Information Security Governance, Risk and Assurance Lead

About the role

Your responsibilities:

• Be accountable for the effectiveness, coherence and continuing development of UKRI’s enterprise security governance, risk and assurance framework.
• Provide independent challenge and oversight of security risk, control design and control effectiveness, without assuming responsibility for operating the controls being assured.
• Set the enterprise assurance approach, standards and evidence expectations, aligned to organisational risk and recognised frameworks including NIST CSF, ISO 27001 and the Government Cyber Assessment Framework.
• Ensure assurance coverage is risk-based, proportionate and consistent across UKRI’s federated environment, while maintaining clear accountability with local service, risk and control owners.
• Hold authority to challenge risk and control owners, require proportionate remediation, track delivery to closure and escalate material concerns through the CIO, CISO and relevant governance forums.
• Provide an authoritative, evidence-based enterprise view of security risk, control effectiveness, assurance gaps and remediation status to support informed senior decision-making.
• Drive greater transparency, comparability and accountability through meaningful assurance measures, trend analysis and decision-quality reporting.
• Influence the future security operating model by embedding sustainable governance and assurance arrangements that strengthen organisational resilience and support secure delivery of UKRI’s strategic objectives.
• Personal Specification
• The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).
• Applicants will be able to demonstrate skills in line with the cyber security risk manager roles using the Government Security Profession career framework.
• Essential
• Substantial experience leading information security governance, risk and assurance in a complex or federated organisation. (S&I)
• Proven experience establishing and improving enterprise security assurance frameworks across complex technology and supplier environments. (S&I)
• Experience providing independent challenge to senior risk and control owners while preserving their accountability. (S&I)
• Experience assessing control design and effectiveness using technical, procedural and audit evidence. (S&I)
• Experience setting proportionate remediation expectations, tracking delivery and escalating material concerns through senior governance routes. (I)
• Strong knowledge and proportionate application of NIST CSF, ISO 27001 and the Government Cyber Assessment Framework. (S&I)
• Ability to produce and communicate an authoritative, evidence-based view of enterprise security risk and control effectiveness for CIO, CISO and governance audiences. (I)
• Strong leadership, influence and analytical skills, with the confidence to drive consistency across organisational boundaries and make sound decisions where evidence is incomplete or contested. (I)
• Application Guidance:
• How to evidence the criteria:
• You are encouraged to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in the cover letter to evidence your ability to meet the ‘person specification’ criteria in the job description. Cover letters should be no more than two sides of A4 (minimum font size 11). For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service ’.
• Behaviours
• We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
• Managing a quality service
• Changing and improving
• Delivering at pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Selection Process Details
• We know different organisations use different processes, so we wanted you to know what to expect from us.
• Stage 0 - Pre-application
• If you would like to find out more about the role we encourage prospective applicants to get in touch with us to discuss the opportunity.
• Stage 1 - Written Submission
• Candidates will need to submit a written application which consists of 2 parts:
• A CV – this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed based on the shortlisting criteria.
• A personal statement (max. 1000 words) - this statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria listed in the shortlisting criteria.
• Applications will be reviewed for suitability and shortlisted.
• Stage 2 - Interview
• Applicants who are successful at stage 1 will be invited to interview. The interview will generally be 1 hour in length. The interview will consist of competency-based questions. A presentation will be required.
• Stage 3 - Outcome
• The panel outcome is decided and the successful candidate will be offered verbally first, followed by a formal offer letter.

Benefits

• We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!
• A list of benefits below:
• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent)
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice
• Flexible working options
• Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!
• For further information on our benefits please see:
• Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
• Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact [email protected]
• Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact [email protected].