Job summary
- Main area
- Cyber Security
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 9
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 990-TDD-DPU-EC1343-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Wellington House (London) / Wellington Place (Leeds)
- Town
- London/Leeds
- Salary
- £109,179 - £125,637 per annum (exclusive of London Weighting)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Director Cyber Security Engagement and Compliance
NHS AfC: Band 9
Our Organisation
The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.
As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.
As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third-party contractors will earn a real Living Wage. We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.
Job overview
The Joint Cyber Unit (JCU) is a collaboration between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE). The JCU is embedded within the Digital Policy Unit (DPU), a unit comprising both DHSC staff and NHSE staff intended to design, plan and build a digitally enabled, data driven and safe health and social care system with ministers and the NHS.
The DPU is a sub-directorate of the Transformation Directorate, which enables the delivery of the best care and outcomes for the NHS and the people it serves by improving population health and patient pathways, rapidly adopting effective technologies, building on insights from data and edge-cutting research, and by transforming the way that care is delivered.
Purpose of the JCU
The JCU sets develops and implements strategy, policy and standards for cyber security across the NHS and Adult Social Care in England. It has responsibility for designing, implementing and the ongoing assurance of the cyber security system risk management and compliance framework in place across the wider health and care system, as well as simplifying and transforming information governance.
Main duties of the job
As a Deputy Director the post holder will work across the Joint Cyber Unit, which leads on cyber security across the health and care sector (including for NHS organisations, NHS England Regions, Integrated Care Systems, Adult Social Care Providers, and major suppliers of IT products and software to the sector) and increasing compliance with mandated cyber security standards.
The role will lead on:
- Leadership and development of teams across JCU
- Governance, Risk and Compliance
- Strategy and Policy
- Stakeholder management and engagement
It is expected that the postholder, will as be required, play a leading role in supporting the management of any NHS or system cyber incidents and will oversee the High Severity Alert Process. This can mean being expected to work out of hours and at weekends
Working for our organisation
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
We lead the NHS in England by:
- Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
- Making the NHS a great place to work, where people can develop and make a difference
- Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
- Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
- Delivering value for money
Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and waste.
If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We are looking for a candidate that has a strong understanding of cyber security or has technical knowledge
- Proven leadership experience, with the ability to empower and motivate others in a dynamic environment and across organisational boundaries, with an engaging, adaptable, leadership style
- Highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills, with the credibility and ability to build excellent relationships with key stakeholders across organisational boundaries and evidence of a collaborative approach
- An ability to cope and be resilient under pressure, and to be responsive to new risks and emerging priorities
- An understanding or experience of programme management principles and ability to effectively drive delivery
- Excellent written and oral communication skills with a proven ability to present complex issues simply and effectively
Important: Please be aware there are residency requirements you need to meet:
All NHS England Cyber Security personnel must hold security clearance SC level as a minimum.
To meet National Security Vetting requirements, SC clearances require 5 years continuous UK residency. In certain cases, this can be reduced to three years continuous UK residency, with additional overseas checks for the previous two years.
Candidates who were posted abroad for service with HM Government, Armed Forces or within a UK government role - will still be considered.
Please make sure you meet these requirements before applying for this role.
You don’t need to have SC already, however, failure to achieve the requirements for SC after offer, will result in the job offer being withdrawn.
For further advice please check https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels#security-check-sc or contact [email protected].
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent level or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
- A willingness to train to gain or hold appropriate cyber qualifications. (ISACA: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Experience of project and programme management techniques and tools such as Prince 2 or Managing Successful Projects.
- Experience leading and creating large scale, complex engagement strategies.
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Significant management experience at senior level in the NHS or other public healthcare related industry
- Demonstrated expertise in a Healthcare environment
- Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments
Desirable criteria
- Proven Board level experience of leading and delivering complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment.
Skills Capabilities & Attributes
Essential criteria
- Strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment with knowledge of and experience in handling media relations
- Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required
- Ability to analyse highly complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources (verbal, written and numerical).
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Julie Andrews
- Job title
- Business Coordinator JCU Workforce
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07783 817745
- Additional information
If you would like to discuss the role prior to the application window closing please contact the above, so we can set up a short discussion slot.
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