Lead Security Engineer in Watford

Lead Product Security Engineer – Defence Systems
Location:
Luton, Bedfordshire – Hybrid (approximately 4 days on-site per week) Rate:
£92.50 per hour Umbrella (Inside IR35) Contract:
6 months initially Clearance:
Active SC minimum (DV desirable) Nationality:
Sole British nationality required due to security restrictions on the programme The Opportunity We are recruiting for two experienced Lead Product Security Engineers to support the design, development and delivery of complex, bespoke defence and military systems. This is a hands-on, engineering-focused Product Security position, working directly alongside systems, hardware and software engineering teams to ensure security is embedded throughout the product lifecycle. The successful candidates will take technical ownership of product security activities, translating security risks and requirements into practical engineering solutions and ensuring security controls are appropriately designed, implemented, verified and maintained. Key Responsibilities
Lead Product Security activities throughout the full engineering lifecycle, from initial design and development through to verification, deployment and ongoing support.
Conduct security risk assessments, identify vulnerabilities and develop practical risk mitigation strategies for bespoke defence products.
Define and manage product security requirements, working closely with engineering teams to implement appropriate technical security controls.
Produce security management plans, security cases, risk assessments and supporting technical assurance documentation.
Advise engineering teams on secure system architectures, platform hardening, operating systems, firmware and software security controls.
Support penetration testing activities, analyse findings and develop appropriate remediation plans.
Engage with customers, technical authorities and security stakeholders to demonstrate compliance with relevant defence security standards.
Support through-life product security, including vulnerability management, patching, obsolescence and incident response.
Provide technical security guidance to multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Essential Experience
Proven experience in
Product Security Engineering, Systems Security Engineering or Secure by Design
within defence, aerospace or another complex product engineering environment.
Strong understanding of how security is designed and integrated into bespoke hardware, software and systems engineering solutions.
Experience undertaking technical security risk assessments, defining security requirements and developing mitigation plans.
Practical experience producing security cases and technical security assurance documentation.
Knowledge of UK MOD security requirements and relevant frameworks, such as Secure by Design, JSPs, NIST and ISO 27001.
Ability to work directly with engineering and development teams, influencing technical design decisions rather than operating solely in an advisory or governance capacity.
Strong communication skills and the ability to engage with customers, security authorities and technical stakeholders.
Desirable Experience
Experience working with electronic warfare, mission systems, military platforms or other specialist defence technologies.
Understanding of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and its relationship with Product Security.
Knowledge of embedded systems, firmware, bespoke operating systems and platform security.
Experience with cryptography, key management and secure communications.
Familiarity with security accreditation, Common Criteria or NATO security requirements.
Relevant professional security membership or qualifications, such as CIISec, ISC2 or ISACA.
Security Requirements
Applicants must hold
active SC clearance as a minimum , with DV clearance highly desirable. Due to the security restrictions associated with the programme, applicants must also be sole British nationals. Interested?
If you have a strong technical background in Product Security Engineering and enjoy working closely with engineering teams to secure complex defence systems, we'd be keen to hear from you.
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