Deputy Director Cyber Resilience and Growth - Department for Culture, Media and Sport - SCS1

Location: This role may be based in one of the following locations: London, Manchester, or Darlington. Occasional travel to other DCMS offices will be expected. The department operates a discretionary Hybrid Working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home-based location for 40-60% of the time. Senior Civil Servant (SCS) staff are expected to aim for closer to 60% of the time at an office or non-home-based location over the accounting period.

About the job: This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of Cyber Security and Digital Identity Directorate’s approach to cyber resilience and economic growth and play an important part in DCMS's ambitious agenda. The postholder will lead a team of around 35 delivering a series of policies and programmes to drive greater cyber security and digital resilience across the UK, including through the development of new legislation on secure technologies, and supporting our vibrant and regionally diverse cyber security sector. You will work with a broad range of stakeholders, including the National Cyber Security Centre, international counterparts, and people from across the cyber industry and wider tech community.

As Deputy Director for Cyber Resilience and Growth you will be leading a Unit, of three G6-headed teams: securing organisations, securing technologies, and growth, standards and delivery. You will act as the SRO for both the Growth and Resilience pillars, within the cross-government national cyber governance, with a secretariat team to support you in doing so. You will also act as the senior representative for cyber into the governance of the Industrial Strategy.

The portfolio brings together much of DCMS' work to:

• Improve cyber resilience across businesses, critical sectors and public services.
• Drive adoption of cyber security standards and good practice.
• Deliver major resilience initiatives such as Cyber Essentials, codes of practice and certification schemes.
• Develop new legislation on secure technologies and work on promoting greater regulatory alignment between UK and international regimes, such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
• Support growth of the UK’s thriving cyber sector through programmes, innovation and skills initiatives, and deliver on the Cyber Growth Action Plan.
• Lead implementation of the Growth and Resilience pillars of the National Cyber Action Plan.

As Deputy Director for Cyber Resilience and Growth your key responsibilities will include:

• Lead and inspire a high-performing, multidisciplinary team.
• Provide strategic leadership for the Government’s cyber resilience and cyber growth agenda including managing a budget of £15m.
• Provide governance and accountability to the Integrated Security Fund for £90m on resilience over the SR period.
• Shape and deliver long-term strategies, policies and programmes to improve cyber resilience across the UK economy.
• Lead development and implementation of policies to improve cyber resilience across critical sectors, businesses and public services.
• Lead the Government’s efforts to grow the UK cyber sector, supporting innovation, investment, skills development and export opportunities.
• Represent DCMS at senior forums across government, industry and international organisations, and engage with international counterparts.
• Ensure effective programme, budget, risk and performance management across the portfolio.

Person specification: The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience, please note that desirable skills will only be used in the event of tied candidates.

Essential Requirements:

• Strategic leadership: Proven ability to lead in a complex environment, taking a strategic approach to identifying growth opportunities and anticipating future challenges, juggling short-term pressures with long-term goals.
• Policy and strategic acumen: High degree of comfort working in a broad policy environment that spans economic growth, national security, science and technology. You must have a record of developing evidence-based policy and working closely with ministers.
• Delivery of complex cross-sector programmes: Evidence of effectively delivering complex programmes or initiatives that span multiple sectors or delivery partners. You must be able to adjust priorities swiftly as situations change, enabling the organisation to remain focused on core priorities.
• Collaboration and stakeholder management: Excellent ability to engage, influence, and partner with a broad range of senior stakeholders in the private sector, academia, and across government. You need to be adept at brokering collaborations and addressing stakeholder concerns. Strong negotiation and relationship skills are essential.
• Inclusive leadership: Track record of building a team that prizes inclusion, values diversity, and promotes a positive culture both within and outside the organisation. You must ensure the wellbeing of all individuals is valued, with evidence of confronting issues and challenging assumptions at the highest levels in an assertive yet constructive way. You will be a role model for Civil Service values.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience of working on cyber security and/or digital resilience.
• Experience and understanding of economic growth policies or programmes to boost industry innovation, investment, and competitiveness.
• Experience in the private sector - in industry or in an investment role – or of working closely with the private sector from government.
• Experience working with international stakeholders.