Physical Security Lead in Manchester

On behalf of The Government Property Agency, we are looking for a Physical Security Lead (Inside IR35) for a 6 month contract. This is a hybrid working role (up to three days per week office based - various locations including Manchester, Darlington or Sheffield).

The Government Property Agency is an Executive Agency of the cabinet office. It is changing the way the Civil Service works and is at the forefront of Government's transformation agenda; reshaping the relationship civil servants have with their place of work. The Agency is central to the delivery of key Government policies including moving 22,000 Civil Service roles out of London by 2030 and tackling climate change by contributing to the Net Zero agenda.

To do this we are delivering a major change programme across the UK and consolidating our portfolio in order to save £1.4 Bn over 10 years. Beyond the bricks and mortar, the GPA is about providing great workplaces for our people. This is an ambitious and exciting task, for which we need innovative people, with strong commercial acumen, who are passionate about visualising and implementing customer needs.

Job Purpose: The key purpose of the GPA Physical Security Lead is to provide physical security advice to identify and mitigate security risks in line with business needs. The GPA Physical Security Lead will also recommend the appropriate posture of physical and tactical resources to manage sites and maintain operational preparedness for security incidents. The postholder will provide support by ensuring that GPA successfully discharges its security obligations for all client departments and associated stakeholders. The role involves the requirement to travel across the UK on a regular basis. SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be eligible and willing to undergo these checks.

Main Responsibilities:

• Deliver security advice and actionable recommendations to colleagues, ensuring clients are proactively informed if impacted.
• Work with client departments to identify emerging threats and risks at site level.
• Drive the development of Operational Requirements (OR) to accurately inform security posturing.
• Educate GPA staff, supply chain, and stakeholders on security culture, threats, and risks.
• Act as the operational lead for executing formal Threat and Vulnerability Assessments and reviewing local security layers to formally document what controls are or are not in place and why.
• Build, maintain, and support the mitigation of the Risk Register.
• Maintain local Site Security Asset Registers to ensure clear visibility of physical infrastructure.
• Manage physical security system deficiencies by tracking Work Orders (WO) for equipment faults and ensuring mitigation is in place.
• Align with relevant regulation, policy and standards to provide proportional, practical advice, tailored to the local environment, and advise on any residual risk.
• Monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the Physical Security processes across the organisation, and make recommendations for continual improvement.

Essential:

• Experience in conducting security assessments.
• Experience of working in a multi-client service organisation.
• The ability to interpret and understand business needs of clients in order to build positive relationships.
• Working collaboratively in a small team environment and in a positive manner to build trust and rapport across the GPA.
• The ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing to gain support for initiatives and to enable solution implementation.
• To work autonomously, prioritising tasks effectively in order to meet deadlines (both internal and external) and communicating progress wherever necessary.
• Conversant with IT systems and the ability to analyse management information to inform decision making.

Desirable:

• Competent in the management of clients, stakeholders and contractors.
• Practical experience in negotiation skills that have achieved positive outcomes.
• Commitment to continuous improvement.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

DE&I Commitment: The Government Property Agency guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply.

Armed Forces Covenant: The Government Property Agency guarantees to interview veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates/military spouses or partners, who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following: this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.