Cyber Security Operations Lead in Cardiff

As part of a growing Cyber Security team, you will provide subject matter expertise on cyber security risks and opportunities and use your skills and experience to detect and respond to threats and vulnerabilities. Reporting to the Cyber Security Operations Manager, you will work closely with colleagues across our Digital, Data and Technology department, as well as relevant authorities and support partners, to drive and deliver effective cyber security.

Key responsibilities

• Responding to alerts from monitoring/detection systems within defined SLAs
• Using configured tools and scripts to identify potential cyber security breaches
• Following procedures to analyse, respond to, and/or escape cyber security incidents
• Monitoring security appliance health, performing basic troubleshooting of security devices, and escalating severe problems to engineers
• Contributing to the development of incident response capabilities, policies, and procedures
• Maintaining logs of all actions taken

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage

• Substantial experience in cyber security operations
• Demonstrable skills and knowledge of security operations and incident management, including configuration, operation, and maintenance of secure systems, detection and response to incidents, and collection and use of threat intelligence.
• Demonstrable skills and knowledge of security management systems and organisational security controls, including standards, best practices, and approaches to risk assessment and mitigation.
• Working experience of developing and delivering security education and awareness programmes.

Essential criteria assessed during interview

• Knowledge of security operations and incident management, including configuration, operation, and maintenance of secure systems, detection and response to incidents, and collection and use of threat intelligence.
• Knowledge of security management systems and organisational security controls, including standards, best practices, and approaches to risk assessment and mitigation.
• Knowledge of human factors, including usable security, social and behavioural factors impacting security, security culture and awareness, as well as the impact of security controls on user behaviours.
• Good time management skills, and an ability to remain calm under pressure and manage complex workloads.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills with people at all levels, and an ability to influence change at an organisational level.
• Self-motivated and dynamic with the ability to identify issues and own remediations.

Why work for the ICO?

• Pay progression scheme.
• Hybrid and flexible working options.
• 25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays.
• Flexi leave (up to 26 additional days leave per year).
• Pension (employer contribution around 28.9%).
• Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.
• Health Cash Plan.
• Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.

The ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks. Candidates with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy will be invited to interview as part of the ICO’s commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme. As part of the ICO’s commitment to our EDI objectives and creating a workplace that represents the communities and societies we serve, we guarantee an interview to candidates who declare they identify as belonging from an ethnic minority background and who meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy.

In addition to the standard pre-employment checks all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period, which for SC is five years prior to your vetting application.

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Monday 17th August 2026. Your cover letter should be no more than 1,000 words and should clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role. Please note that interviews for this role are scheduled to take place in mid-September 2026. All candidates who meet the minimum criteria and apply in-line with our guaranteed interview scheme for disabled and ethnic minority applicants will be interviewed.

Clearance Required for this role: Security Check (SC)