Navy Command, Security Risk Lead

At Navy Command, we lead, support, and sustain the Royal Navy across every theatre of operations. We coordinate the people, platforms, and missions that keep the Fleet ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Together, we uphold centuries of naval tradition while driving innovation that ensures the Royal Navy’s readiness to protect our nation and secure our future.

As the authority for the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine capability, the Submarine Directorate oversees one of the most complex and critical elements of UK defence. Covering everything from in‑service management to long‑term fleet modernisation, the directorate ensures the Submarine Flotilla remains safe, reliable, and ready to meet national security requirements.

You'll be based at HMNB Devonport, the largest naval base in Western Europe and a powerhouse of Royal Navy capability. It is home to amphibious ships, survey squadrons, submarines, and two-thirds of the frigate force. With its unique nuclear refitting facility, Devonport ensures the Fleet remains ready to support operations worldwide.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Ready to turn risk into resilience? Join us as Security Risk Lead at HM Naval Base Devonport and take the helm of a role where sharp thinking, confident leadership and collaboration really matter. You’ll bring people and information together to identify emerging security risks, shape practical solutions and help protect one of the UK’s most important defence sites—so if you enjoy seeing the bigger picture and making a real difference, this could be your next challenge.

What you will do:

• Lead security risk management activity, ensuring risks are identified, assessed, mitigated and reported in line with Defence policy and governance requirements.
• Develop, maintain and assure coherent Security Risk Registers across authorised systems, recommending proportionate and effective mitigations.
• Lead the Security Risk Balance process and establish governance arrangements aligned with the Navy Command Risk Management Framework.
• Integrate Defence Nuclear Enterprise security risk management policy alongside wider MOD and Navy Command processes.
• Analyse security risk information and present clear, evidence-based insights.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams, partners, lodgers and external stakeholders to build a shared and coherent security risk picture.
• Represent the Security Risk Lead function at security meetings and governance forums, acting as the subject matter expert for Naval Base security risk management.
• Support intelligence and operational activity by capturing lessons, benefits and efficiencies, and contribute to business cases and project reviews as required.
• Deputise on matters relating to the Joint operations cell JOC/and futureICCC and support exercises that demonstrate safe and effective security arrangements across the site.

Open to UK nationals only.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of Defence Reform, Navy Command continues to review and evolve its Target Operating Model to support more agile ways of working. In this context, the role and responsibilities of this role may develop over time to reflect changing business priorities and opportunities.

At Sift, you will be assessed against the following;

• Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history and qualification details.
• Candidates will be required to provide a personal statement. This should be a maximum of 500 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements for the role.

At Interview, you will be assessed against the following success profiles:

Behaviour

• Leadership
• Managing a quality service
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical

• Acquiring and Developing Specialist Knowledge in Security Management – Specialist Security Knowledge – Awareness level.
• Delivering Specialist Skills in Protective Security – Security Risk Management - Awareness level.

Further information:

Feedback will not be provided at application stage.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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