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This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.

General Information

Salary
The national salary range is £71,381 - £80,419, London salary range is £75,674 - £85,257. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
Working Pattern
Full Time, Flexible Working
Vacancy Approach
Cross Government
Location
National
Region
National
Closing Date
27-Feb-2026
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Grade 6
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
14643

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Directorate: Digital Technology Services (DTS)

Pay Band: Grade 6

Job Title: Head of Cyber Risk

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 Cyber Risk 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 Cyber Risk, you will lead HMCTS’s cyber risk strategy, ensuring that digital and technology programmes are delivered with robust risk management embedded throughout. You will oversee the identification, analysis, escalation, and mitigation of cyber risks, aligning all activities with HMCTS’s strategic objectives and the Senior Information Risk Owner’s (SIRO) risk appetite.

This role is central to building a mature cyber risk culture across HMCTS, integrating risk awareness into delivery frameworks, and enabling informed decision-making at all levels. You will lead a blended team of civil servants and managed service providers, and act as a senior advisor on cyber risk to technical, delivery, and governance teams.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead the development and implementation of HMCTS’s cyber risk strategy and framework.

  • Oversee cyber risk governance, including reporting to the Risk Advisory Committee and other senior bodies.

  • Embed cyber risk management into digital delivery processes, ensuring alignment with SIRO risk appetite and tolerances.

  • Develop and maintain Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor organisational risk posture.

  • Conduct risk assessments and controls gap analyses to identify vulnerabilities and recommend improvements.

  • Provide expert guidance to delivery teams on risk mitigation strategies and proportionate controls.

  • Influence organisational decision-making by articulating complex cyber risks in accessible terms.

  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to embed risk awareness into planning, prioritisation, and retrospectives.

  • Lead and develop the Cyber Risk team, fostering a high-performance culture and capability across a blended team of Civil Servants and Managed Service Providers.

  • Research and apply innovative risk management approaches to emerging threats and technologies.

Essential Criteria:

  • Strong understanding of cyber risk frameworks, governance models, and assurance practices.

  • Proven leadership in managing cyber risk or information assurance teams.

  • Ability to communicate complex risk concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

  • Experience in risk analysis, reporting, and escalation within large organisations.

  • Skilled in prioritising and managing multiple complex and urgent tasks.

  • Familiarity with system architectures and the impact of vulnerabilities on business operations.

  • Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cultural change around cyber risk.

  • Hold either a full Membership of Charted Institute of Information Security or Principal membership of the UK Syber Security Council.

Desirable Criteria:


  • Experience embedding risk management into agile and digital delivery environments.

  • Knowledge of Secure by Design principles and their relationship to risk mitigation.

  • Understanding of the legal, policy, and business implications of cyber risk decisions.

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.

  • Experience - 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.
  • Behaviours - You will be required to provide evidence of the following key behaviours at Grade 6 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
  • Level of Clearance - 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.


Additional Information

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

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:

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.

Contact Information

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: 14643

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: 14643

Allowance

Using GDD we will then determine if you will be paid an additional allowance, on top of your basic salary. 

Application form stage assessments

Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
CV or Work History, Experience Questions, Statement of Suitability
Experience Questions Application Form Question Word Limit
250
Evidence of Experience
CV or Work History, Experience Questions, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
Interviews expected w/c 30th March but this could be subject to change.
Behaviours
Seeing the Big Picture
Leadership
Making Effective Decisions
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Experience
Your Experience for this role will be assessed at interview. To learn more about Experience and how they are assessed please click here.
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
Experience Questions
Strengths
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.
Technical
During the interview, you will be asked a question relating to the Government Digital and Data (GDD) Capability Framework.
Level of security checks required
DBS Basic
Security Clearance (SC)

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.