Deputy Director, Head of The Office of the Intelligence and Security Committee

The Intelligence and Security Committee

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) was established under the Intelligence Services Act 1994. Its powers were reinforced in the Justice and Security Act 2013. Under the Justice and Security Act 2013 and the accompanying Memorandum of Understanding, the ISC has statutory responsibility for oversight of the policies, expenditure, administration and operations of MI5, MI6, GCHQ, Defence Intelligence, the National Cyber Force, the Joint Intelligence Organisation, the National Security Secretariat (NSS) and Homeland Security Group.

The Committee consists of nine Members, drawn from both Houses of Parliament. The members are nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by parliament. The Chair of the Committee is elected by its Members. The Members are subject to Section 1(1)(b) of the Official Secrets Act 1989 and are routinely given access to highly classified material in carrying out their duties. The Committee takes evidence from Ministers, the Heads of the intelligence and security Agencies, senior officials, experts, and academics as it considers necessary. The Committee’s evidence sessions are held in private due to the classified nature of the subject matter. Its Inquiries tend to concentrate on current events and issues of concern, and therefore focus on operational and policy matters, while its annual reports provide consideration of administration and finance.

The Office of The Intelligence and Security Committee

The Committee is supported in its work by the Office of The Intelligence and Security Committee, a team of analysts and investigators (including legal, technical and financial expertise where required). The Office of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament is currently a Cabinet Office Business Unit for administrative purposes, but the staff work directly for, and under the direction of, the Committee. (The Cabinet Office and Parliament are currently considering whether this administrative arrangement provides appropriate independence and whether alternative administrative arrangements would be appropriate.)

The Head of the Office of the Intelligence and Security Committee is responsible for supporting the committee in undertaking their statutory responsibilities, through:

• assisting the committee in determining its programme of enquiries;
• ensuring appropriate access to evidence and witnesses, including through providing or supervising the provision of policy analysis and background briefs;
• arranging and supporting formal and informal meetings of the committee, capturing appropriate records of discussions and ensuring follow-up;
• organising and accompanying the committee on domestic and overseas fact-finding visits where determined useful by the Committee;
• leading or supervising the preparation, drafting, and editing of final committee reports before they are formally presented to Parliament and the Government;
• managing relationships between the committee and its key external stakeholders, including the organisations overseen by the Committee;
• providing authoritative, politically impartial advice to the Committee Chair and Members regarding the statutory responsibilities of the Committee and parliamentary rules, privileges, and Standing Orders.

The Head of the Office is also responsible for ensuring appropriate management of the Office and the supporting infrastructure, through:

• recruiting and managing the staff to support the full range of the Committee's work (up to a ceiling of 30 FTE); fostering an inclusive, resilient team culture; and actively supporting staff wellbeing and professional development within a high-pressure, secure working environment;
• managing the Budget for the Office, which has recently been increased to c£3.2M to ensure the Committee can undertake its work; and
• working with Cabinet Office corporate teams and specialist IT providers to ensure the Committee has access to appropriate high classification estate and communications.
• working with Cabinet Office and Parliament to ensure the Office of the ISC has the appropriate Governance arrangements to support the Committee's independent status.

Open to UK nationals only.

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process, outlined below. This should be completed no later than 23:55pm, Tuesday 17th November 2026.

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.

Failure to complete both sections of the online application form (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via:scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Shortlist

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.A panel, will assess all applications to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

The sift and interview panel chair will be Gisela Stuart – First Civil Service Commissioner. The other sift and interview panel members will be:

• Vincent Devine, Government Chief Security Officer, Cabinet Office
• Clare Bruton, Director, Parliamentary and Constitution Group, Cabinet Office
• Dame Madeleiene Alessandri, Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, 2023-26

The timeline further down this page indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

Assessment

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to speak to both the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) in advance of the interview to learn more about the role and organisation. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

You may also be invited to take part in a staff engagement exercise. This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. For more information about the assessment process, please follow this link: https://scs-assessments.co.uk/

You will be invited to attend a panel interview, in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates. If you are required to prepare a presentation for the final interview you will be given the subject in advance.

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies in the Civil Service requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without the need for a new competition.

Offer

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible.

We will send you a copy of any report for any assessment that you may have undergone as part of the recruitment process (if requested).

Indicative Timeline

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date: 23:55 Tuesday 17th November 2026

Shortlist: end week commencing 23rd November 2026

Assessment: week commencing 7th December 2026

Interview: week commencing 14th December 2026

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

Please note that this role requires DV clearance, which would normally need 10 years’ UK residency in the past 10 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. More information about the vetting process can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/united-kingdom-security-vetting

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

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