About the job

Job summary

The DWP Cyber Resilience Centre (CRC) offers a uniquely challenging and fulfilling opportunity for people interested in making a genuine difference to society.

DWP is the UK’s biggest government department: few other organisations globally provide the same opportunity to apply next-generation digital technology on a massive scale to issues which touch the lives of so many. We support 20 million people every day to help them to find work and save for their future. We provide financial assistance worth approximately £240 billion each year to ensure that the most vulnerable in society are protected. With 800 locations and around 100,000 colleagues, we’re bigger than most retail operations.

The CRC is an innovative and responsive operation delivering a range of services to help DWP protect, monitor and respond to malicious behaviour or activity and threats to, or compromises of, financial and personal data assets.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to lead our Threat Intelligence Group.

About the team:

Working for the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) Threat Intelligence Group (TIG), part of the Cyber Resilience Centre (CRC), you will be part of a dynamic, innovative and service-oriented team that delivers intelligence-led security to defend the many millions of UK citizens and residents who are customers of DWP services.

You will be working with government and private sector partners to continue to mature this capability to combat cyber security, organised fraud, personnel and physical security threats to those services.

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be considered. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Job description

You will lead and provide overarching direction for the Threat Intelligence Group and be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic plan. You will lead and manage staff spread across multiple locations, ensuring the correct tools and prerequisite skills are in place across the team. This is underpinned with ensuring that enabling processes are in place to facilitate the production of timely, tailored and high-quality threat intelligence, to meet customer needs.

Person specification

Your responsibilities will include:

Developing strategies for the Threat Intelligence Group in line with the over-arching strategic direction of the Cyber Resilience Centre.

Creating and implementing those strategic plans, driving them forwards and proactively monitoring their success, adjusting as required.

Developing policies, standards and processes as required to support and enhance the work of the Threat Intelligence Group.

Developing and maintaining expertise in the cyber threat and vulnerability landscapes to ensure that the team and key stakeholders are responding and reacting to relevant changes.

Critically reviewing intelligence products and tools to ensure that they are fit for purpose and that the Department is continuing to invest in those areas that are able to provide maximum return on investment.

Collaborating with stakeholders across the Department and more widely in Government, to promote and support the work of the Threat Intelligence Group and ensure that the team is delivering to the requirements of customers and of Government. 

Developing and maintaining management information and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that provide an accurate view of the capability and maturity of the team and the impact it is having on the security posture of the organisation.

Essential Criteria:

Significant experience of leading and managing technical and generalist intelligence teams within the public or private sector, including setting strategies and implementing them. 

Significant experience of threat intelligence analysis and assessment in the tactical, operational or strategic areas.

Well-developed stakeholder management and communications skills, to be evidenced in the application.

Desirable Qualifications:

Demonstrable experience either in a relevant industry, or in an operational role associated with either intelligence or cyber security.  

A recognised university degree, or a vocational qualification that demonstrates strong written and verbal skills.  

A recognised cyber threat intelligence qualification.

You will be part of a team that provides support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and as a result, job holders may be required to work as part of an on call rota, which will also attract occasional out of hours working (i.e. after 6pm until 8am), and may include travel to different DWP sites and government agencies and occasional overnight stays. (NB: Being ‘on-call’ is defined as being contactable away from the office; and when necessary, working out of hours remotely from the office. Being ‘on-call’ would usually constitute being contactable out of office hours 1 week a month).

Benefits

• 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 average employer contribution of 27%
• Salary Information: Pay for this role from: £69,869 - £83,957. Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview).

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

This role can be based out of either our Blackpool, Manchester, London, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham or Sheffield corporate hub locations. Regular travel to the London office will be required.

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.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV & personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed in the advert.

All applications will be assessed and sifted based on the essential criteria in the advert, using the information you provide in your completed application form.

The sift panel will use the information relating to your employment history (your CV) and your personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria.

When giving details of your employment history, you should therefore include details of the work that you have been involved in.

Applications must include:

1. A completed Personal Details application form.

2. A curriculum vitae* including education, professional qualifications and full employment history, giving details of key achievements relevant to the skills and experience outlined in this job description.

3. A 500 word personal statement outlining, how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the responsibilities section of the job advert in no more than 500 words.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

DWP operates an anonymised recruitment process. When entering information relating to your employment history you will be asked to remove any personal details that could be used to identify you. This relates to name and contact details which might usually appear on your CV/Personal statement. Failure to do so will result in your application being withdrawn.

Stage 2 – Interview

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Unless you are otherwise informed, the final stage of the process will be an interview via MSTeams where you will be assessed against the Behavioural and Technical Skills detailed in the advert.

Candidates will be asked to do a 10 minute presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Sift and Interview Information

Applications will be sifted from 30th July 2024

Interviews are planned to take place in the week commencing 12th August 2024.

Further Information 

Find out more about Working for DWP 

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. 

Any move to DWP 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. 

NSV 

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. 

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.  

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. 

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing. 

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action. 

Reasonable Adjustment 

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. 

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” 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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.