Bristol, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Reading, Warrington, York
Job Summary
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
Digital, Data, Technology and Security (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire Defra Group.
We have around 1000 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with Defra. If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.
Find Out More About DDTS
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We are Government Digital and Data Candidate Information Pack V3 - 1
Job Description
Defra is looking for an experienced Lead Security Architect to join our Digital, Data, Technology and Security teams. In this role, you will embed "secure-by-design" principles into critical national infrastructure and public-facing services. You will lead our threat modelling capabilities, provide actionable architecture guidance, and partner directly with delivery teams to ensure Defra’s services are secure by design.
Person specification
Responsibilities
Identify Threats:
- Map data flows, entry points, and system architecture to uncover and analyse potential security gaps across complex environments.
- Build actionable security controls and mitigation strategies to lower identified risks to acceptable levels.
Collaborate Cross-Functionally
- Work directly with solution architects, product managers and project teams to embed secure-by-design standards throughout the delivery lifecycle.
Evaluate & Apply Frameworks
- Apply structured methodologies (such as STRIDE or PASTA) to quantify, categorise, and prioritise architectural risks effectively.
Document And Automate
- Maintain complete threat lifecycle records and develop automation, scripts, or tooling to scale threat modelling processes across the department.
- Author clear, authoritative documentation to support threat modeling functions and internal ways of working.
Skills And Experience
- Proven experience working directly within agile/project delivery environments alongside multidisciplinary software and infrastructure teams.
- Deep expertise in threat modelling, risk management frameworks (STRIDE, PASTA, or similar), and secure system design.
- Proven track record of writing high-quality guidance documentation and standards for enterprise security architecture.
- Experience using, managing and configuring platforms such as IriusRisk for automated and manual threat modelling.
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Lead Security Architect employer: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Defra is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation and collaboration thrive. With a strong commitment to employee growth, we provide extensive opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and career progression within the digital, data, technology, and security sectors. Our inclusive culture fosters a sense of purpose as we work together to safeguard the natural environment and support the UK's food and farming industry, making a meaningful impact on society.
Contact Details:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Recruitment Team
