About the job

Job summary

Business unit information 

The Government Security Function (GSF) oversees the delivery of protective security across Government. Our Mission is to enable Government to protect citizens and provide vital public services by understanding and managing security risks. We set the strategy and standards for Government Security, monitor departmental security performance, manage pan-government security incidents, support the delivery of key security capabilities and lead the Government Security Profession.

The Government Security Group (GSG) is the centre of the Security Function, based within the Cabinet Office. GSG is transforming the Government’s approach to protective security to ensure it is fit to meet the challenges of the digital age. This role offers an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced, dynamic team, with a breadth of stakeholders including in other Government departments, the National Technical Authorities and the Agencies, and to contribute to delivering improved security across Government. 

Job Description

The Threat, Incident Response and Coordination team sits within an award winning team in GSG to provide cross-government support, guidance and coordination to manage and mitigate security incidents and promote a shared understanding of threats as they apply to government.

We are looking for a Senior Executive Officer to lead incident response and coordination for significant security incidents across government. If you are passionate about working in partnership to manage and mitigate risk, then we’d like to hear from you.

As the Incident Response and Coordination Manager, you will develop partnerships both across government and with external partners that will help support and inform incident response policy and practice across government.

This role will:

• Work with stakeholders across HMG and externally to develop knowledge of the security landscape across HMG and support the coordination of response to significant security incidents.
• Lead on lessons learned exercises following incidents and support cross government incident response exercises to test planning and preparation. 

Job description

Key responsibilities

The role holder will work on all the areas listed below and will lead on the delivery of several (exact responsibilities will be divided across the team depending on skills and priority areas):

• Lead incident response and coordination of challenging and often sensitive security incidents, providing support to individual departments and across government where needed.
• Work with policy colleagues in GSG and elsewhere to develop incident management policy and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for specific incidents.
• Develop a programme of training and exercising for the management of cross government incidents and assist in its delivery.
• Develop relationships with other government departments and external stakeholders to inform incident response planning, and coordinate incident response activity across departments. 
• Work across government departments to implement a single data set for incident reporting to be shared with GSG and develop reports from analysis of the results to identify areas of risk, issues for improvement and provide recommendations. 
• Provide briefings on potential incidents and lessons learned.
• Line management and professional development of one HEO. 
• Deputising for G7 where appropriate.

Personal and Professional Development

If you are interested in the post and have relevant, transferable experience and skills, back yourself and apply. GSG is committed to supporting people’s personal and professional development and in providing training.  We will help you to develop your knowledge and skills and help you build a rewarding and challenging career in government security.

Person specification

Key Skills:

Candidates should be able to demonstrate:

• Ability to lead, deliver through others, and work as part of a team.
• Strong written and verbal skills with the ability to communicate information clearly often at short notice.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work to tight deadlines.
• Organisational and time management skills for planning and delivery.
• Excellent interpersonal skills that create and maintain effective operational and strategic relationships.
• Ability to thrive in an environment that can fluctuate between fast-paced and steady state, balancing long-term projects with short-term, high energy responses. 
• Ability to review, analyse and present data, providing evidence-led observations and recommendations 
• Ability to think creatively and identify opportunities to improve processes.

Experience:

• Experience of working in a fast-paced and challenging environment.
• Experience of effective decision making, both tactical/operational and strategic. 
• Experience of identifying opportunities to improve processes, delivering and evaluating success.
• Experience of building stakeholder relationships to work effectively between departments/organisations.
• Experience of using data / evidence to identify trends and make recommendations.

Desirable:

• Experience of leading and coordinating incident response in challenging and sensitive areas.
• Experience of working in a security related or incident response environment.
• Experience in designing or running exercises.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,500, Cabinet Office contributes £11,181 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 and Experience.

Application process

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

To apply for this role you will need to submit a CV and Personal Statement (750 words). The Personal Statement should demonstrate your experience and skills, and how these meet the essential criteria for the job.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Delivering At Pace

Communicating and Influencing

Seeing the Big Picture

Making Effective Decisions

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Delivering At Pace.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Any move to Cabinet Office 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.

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

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 at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you 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 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. 

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.

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.

Further information

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

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible. The post holder may be required to undergo Developed Vetting (DV) after appointment.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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.