Cyber Security Principal | NHS England
| Dyddiad hysbysebu: | 18 Chwefror 2026 |
|---|---|
| Cyflog: | Heb ei nodi |
| Gwybodaeth ychwanegol am y cyflog: | £118,745 - £136,938 per annum (this includes a RRP payment of 30%) Exclusive of HCAS |
| Oriau: | Llawn Amser |
| Dyddiad cau: | 20 Mawrth 2026 |
| Lleoliad: | Leeds/Exeter/London/other office locations conside, LS1 4AP |
| Cwmni: | NHS England |
| Math o swydd: | Parhaol |
| Cyfeirnod swydd: | 7813642/990-TDD-CY-EC596-E |
Crynodeb
As a Cyber Security Principal (Band 8d) within NHS England’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Function, you will play a pivotal role at the heart of national cyber leadership. Operating as a core member of the CISO’s Extended Leadership Team, this position offers a rare opportunity to influence the strategy, priorities, and operating model of one of the most critical security functions in the health and care system.
You will bring deep expertise, strategic insight, and strong leadership to strengthen NHS England’s security posture across a complex, high stakes landscape. This is a highly visible role that shapes national approaches to cyber risk, informs executive level decision making, and drives mature, modern security practices across the organisation.
The Cyber Security Principal is trusted to lead with authority, collaborate with senior stakeholders, and deliver meaningful impact at scale. You will help define the future direction of NHSE’s central cyber capability— providing thought leadership, championing best practice, and supporting the CISO and Deputy CISO in advancing a coherent, proactive, and resilient security environment for the nation’s health services.
This role exists to turn national cyber ambition into operational reality
You will operate at a scale and complexity comparable to leading global enterprises, working at the sharp edge of risk, delivery, and service continuity — where decisions have real-world consequences for millions.
You will embed security into operational and programme delivery in a pragmatic, outcome driven way — setting direction, removing friction, and enabling teams to move faster with confidence. Your guidance will be proportionate, commercially credible, and aligned to organisational priorities, accelerating initiatives while strengthening resilience by default. The focus is on measurable impact, not theoretical compliance.
You will define what excellence looks like for a modern CISO function — building a high-performance culture grounded in ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement. You will attract and develop exceptional talent and keep the team focused on delivery.
You will shape complex, time critical decisions with senior leaders and delivery teams — cutting through ambiguity and communicating risk with clarity, evidence, and conviction. You will build trusted partnerships that position cyber as a strategic enabler of safe, effective national services.
You will continuously evolve how cyber operates — streamlining processes, reducing friction, and adapting rapidly to emerging threats and change — helping shape a future-ready security function that protects some of the UK’s most critical systems.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
We lead the NHS in England by:
• Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
• Making the NHS a great place to work, where people can develop and make a difference
• Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
• Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
• Delivering value for money
Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and waste.
If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Please ensure your supporting statement includes demonstratable evidence and specific examples on how you meet the criteria for each of the key skills specified. This will be used in both the shortlisting and interview processes
Location: Leeds/London/Exeter/other office locations may be considered but occasional travel to Leeds will be required.
Important: Please be aware there are residency requirements you need to meet:
All NHS England Cyber Security personnel must hold Security Clearance level as a minimum. To meet National Security Vetting requirements, SC clearances require 5 years continuous UK residency. In certain cases, this can be reduced to three years continuous UK residency, with additional overseas checks for the previous two years. Candidates who were posted abroad for service with HM Government, Armed Forces or within a UK government role - will still be considered.
Please make sure you meet these requirements before applying for this role. You don’t need to have SC already, however, failure to achieve the requirements for SC after offer will result in the job offer being withdrawn. For further advice please check https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels#security-check-sc
Please be aware that should you be successful in this position, you will be hired to the job title of Security Principal and this job title is advertised to attract the right skills needed for the role.
The post of Security Principal has been awarded a Recruitment and Retention Premia (RRP) in response to current labour market conditions. In recognition of this, the role attracts an additional monthly RRP payment equal to 30% per annum.
Please be aware that RRP is non-contractual and subject to review
This advert closes on Wednesday 4 Mar 2026