Cyber Risk Adviser (Assurance)

The Government Cyber Unit (GCU)'s mission is to protect public services from cyber threats and digital resilience failures. We are working to achieve a step change in our cyber and digital resilience across government, through delivery of the Government Cyber Action Plan (GCAP), and working closely with departments and national technical authorities including the National Cyber Security Centre to deliver. This is a challenging time to be working in cyber security and digital resilience, but we have an incredible opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives and promote national security by protecting the public services and national infrastructure they rely on. We work at the forefront of shaping the UK’s national response to emerging cyber and technology issues - from the increasingly complex range of state-sponsored cyber-attacks and supply chain compromises, through to the transformational benefits and security challenges of frontier AI and quantum computing.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment where people can learn, develop and do their best work. Continuous professional development and a focus on wellbeing is core to our unit culture. We welcome applications from candidates who share this ethos and are excited by our mission.

Following the announcement of machinery of government changes in July 2026, GCU and wider digital functions, including the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), will transfer to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). This role is in scope to transfer.

Please Note - The post holder may be required to support out of hours on-call rotas for responding to cyber and digital resilience incidents, for which remuneration and/ or flexible working arrangements will be available.

As a Cyber Risk Adviser (Assurance) you will directly contribute to the delivery of the Government Cyber Action Plan (GCAP) which aims to reduce cyber and digital resilience risks across government and the wider public sector. You will operate within the Assurance Team which works closely with organisations participating in GovAssure, the assurance scheme for critical systems in government. GovAssure assesses individual systems against the government’s minimum cyber resilience standard and supports organisations to understand and manage their cyber security risks.

There are two roles available – one in the Operations team and one in the Continuous Improvement team.

Key responsibilities:

As a Cyber Risk Adviser (Assurance) in the Operations team, you will:

• act as the main point of contact for a portfolio of government organisations, building trusted relationships and supporting them through the GovAssure process
• provide subject expertise in cyber assurance, advising security teams across government on the GovAssure process and supporting them to scope their critical systems and apply a proportionate, risk-based approach at each stage
• quality assure documents and evidence organisations submit, drawing on technical expertise where needed
• follow up with organisations to keep progress on track, and identify and escalate risks or issues that could affect delivery
• keep accurate, high-quality records of engagement, decisions and risks, giving government a clear and reliable picture of its cyber resilience across departments and supporting informed reporting and programme decisions
• lead projects and contribute ideas to improve and expand cross-government cyber assurance, working closely with the Continuous Improvement and Data teams

As a Cyber Risk Adviser (Assurance) in the Continuous Improvement team, you will:

• lead workstreams that drive change across the Assurance function, improving existing processes and developing new assurance products and approaches
• build trusted relationships with cross-government stakeholders, including Lead Government Departments, arm's length bodies, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and delivery partners
• work with teams across GCU and external stakeholders to align assurance work with wider activities and priorities
• develop effective feedback collection methods, analyse findings, and use evidence to prioritise improvements

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)

The standard selection process for roles at DSIT consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 45 minute video interview which will feature a presentation, details of which will be shared with invited candidates prior to the interview.

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

While we value the use of AI technology to enhance our daily work, we also value the personal touch and urge applicants to write cover letters without the use of AI to emphasise their own unique experiences.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is: proven ability to build trusted relationships with stakeholders across a diverse range of organisations, regularly engaging and influencing them to achieve positive outcomes

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• Communicating and influencing
• Making effective decisions
• Delivering at pace

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Senior cyber security governance and risk manager role:

• Information risk assessment and risk management
• Applied security capability
• Protective security
• Threat understanding

Want to know more about who Government Digital and Data are? Click Here

Recruitment Timeline

Sift completion: 1/12/2026

Panel interviews: Starting from 8/12/26

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

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 D&I Strategy.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

Sponsorship

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

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