Security Lead / Deputy Head of Establishment

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This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

In this role, you’ll be joining a small, high-performing team in a new position as STRAPSO, working alongside the Head of Establishment (HOE), overseeing all aspects of security, to ensure compliance with defence strategic intent, policy and delivery of mandated outcomes.

You’ll work to the direction of the Corporate STRAPSO, to ensure appropriate security processes procedures and assurance are in place, to maintain accreditation or gain accreditation of facilities.

STRAP is a regime that regulates access to sensitive intelligence material which requires more protective handling than is afforded by the standard arrangements for government assets.

Working alongside the HOE, you’ll assume some HOE assurance duties (including deputising when required), ensuring sites are maintained to a suitable state and conduct audits/security reviews, across all the sites within the service delivery wrap, and technical audits. You’ll have significant influence over the setting up, and delivery of, new facilities and will work with organisations across Defence to ensure compliance. While you have clearly defined responsibilities, the developing nature of this role provides scope for learning, with a growing portfolio of STRAP facilities.

This job role is not suitable for hybrid working, where an employee works part of the week in office and part of the week from home. It is expected that working from home will be on occasion, determined primarily by business need and other relevant circumstances. If you are successful, this will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, unless visiting part of an oversees audit/assurance review.

Please note that this position is open to sole UK Nationals only.

Responsibilities

• Ensuring STRAP facilities meet STRAP guidelines, local orders are produced and adhered to, whilst controlling the arrangements for the receipt and dispatch of STRAP material (including that in IT systems).
• Responsibility for the administration of a range of STRAP processes on site.
• Assuring and overseeing the work of the contractor’s STRAPSOs, to the authority standards, with respect to the passing of clearances, site access and security procedures and processes.
• Provide advice on STRAP and security matters to all personal delivering the service and visitors.
• Work alongside the HOE to assure the maintenance of facilities to the required standard, holding to account where there are issues.
• Conduct assurance audits and site visits across the delivery estate.

Open to UK nationals only.

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

To apply, please complete the CV template provided on the CS Jobs dashboard. The sift will be conducted on your CV, assessed against your relevant skills, knowledge and experience for the role and on your personal statement.

It is essential that all applicants provide a personal statement (max. 1250 words), which will be assessed against your responses to the questions listed below. Each one will be scored and make up part of your overall score to assess your suitability to be invited to interview:

1. Describe your working experience in a security or HOE role and how you improved the security culture or site environment. Include any of the key changes you made to achieve this effect.

2. Provide an example of when you have had to challenge where standards were not adhered to in the workplace. Please ensure you cover actions taken to recover the issue and how you were able to communicate effectively to ensure stakeholders were kept onside.

Interviews

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the interview process:

Behaviours

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating & Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Experience

• You will be asked questions about your relevant Security or HOE and assurance experience.

Further information:

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.