:

• 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 Personal Statement of Suitability explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the criteria in the person specification.  The Personal Statement should not exceed two A4 pages.

Your CV and Statement of Suitability should showcase skills, experience and achievements that match the job description's essential criteria.  For your Statement of Suitability, use specific examples to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria, your impact and tangible results of your work. We recommend that each document is no more than two A4 pages long. 

By not submitting a CV and a Statement of Suitability will mean we only have limited information to assess your application against the person specification. Please ensure both documents contain your full name.

If you encounter any issues with your application or don’t receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours, please contact Dale Robinson at  scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk 

Shortlist

An application pre-sift will be conducted by the SCS Recruitment Team followed by an in-depth review by the Vacancy Holder and Panel.

The panel will assess and select applicants who demonstrate the best fit with the role by considering the evidence provided against the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application. The closing date for applications is 15/04/2024 and a shortlist decision is expected to be made by w/c 29/04/2024. All candidates will be notified of the outcome shortly afterwards.

All shortlisted candidates will be offered an opportunity to have an informal conversation with the vacancy holder, Kelly Paterson. This is not an assessment phase but is an opportunity for each candidate to gain greater insight into the context of the role. This is optional, but highly recommended.

Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)

Candidates applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme are guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum criteria outlined in the person specification. 

This scheme works in conjunction with the Great Place to Work for Veterans, for former members of the armed services, and the Redeployment Interview Scheme for existing Civil Servants at risk of redundancy. Each scheme works in the same way.

Use of Data

As part of the recruitment process, we may share your data and assessment results internally with our SCS Talent team. 

This will provide insight into how to support your development and wider talent management, should you be successful in your application. 

If you do not want your data to be shared, please email Dale Robinson at scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk 

Interview:

You will be asked to attend an interview for a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence. 

We will also ask you to prepare a 5-minute verbal presentation. Details will be issued in advance of your interview.

Interviews are expected to take place week week commencing 20th and 27th May 2024 and will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams (full instructions will be issued prior to interview).

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible once all interviews have concluded.

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 security check (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.