Security Policy & Standards Lead

Could you help us keep the Department's systems, data, people, processes, places, and supply chains secure? Do you want to be part of a diverse and expanding area of work? Are you self-motivated, willing to learn, develop and work towards qualifications while delivering in a vital role?

Join the Department’s Security Policy & Standards Team and help us protect and secure some of the most critical parts of the UK Government.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the delivery of welfare, pensions and child maintenance across the UK. Most people in Britain encounter DWP at some point in their lives, and it is the UK’s biggest public service department and data controller, we operate on a scale that is almost unmatched anywhere in Europe.

To support the important work that DWP delivers, we are looking for new security professionals to help us keep the Department secure by ensuring we have the right security policies and standards in place.

The Security Policy and Standards Team are responsible for managing the creation, development, and evaluation of DWP Security Policies and Standards which set the security parameters for the Department to operate securely and effectively. They define the measures that help to protect DWP, its infrastructure and its staff from physical, personnel and cyber threats.

In addition to ensuring DWP’s security policies and standards are regularly reviewed and updated, keeping pace with the everchanging risk landscape, the team works closely with a range of projects and initiatives across DWP, ensuring our security policies and standards are embedded within new technologies and processes by design.

The post holder will be part of an experienced and passionate team which is spread across the country. This is an exciting opportunity to develop your capability in Security Policy, and to play an active role in ensuring DWP’s security policies and standards are fit for purpose and remain effective in supporting the Department deliver its strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

In the Security Policy & Standards Lead role you will:

• Manage the development, delivery and maintenance of a framework of security policies and standards to address each aspect of DWP’s security needs, working with specific internal and external expert domains.
• Ensure the Departmental Security Policy and standards portfolio complies with security obligations, statutory requirements, industry developments, best practice and international standards (e.g. Government Security Standard 007; NIST Cybersecurity Framework), and legal obligations and is continually evolving to evidence best practice and respond to emerging threats and risks.
• Manage the development of new security policies and standards, and maintenance of our current security policies and standards, to address all aspects of DWP’s security requirements, ensuring reviews are undertaken as scheduled.
• Develop and manage the Security Policy & Standards review process, ensuring that the portfolio continues to meet current and emerging business needs, priorities and necessary updates as threats evolve.
• Maintain the governance of the DWP’s portfolio of security policies and standards, through regular reporting to Senior Leadership Team, and other governance boards.
• Ensure the Security Policy team has the skills, capability and resource to provide advice and support to the business on Security Policy matters.
• Collaborate with and influence senior managers across DWP business areas to gain top down buy in for Security Education and Awareness activities across DWP.
• Be seen as a leader by your team by applying a consistent vision, energy and drive that motivates the team to meet business objectives, setting them in the context of wider security and Departmental objectives.
• Create and champion an environment of continuous improvement across the team, where learning from feedback, security risks, events, incidents, investigations, and trends becomes integral to business design and processes.
• Build peer and senior relationships that lead to proactively contributing and feeding information into the senior leadership team.

In addition, you will be encouraged and supported to work towards professional certifications that will be relevant to your role, continuously learn new skills and knowledge and to develop your management capability.