Location
About the job
Job summary
UK Strategic Command (UK StratCom) Assurance Team positions are part of the Principal Security Advisor (PSyA) department of a busy 4*Headquarters. The demanding and operational nature of the Headquarters means that this role will require a significant level of flexibility and professionalism.
UK StratCom is one of the four front line military commands (alongside Navy, Army, and Air Force) which conducts joint operations and generates, develops, and manages key enablers. It has approximately 22,500 military and civilian personnel deployed across the UK and worldwide. UK StratCom is a 4* HQ and a Top Level Budget (TLB), tasked with developing and preparing an integrated Joint Force for current and future operations. It has a unique structure, with a small Headquarters that works above, and with, a number of subordinate organisations, including Permanent Joint Headquarters, Defence Intelligence, Defence Digital and MOD A Block. UK StratCom also has management and operational responsibility for the Overseas Bases of Gibraltar, Cyprus, the South Atlantic Islands, British Indian Overseas Territory and British Defence Support Unit Singapore.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job description
The role of the Security Assurance Team is to identify Physical and other security risks and highlight non-compliance and vulnerabilities to enable the effective management of risk.
Protective Security specialists employed on UK StratCom Assurance Teams provide direct support to commanders, through the completion of security surveys, inspections and the provision of specialist security advice in support of UK StratCom and broader Defence tasks, throughout the UK and Overseas Bases. Role level expectation is to deliver Physical Security assurance processes, including providing audit information to risk owners.
The UK Strategic Command SEO Security Assurance Team Leader will lead a team delivering second line assurance activity across the UK StratCom estate in the UK and Overseas Bases. This will cover a wide geographical area and a diverse range of assurance activity spanning Def CNI, STRAP, Establishments within the Defence Estate, and leased premises in the public/ industrial domain.
This will result in accurate and timely reporting to identify areas of compliance/ non-compliance, areas of risk, and recommendation of appropriate/ proportionate/ cost effective mitigations.
Reporting direct to the PSyA, the SEO Assurance Team Leader will champion the Defence Security Functional Strategy. Team leaders will ensure teams provide the means by which the Command can move
away from limited and towards delivering substantial assurance to the Directorate of Security and Resilience.
The Permanent Duty Station (PDS) is Northwood HQ and the positions will be predominately based from home addresses but are not home-working. They require a significant amount of UK and some overseas travel with remote stays away up to several days. As such, a high level of flexibility will be required to support the outputs of the team. Travel and expenses will be in accordance with Defence and Northwood HQ policies.
Responsibilities will include:
1. Management and delivery of the Assurance functional output. Ensuring that you and any personnel under your management observe and adhere to all extant policy directives regarding the delivery of protective security advice, guidance or support issued by or on behalf of the PSyA.
2. Lead on coordination and delivery of a range of security assurance activity supporting PSyA, Command/ Corporate STRAPSOs and Heads of Establishment at varying levels of complexity including:
- CNI Surveys
- STRAP Protective Security Surveys (SPSS)
- STRAP Protective Security Inspections (SPSI)
- SAP Assurance
- Protective Security Assurance Visits (PSAV)
- Bespoke Assurance Tasks as required
3. Deliver unambiguous, timely and accurate reports to the highest professional standard and within set time limits through the Team Leader. Products will reflect the findings of activity, areas of compliance/ non-compliance and risk.
4. Lead on working with all relevant stakeholders to identify, develop and recommend proportionate and cost effective mitigations to reduce risk.
5. Lead on the delivery of follow-up activity to support mitigation strategies and monitor/ upwardly report on progress.
6. Lead on engagement with the PSyA Assurance C2 coordinator to programme efficient and focused activity in-line with Command priorities.
7. Manage personal travel, accommodation, and expense arrangements in line with the relevant travel and subsistence policies.
8. Champion continual improvement and proactively seek to develop lessons learned arising from activity, opportunities to improve and, report these to the appropriate CoC or policy teams.
9. Handle, store and dispose of classified documents/ IT equipment in accordance with MoD Policy. Ensure compliance with all WfH behaviours across all platforms provided.
10. Ensure that all assurance team members maintain currency with the relevant policies and procedures relevant to the role including:
- JSP 440; The Defence Manual of Security
- Cabinet Office STRAP Supplement
- MOD STRAP Leaflets
- JSP 892; Risk Management
- JSP 503; The Defence Manual of Resilience
11. Ensure all team members continually develop their professional skills through collaborative working, sharing of best practice and peer review.
12. Be prepared to support Projects Team in the delivery of specialist security advice on UK StratCom programmes and wider Defence projects.
13. As a new team, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to refine and shape the team and its responsibilities.
14. The role holder will take lead responsibility for the recruitment of staff to their team.
*Note – UK and some International travel will be required with stays remote from the parent unit of several days at a time.
Person specification
The Assurance Team Leader will have a proven track record delivering assurance and physical security activity within defence, government, or industry. They will have experience of carrying out Protective Security Advisory Visits, STRAP Inspection activity and other physical security and assurance tasks as required. They will have been formally trained and will have underpinned this with appropriate levels of experience as a practitioner and, ideally, a manager.
The position is Veteran Friendly and would be ideally suited to Service Leavers from the relevant specialisation within the RAF Police and Intelligence Corps.
The Assurance Team Leader will:
- Be flexible, self-motivating and a team player.
- Have enthusiasm for security.
- Be able to work with autonomy, initiative, accurately and calmly in a fast-paced environment
- Have experience as a manager and reporting officer.
- Be suitably qualified and experienced to execute all assurance tasks required in the role.
Licences
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Changing and Improving
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Protective/ Physical Security
- Security Surveys
- Relevant skills, knowledge and experience to deliver key outputs
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%