Chief Cyber Architect

Police ICT

Join Police Digital Service as Chief Cyber Architect.

Starting salary – £95,000

About Police Digital Service

Police Digital Service strives to be the go-to partner for technology developments and programmes across UK policing. Our team provides technical advice and delivers services to help policing and law enforcement organisations across the UK prioritise and focus on technology efforts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the security design authority for business change decisions ensuring that all security architecture activities and deliverables are consistent with standards, policies and strategies defined in the PDS Technical Blueprints.
• Responsible for definition, design and interpretation of technical artefacts from business design specifications and capability to create secure solutions that meet business requirements.
• Design and assess solutions using sound security architecture principles across PDS and UK police force environments, ensuring information systems are compliant with frameworks (NIST, ISO27001, CIS, OWASP), applicable laws, policies, and standards
• Make sure there is separation of control from technical design authority responsibilities – establish and lead a Security Design Authority (SDA) to ensure that solutions are secure.
• Assure compliance with security controls to identify control gaps, develop remediation plans and determine residual risk across both local and national programs
• Monitor security, technological, data, social and scientific trends and innovations that could influence PDS and policing’s strategy and business plans, and share good practice and ideas to increase both agility and security with NPTC and other key PDS stakeholders
• Apply innovative security architecture solutions to problems and be able to justify and communicate design decisions to forces and project stakeholders
• Ensure appropriate quality of security architecture artefacts, engagement, and managing escalations when they arise.
• Develops and maintains technical architectures, in particular reference architectures and non-functional requirements including security considerations.
• Lead by example and drive the engagement of Security Architecture across PDS, National Systems and UK forces.
• Keep informed of new and emerging security threats & assess effectiveness of current controls to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Work with CTO to establish and maintain effective relationships with Home Office and other National policing bodies, forums and programmes to ensure ongoing alignment and efficiency, minimise duplication and ensure clear direction for Forces and LEAs.

Key Criteria

• A minimum of 5 years of proven, demonstrable and current experience in a senior security architectural leadership role in large and complex organisation with equally complex service requirements.
• Proven experience of delivering security in one or more of the following cloud service provider environments: Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Strong experience building security reference architecture for ‘all-in’ public cloud deployments and hybrid scenarios, including IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. This will include requirements definition, architecture development, development of use cases and playbooks, systems integration, and testing.
• Experience in defining and/or implementing security controls across multiple layers of the IT architecture stack.
• Experience of working in a security architecture team, including the production of design documentation (HLDs, LLDs, blueprints etc.), supporting cloud architecture, design, implementation, operations, and automation in Azure AWS and GCP.
• Strong knowledge and ability to demonstrate the use of the NIST Cyber Security Framework, mapping and translating NIST Cyber Security Controls to other frameworks such as ISO27001 and CIS Top 20 controls, including understanding of the Azure Cloud Adoption Framework.
• Strong understanding of privacy requirements (including GDPR and DPA 2018).
• Experience working with public sector/police/HMG clients.

Desirable:

• Microsoft technical certifications: Azure Solutions Architect, Azure Security Engineer, 365 Security Administrator.
• AWS technical certifications: AWS Solutions Architect, AWS Security.

Our Values are:

• We value People
• We do the right thing
• We are innovative
• We are one Team
• We are proud and passionate

Why Join us?

• Balance is important and we want you to take time off to recharge – we offer 28 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 5 years of service. Holiday Purchase also available
• Flexible working hours – We trust you to do your job and we appreciate that life doesn’t always fit around a 9 to 5 workday. We operate core hours of 10 to 4, Monday to Friday (37hr week)
• We care about your well-being – we have an EAP that offers not just welfare benefits but also retail discounts
• Plan for the future – we offer an excellent pension scheme and life assurance cover
• Put your mind at rest regarding your health – offering remote GP, mental health and physiotherapy appointments via video consultation

You can find out more here:Benefits – Police Digital Service (pds.police.uk)

Diversity, equity and inclusion

We are committed to equal opportunity for all and will not discriminate on any grounds. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible span of experience. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates and people with disabilities.

Working Arrangements

This is a remote role.

Please note, we may choose to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications for this role so please endeavour to to complete your application as soon as possible