General Information
Descriptions & requirements
HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Directorate: Digital Technology Services (DTS)
Pay Band: Grade 6
Job Title: Head of Secure Design
Location: London / National
Successful applicants will be expected to be office based 3 days per week in any HMCTS Office (subject to business availability).
Term: Permanent
Interview: Video conference via Teams
Level of Clearance: To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Security Clearance (SC) level as a condition of appointment.
Important salary details:
New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.
Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion, will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band, or receive an increase of 10 percent on the current base salary, whichever is higher (This is restricted to the pay maximum of the new band).
Government Digital and Data (GDD) Profession Capability Framework and Success Profiles Frameworks. Using GDD we will then determine if you will be paid an additional allowance, on top of your basic salary. This role is within the Technical job family and is a Security Architect Job roles at Principal Security Architect level and carries the title but carries the title Head of Secure Design DTS.
Introduction:
These are exciting times at HM Court and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). As an agency of the MoJ, we support the judiciary across England and Wales to deliver justice by running courts and tribunals and processing outcomes, and we are looking for talented people to help us achieve our ambitions. It will be challenging, important and rewarding.
HMCTS Digital and Technology Services (DTS) is a specialist technology directorate which provides support to HMCTS in the use of IT and Digital.
DTS is committed to being a great place to work and part of our offer is brilliant training opportunities and support from expert colleagues. As well as that you’ll find flexible working, an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued.
Please follow the link below for further information about HMCTS. www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service
Job Description:
As Head of Secure Design, you will lead the strategic integration of security into all digital and technology initiatives across HMCTS. You will champion “Secure by Design” principles, ensuring cyber security is embedded from the outset of every project and throughout the technology lifecycle. This role is pivotal in aligning cyber security practices with HMCTS’s risk management framework and strategic objectives.
You will oversee the secure design function, guiding technical teams, influencing architectural decisions, and ensuring proportionate security controls are implemented to enable business outcomes. You will also lead the development of HMCTS’s cyber secure design capability, managing a blended team of civil servants and managed service providers.
You will be responsible for ensuring that all digital projects are designed with security as a primary consideration, from the outset. You will oversee the implementation of "Secure by Design" principles, ensuring that security is integrated throughout the entire technology lifecycle. You will ensure that HMCTS cyber security activities align with the department’s goals and risk management framework.
Key Responsibilities:
- Leading delivery of the HMCTS’s Cyber security strategy and be responsible for providing specialist security support to those areas of the department which do not have dedicated information security / cyber security teams.
- Lead and develop the HMCTS Cyber Security team and capability, delivered through a blend of civil servants and a managed service provider.
- Advise and enable technical teams to make security decisions, providing advice and guidance to ensure common tools and patterns are used effectively to deliver secure systems and implement proportionate controls to enable business outcomes.
- Your work will include leading projects with high strategic impact, setting a strategy that can be used in the long term and across the whole organisation.
- Develop vision, principles and strategy for Security Architects across multiple projects or technologies.
- Recommend security design across several projects or technologies, up to an organisational or inter-organisational level, solving unprecedented issues and problems.
- Influence key organisational and architectural decisions and interact with senior stakeholders across organisations to reach and influence a wide range of people across larger teams and communities. You will be helping the team explain complex security design considerations to others.
- Conduct controls gap analysis to identify areas of weakness and recommend actionable improvements.
- Work closely with cross-functional teams, including product, design, and development, to embed risk awareness and management into daily practices.
- Actively participate in delivery planning and management meetings, advising on risk considerations in planning, prioritisation, and retrospectives.
- Researching and applying innovative security architecture solutions to new or existing problems and be able to justify and communicate design decisions.
- Understand the impact of decisions, balancing requirements and deciding between approaches and sharing best practice within and outside the organisation.
Essential Criteria:
· Strong understanding and working knowledge of Cyber Security Policies and Frameworks.
· An ability to inspire and coordinate a diverse team of security specialists, helping them to be their best both as individuals and as part of a wider team.
· Ability to prioritise team activities effectively across a range of complex and urgent tasks.
· Work with team members to identify risks and communicate them effectively to decision makers. Help inform prioritisation of wider departmental work to ensure security improvements are given due consideration.
· Specific technology and security understanding – with a good knowledge of system architectures.
· Able to understand and articulate the impact of vulnerabilities on existing and future designs and complex systems and can articulate an appropriate response, often conveying these complex matters to a wide-ranging audience.
· Be able to articulate and be an effective communicator across a range of formats, able to convey complex topics with ease to a variety of audiences and persuade others of the importance of security matters.
· Hold either a full Membership of Charted Institute of Information Security or Principal membership of the UK Syber Security Council.
Desirable Criteria:
- Secure by Design - Knowledge of Secure by Design principles and their practical application
- Analysis - Able to apply the approach to real problems and consider all relevant information. Applies appropriate rigour to ensure a full solution is designed and achieves the business outcome.
- Understanding security implications of transformation - Can interpret and apply understanding of policy and process, business architecture, and legal and political implications to assist the development of technical solutions or controls.
- You will also benefit from knowledge of the different approaches to delivery across digital and technology teams, and how security practices can integrate / clash with these working practices.
Application process:
This role will be recruited using a combination of Government Digital and Data (GDD) Profession Capability Framework and Success Profiles Frameworks during the sift and interview process.
- As demonstrated in your application form.
· Technical – As demonstrated at interview. During the interview, you will be assessed against the Government Digital and Data (GDD) Capability Framework.
· Strengths – The interview will involve a discussion around 2 strengths.
· Presentation - You will be required to prepare a short presentation based on your Experience. Details will be provided when invited to/or on the day of the interview.
- level at interview. Your answers should also align with the GDD framework:
- Seeing the bigger picture
- Leadership
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Changing and Improving
- - To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Security Clearance (SC) level as a condition of appointment. To meet these requirements, you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least:
- SC - 5 years
Reserve List:
HMCTS run a Reserve List, where candidates who are unsuccessful at interview by only a few points, can be offered other roles, at the same band, for up to 12 months. You will be able to view your status via the application screen. If you have been added to the Reserve List, your status will show either Merit or Reserve list.
Working Arrangements & Further Information
The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.
Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.
For nationally advertised roles: All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).
For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).
Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.
MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.
All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.
Benefits
The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave
Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.
There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Training
The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Eligibility
Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.
Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.
Support
- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
- To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.
For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.
Diversity & Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
Civil Service Nationality Rules
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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
- 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
Reserve list
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.
MoJ:
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference 14642
HMPPS
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference
Using GDD we will then determine if you will be paid an additional allowance, on top of your basic salary.
Job Description Attachment
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Head of Secure Design - JD.docx (Job Description Attachment)
Application form stage assessments
Interview stage assessments
Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.