Department for Education recruiting a chief information security officer

£68k plus pension for Civil Service CISO

The Department for Education is planning to recruit a chief information security officer (CISO) based in either London or Sheffield.

The role will come with an annual salary of up to £68,000, as well as an employer pension contribution of just over £13,000 per annum.

The role has been opened up due to the rise in cyber-security threats against the Department, and across government in general.

"We are under constant threat from dangerous individuals who want to cause harm to UK Government through hacking databases, stealing information and causing damage to the systems. Do you want to be part of a team that helps to defend the Civil Service from these types of attacks?" asks the Civil Service job posting.

The Department is planning to invest £2bn over the next two years in what it describes as "enhancing cyber capability" and adds that it is "committed to developing their people and growing their in house capabilities to produce the next generation of cyber leaders?"

The CISO will be the top security role within the Department for Education - even if the pay is quite low compared to similar roles in industry and the pay of non-technical Civil Service managerial positions.

"Your work will help to protect the department from cyber-attacks and ensure corporate assets are protected. You will be helping to safeguard over £60 billion of annual budgets and vast amounts of personal and sensitive information relating to children and people employed in the education sector.

"You will need to have a strong, well-rounded technical knowledge in cyber security, which will enable you to lead the delivery of new capabilities and manage existing operational functions. You will need to be comfortable working with a range of stakeholders and can quickly establish credibility and influence.

"Significant experience working in a senior leadership capacity in a large complex environment is crucial for this role, as well as experience establishing new security initiatives, developing financial models, and leading development of cyber security policies and procedures," claims the advertisement.

Applications will close on Monday 13 February 2017.

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