Chief Information Security Officer

DBS was established under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 on 1 December 2012, working

from two sites, which are Liverpool and Darlington. We operate on behalf of government

delivering Disclosure functions in England, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and

Barring functions for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We function within a framework of

legal and regulatory requirements and that includes work with a range of external organisations

including other government departments, regulators, and trade bodies.

We provide a service that enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to

make better informed, safer recruitment and other decisions. We do this by providing information

to enable them to determine whether individuals are unsuitable or unable to undertake certain

work, particularly with occupations involving regular contact with vulnerable groups, including children.

Our Strategy

Our current Strategy sets out our purpose, vision, and the impacts we want to achieve. Our

strategy was co-created with our staff and has been supported by insight from our various

partners, and throughout, you will find our ambitions to be achieved. Everything that we do within

DBS, from developing our strategic intent, to the day-to-day operational delivery of our services,

is underpinned by constant considerations of safeguarding, quality, sustainability, value for

money, and diversity and inclusion. Our strategic objectives aim to enhance our effectiveness,

influence, and customer satisfaction while fostering a supportive environment for everyone.

Equality, Diversion, and Inclusion at DBS

DBS is committed to fostering an environment that values individual differences and ensures fair

treatment to unlock the full potential of staff and better support customers. Equality, diversity,

and inclusion (EDI) are core to driving organisational success and we have developed specific

equality objectives for DBS.

Every decision and activity will be considered through an EDI lens, aiming to build an inclusive

culture, improve policies and practices, gain external assurances, and become a leading voice of

good practice in EDI.

Read More

For further information, please see below for a collection of DBS strategies and business plans:

• DBS strategies - GOV.UK
• DBS business plans - GOV.UK

Job Purpose:

The Chief Information Security Officer will provide senior organisational leadership for

information, cyber, operational security and data protection across DBS, setting and

implementing a clear strategy that supports DBS’s organisational strategy, safeguarding

mission, digital transformation priorities, statutory data protection duties and wider government

security expectations. The role will also act as DBS’s Data Protection Officer, providing

independent advice, challenge and assurance on compliance with UK GDPR, the Data

Protection Act 2018, law enforcement processing requirements where applicable,

organisational data protection policies and ICO expectations. The role will be accountable for

the effective operation of security controls, monitoring, incident management, vulnerability

management, supplier security and operational security assurance across live services and

change activity. The role will evaluate DBS’s current information and cyber security maturity,

define the level of maturity needed for a modern, resilient and digitally enabled safeguarding

organisation, and lead the practical plan to close that gap. The post holder will create the

environment, culture and operating model needed to protect DBS information, personal data,

technology and services, enabling innovation to happen safely, lawfully and securely while

ensuring DBS can prepare for, detect, respond to and recover from cyber attacks.

This is a senior leadership role, not a purely technical cyber post. The successful candidate will

be expected to understand risks across DBS, advise the Board, Executive Team, SIRO and

senior leaders on how to mitigate cyber, information and data protection risks in their areas and

future plans, and ensure the information security, cyber security and data protection aspects of

crisis management are effective. As Data Protection Officer, they must be involved in a timely

manner in issues relating to the protection of personal data, provide expert advice on data

protection obligations and DPIAs, monitor compliance, support awareness and training, and act

as a contact point for the Information Commissioner’s Office. They will translate complex cyber,

information risk, privacy and resilience issues into clear choices for executive decision-makers,

while building a capable, sustainable and accountable security and data protection function that

supports DBS’s transition to modern digital services, a secure-by-design model and a stronger

Target Operating Model.

Corporate Duties:

• Act as DBS’s senior organisational leader for information security, cyber security,

operational security and data protection, setting direction and providing clear, evidence

based advice to the Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, Board, Executive

Team, Audit and Risk Committee, SIRO and senior risk owners.

• Create, own and lead the DBS information, cyber and operational security strategy and

roadmap, ensuring it directly supports the organisation’s strategy, safeguarding mission,

digital transformation, live service resilience and wider government security strategy,

including Government Functional Standard GovS 007: Security, the Government Cyber

Security Standard, the Cyber Assessment Framework, GovAssure, Secure by Design

principles and relevant NCSC guidance.

• Lead the organisation in implementing the information, cyber and operational security

strategy, turning strategic intent into clear priorities, funded delivery plans, measurable

outcomes, operational controls and mature security practices embedded across DBS.

• Act as DBS’s Data Protection Officer, operating with the independence, senior access,

expertise and resources required by data protection law, and providing advice, challenge

and assurance on UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, law enforcement processing

requirements where applicable and wider data protection obligations.

• Shape a new cyber operating model for DBS, defining the right balance of in-house

capability, specialist consultancy, supplier support and managed services, with clear

accountabilities, decision rights and routes for increasing maturity over time.

• Be accountable for operational security across DBS technology services, ensuring

effective security monitoring, protective controls, access management, vulnerability

management, threat intelligence, security operations, incident triage and remediation are

in place and operating effectively.

