HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Directorate: Digital Technology Services (DTS)
Pay Band: SEO
Job Title: Security Architect
Location: 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 Architecture family and is a Security Architect role at Security Architect level and carries the title but carries the title Security Architect in 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:
The HMCTS Security Architect plays a vital role in embedding Secure by Design principles across the technology lifecycle. Working closely with the Chief Information Security Officer, Principal and Lead Security Architects, and the wider security team, the architect ensures that cyber security activities align with HMCTS’s strategic goals, risk management framework, and evolving security roadmap.
This role is responsible for maintaining compliance with key standards including PCI DSS, ISO27001, GovAssure, and the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Assessment Framework. The architect promotes a strong security culture, ensuring that Secure by Design is understood and consistently applied across programmes and platforms.
Operating across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, the Security Architect provides expert oversight and guidance to technical teams, enabling informed decisions on security controls. They ensure the effective use of common tools and patterns to deliver secure systems, while applying proportionate controls that support business outcomes.
The architect safeguards HMCTS’s data, services, and infrastructure by shaping robust security solutions and coordinating assurance activities. They play a key role in enabling secure innovation and ensuring that security is not just a compliance requirement but a strategic enabler.
This role demands a strategic mindset, deep technical expertise, and strong collaboration skills. The Security Architect must influence across multidisciplinary teams, advocate for security best practices, and contribute to the continuous improvement of HMCTS’s cyber security posture.
Key Responsibilities:
A security architect creates and designs security for a system or service, maintains security documentation and develops architecture patterns and security approaches to new technologies.
At this role level, you will:
Ensure security architecture aligns with wider Gov security policies and frameworks, legal frameworks, industry regulations and best practise (e.g ISO 27001, NCSC Standards, GDPR, PCI DSS, GovAssure, Secure by Design).
Recommend security controls and identify security solutions that support business objectives.
Provide specialist security guidance and direction during the design, implementation and use phases of systems, applications and infrastructure.
Provide specialist advice and recommendations regarding approaches and technologies across teams and various stakeholders, assessing the risk associated with proposed changes.
Inspire and influence others to execute security principles, communicating widely with other stakeholders.
Support the GovAssure process by coordinating the collection of evidence, and the submission of GovAssure returns to Cabinet Office.
Advise on important security-related technologies and assess the risk associated with proposed changes
Assist, where necessary, with incident response processes to identify architectural issues and solutions.
Proactively engage with internal and external partners, stakeholders and peers to develop your knowledge and inform your decisions.
You will be expected to carry out any other duties that may reasonably be required in line with your main duties.
Continuously keep up to date with changing compliance legislation and initiatives to assess new opportunities for educating colleagues on relevant security standards.
Continue to review ongoing security architectural activities
Essential Skills & Criteria:
Good understanding and working knowledge of Cyber Security Policies and Frameworks.
Broad technical knowledge, especially around cloud and hybrid technologies.
Strong understanding of Governance, Compliance and Risk, and the Confidentiality, Availability, and Integrity (CIA) triad.
Solid understanding of security protocols, networking, identity management, authentication, authorisation, and cryptography.
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.
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.
Able to understand and articulate the impact of vulnerabilities on existing and future designs and be able to articulate an appropriate response.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to interact with stakeholders of all levels to effectively articulate security controls, solutions, and advice.
Capable of evaluating options and making decisions quickly and effectively.
Apply leadership experience by using consultative and negotiating skills to contribute to the overall success including building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
Ability to address situations, incidents or tasks proactively and promptly.
Continually stay abreast of emerging security technologies, threats and trends. Self-motivated to drive their learning needs.
Desirable Experience
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.
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:
The following areas of Success Profile Framework will be used to assess and score your application during the sift, and interview.
Experience - As demonstrated in your application form
Technical - During the interview, you will be asked a question against the GDD framework
Strengths - The interview will involve a discussion around 2 strengths.
Behaviours - You will be required to provide evidence of the following key behaviours at SEO level at sift stage (250 words per Behaviour)
Managing a Quality Service
Making Effective Decisions
Should a large volume of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken on the lead Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to full sift.
The following Behaviours will be assessed at interview:
Seeing the Big Picture
Making Effective Decisions
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service
You will be expected to align your answers to the Government Digital and Data (GDD) framework.
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 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.