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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 £58,511 - £65,329, London salary range is £63,343 - £70,725. 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
08-Apr-2026
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Grade 7
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
16056

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Role Purpose

Acting under delegated authority from the Chief Information Security Officer, you will be the formal owner of the Ministry of Justice Information Security Policy Framework. You will provide strategic leadership for how information security policy is defined, structured and maintained across the department, ensuring we have a coherent, authoritative and proportionate set of security policies, standards and guidance that clearly define required security outcomes, reflect our security risk appetite and enable secure delivery across a complex operational environment.

You will translate strategic security objectives, risk insight and cross-government requirements into practical, accessible policy that can be understood and applied across the Ministry of Justice’s large and diverse organisation. You will also act as the department’s senior point of reference for the interpretation and application of security policy, advising colleagues and leaders where clarification or judgement is required. 

Leading a small team of specialist technical writers, you will set direction, standards and governance for the department’s security policy estate, working closely with security specialists across and beyond the department to ensure published policy, standards and guidance reflect domain expertise, current good practice and the realities of operational delivery.

As part of the Deputy CISO’s leadership team, you will work in close partnership with the Head of Information Security Awareness, Culture and Education to ensure security expectations are clearly defined in policy and effectively translated into practice across the organisation. Together these roles ensure the Ministry of Justice maintains both a clear and authoritative security policy framework and the organisational capability required to understand and apply it in practice.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

  • Own the MoJ Information Security Policy Framework, ensuring it remains current, coherent and aligned to:

  • MoJ risk appetite

  • Cross-government policy and standards

  • Legal and regulatory requirements

  • Act as the department’s authoritative voice on information security policy interpretation and application.

  • Anticipate emerging risks, technology changes and government direction, ensuring policy evolves proactively.

  • Provide strategic leadership for how security policy is structured, communicated and maintained across the department.

  • Represent the Deputy CISO in forums and other engagements as required.

Policy Development & Governance

  • Lead the development, review and maintenance of all information security policies, standards and supporting guidance.

  • Work closely with specialists from across the department to understand and translate their expertise, requirements and operational needs into clear, authoritative policy, standards and guidance.

  • Maintain a prioritised policy, guidance and standards roadmap aligned to business needs, risk, assurance findings and cross-government direction. Regularly update the portfolio to consolidate and simplify existing material, to reduce the burden on users.

  • Establish and operate robust governance covering approval, review cycles and retirement of outdated material.

  • Build confidence across the organisation that security policy provides clear, proportionate and risk-based direction for operational delivery.

  • Work closely with the Awareness, Culture and Education team to:

  • Test policy usability and comprehension

  • Identify areas of confusion or friction

  • Ensure guidance supports safe, real-world decision-making

  • Use feedback from operational teams and assurance activities to continuously improve the effectiveness of security policy and guidance.

Team Leadership

  • Provide leadership, mentoring and professional development to build capability within your team of technical authors and policy specialists.

  • Set and maintain clear standards for plain-English, user-centric security policy development, to ensure consistency of tone, structure and intent across all security documentation.

  • Collaborate with colleagues across other MoJ security teams, in particular colleagues from physical, personnel, data protection and information services teams to help ensure strong alignment and mutual reinforcement of all our work.

Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

  • Build and maintain strong relationships with:

  • Digital, Technology and Data teams

  • Cross department security teams

  • Agencies and arms-length bodies

  • Act as a trusted advisor, helping stakeholders understand what policy requires, why it matters, and how to interpret it.

  • Navigate differing operational contexts across a large, diverse department while maintaining consistency.

  • Influence senior stakeholders and operational leaders to ensure that security policy is understood, applied consistently and supports secure delivery of departmental services.

Essential Skills & Experience

  • Proven experience leading security, technology or risk policy in a large, complex organisation.

  • Strong understanding of how security policy interacts with risk appetite, assurance and operational delivery.

  • Strong leadership and stakeholder management experience.

  • Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to make complex policy clear and accessible to a range of different stakeholders, including senior audiences.

Desirable

  • Experience acting as a formal policy owner or decision authority, including resolving contested interpretations of policies.

  • Understanding of how information security frameworks and standards such as Cyber Assessment framework (CAF), GovAssure and ISO27001 map to security policy.

  • Experience of cross-government security policy or central government frameworks.

  • Background in information security, cyber security, technology risk or assurance.

  • Experience applying user-centred design or accessibility principles to policy.

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 16056

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

Application form stage assessments

Behaviours
A sift based on the lead behaviour, Managing a Quality Service, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.
Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit
250
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Working Together
Making Effective Decisions
Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
Please demonstrate how you meet the essential skills and experience criteria laid out in the job description.
Evidence of Experience
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
To be confirmed
Behaviours
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Working Together
Making Effective Decisions
Level of security checks required
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.