• Build organisational confidence in cyber security by translating technical risk into plain

English, proportionate choices and practical action for executive, operational and

delivery audiences.

• Advise the Board, Executive Team and senior leaders on organisational cyber and

information risk, helping them understand their accountabilities and make proportionate

decisions to mitigate risk in current operations, change programmes and future plans.

• Advise the Board, Executive Team, SIRO, Information Asset Owners and senior leaders

on data protection risk, privacy by design, lawful processing, data sharing, retention,

data subject rights, personal data breaches and the implications of new services,

technology and operating models.

• Promote a culture where secure behaviours, cyber awareness and good information

handling are understood as core responsibilities for everyone, not just the security

function.

• Work as a senior member of the Technology and Innovation leadership team,

contributing to departmental strategy, prioritisation, culture, financial control, supplier

management and the successful delivery of DBS’s technology ambitions.

• Represent DBS with Home Office, Cabinet Office, Government Security, NCSC and

other external partners where required, ensuring DBS is aligned to relevant government

security policy, standards, assurance expectations and good practice.

Operational Delivery Duties

• Evaluate the current status and maturity of DBS information and cyber security, using

recognised government and industry frameworks where appropriate, and define thepractical route to the level of maturity required for a modern, resilient and digitally

enabled safeguarding organisation.

• Establish effective cyber governance, reporting and assurance, giving senior leaders a

clear view of risk, control effectiveness, investment choices, incidents, vulnerabilities and

supplier exposure.

• Own and continually improve the operational security model for DBS, including security

operations, monitoring, alerting, incident triage, vulnerability management, patching

oversight, privileged access controls, protective monitoring, threat-led assurance and

supplier operational security performance.

• Ensure DBS can demonstrate alignment with relevant government security requirements

and assurance routes, including GovS 007, the Government Cyber Security Standard,

CAF profiles, GovAssure, Secure by Design, NCSC guidance, the Technology Code of

Practice and applicable data protection and information assurance obligations.

• Monitor DBS compliance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, applicable law

enforcement processing requirements, organisational data protection policies and ICO

expectations, ensuring responsibilities are clear, evidence is maintained and

improvement actions are tracked to completion.

• Provide advice on Data Protection Impact Assessments, privacy by design, records of

processing activity, data sharing, data subject rights, retention, lawful basis, special

category data, criminal offence data and personal data breach management.

• Act as the primary contact point for the Information Commissioner’s Office on data

protection matters and ensure DBS can evidence timely, well-governed handling of

regulatory engagement, personal data breaches and data protection assurance activity.

• Work with service owners, product teams, architecture, suppliers and operational teams

to ensure security controls remain effective in live service, are monitored through clear

metrics, and are improved where risk, threat or operational performance requires it.

• Determine the controls, capabilities, investment, skills, supplier arrangements and

behavioural changes needed to reach the target level of maturity and hold delivery

partners to account for progress.

• Ensure DBS is prepared for cyber-attacks and can detect, respond to and recover from

incidents, with clear crisis arrangements, tested playbooks, escalation routes,

communication plans and links into wider business continuity, operational resilience and

crisis management arrangements.

• Provide senior security leadership into major change and digital transformation,

including any major transformation of platforms, data, integration and service

modernisation activity.

• Lead proportionate security assurance across new products, systems, services and

suppliers so that security is designed in early, risks are understood, decisions are

auditable and innovation can proceed safely rather than being slowed by late-stage

security intervention.

• Develop cyber awareness, data protection awareness, information handling discipline

and good security behaviours across DBS, embedding practical guidance, learning and

leadership messages that make secure, lawful and responsible handling of information

part of everyday work.

• Lead, develop and hold to account a multidisciplinary cyber function, including

permanent staff, contractors, consultants and suppliers, ensuring knowledge transfer

and growth of sustainable internal capability.

Management of Finances:

Be accountable for allocated information and cyber security budgets, ensuring value for

money, effective prioritisation and transparent investment decisions.

• Provide clear recommendations on cyber investment, balancing risk reduction,

regulatory expectations, operational resilience, affordability and the pace of DBS

transformation.

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)
• 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)

DBS has appointed executive search specialists Gatenby Sanderson to support us with this appointment.

To apply for this please click the link below:

https://dbs.gs-attract.com/

Your application should include:

• A current CV, including your educational and professional qualifications and full employment history (explaining any gaps), with details of budgets and teams managed and highlighting key achievements.
• A covering letter, no more than two A4 pages, explaining why this appointment interests you and how you meet the criteria set out in the candidate profile (please note that references and open-source due diligence checks (including into social media accounts) may be undertaken for all short-listed candidates)

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Closing Date: 9am on Monday 5 October 2026

Long Listing: Week commencing 12 October 2026

Preliminary Interviews: Weeks commencing 19 and 26 October 2026

Short Listing: Week commencing 2 November 2026

Informal Discussions: Week commencing 9 November 2026

Final Panel: Week commencing 16 November 2026

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.