IT Manager - Cyber Risk in Newcastle upon Tyne

Location: Newcastle, UK

Relocation supported: Not supported, but internal applications are welcome

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Overview of the role

As the Cyber Security Manager for Cyber Risk, you will lead this area of the cybersecurity strategy, governance, and execution. This senior role is accountable for shaping and delivering a robust security posture across Insider Risk Management, Identity and Access Management (IAM), audits, compliance, and quality assurance. You will manage a high-performing team of specialists, ensuring alignment with Zero Trust principles and driving continuous improvement to protect the organisation against evolving threats. You will influence strategic decisions and embed a security-first culture across all business units. Collaboration and stakeholder engagement are critical, as you will work closely with IT, compliance, and risk teams to integrate cyber security into enterprise-wide frameworks.

Key responsibilities

• Execute the cyber risk management strategy, aligning with organisational objectives and regulatory requirements
• Lead and develop a team of cyber security specialists, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Champion Zero Trust principles and ensure their integration across all security initiatives
• Oversee insider risk programs, investigations, and escalations using platforms such as Microsoft Purview, ServiceNow, Tenable One, and Zscaler
• Drive proactive threat detection and prevention strategies through advanced analytics and reporting
• Govern IAM frameworks and policies, ensuring least-privilege access and strong authentication measures
• Own the Cyber risk register and ensure integration with enterprise risk frameworks
• Lead audit readiness for Cyber Essentials, ISO certifications, and other regulatory requirements
• Develop and enforce security policies, standards, and governance reporting
• Work with adjacent IT teams and managers to direct incident response activities, ensuring rapid containment and root cause analysis
• Act as the primary point of contact for cyber matters with senior leaders and cross-functional teams

Personal attributes

• Strategic Thinker: Able to translate complex cyber security challenges into actionable strategies aligned with business objectives
• Leadership Presence: Inspires confidence and motivates teams, fostering collaboration and accountability
• Decisive Under Pressure: Maintains composure during incidents and critical events, making sound decisions quickly
• Excellent Communicator: Skilled at engaging both technical and non-technical audiences, simplifying complex concepts
• Proactive & Innovative: Continuously seeks opportunities to improve processes, enhance controls, and adopt emerging best practices
• Integrity & Professionalism: Demonstrates ethical leadership and commitment to safeguarding organisational assets

Key performance indicators

• Risk Reduction: Demonstrable improvement in organisational cyber risk posture
• Audit Success: Timely and accurate delivery of audit evidence with minimal findings
• Incident Response: SLA compliance for incident containment and resolution
• Policy Compliance: Reduction in breaches and increased adherence to security standards
• Team Development: Positive engagement scores and professional growth within the team

Proven leadership experience in cyber security and governance

Strong knowledge of IAM, insider risk, and Zero Trust principles

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

Ability to manage complex projects and competing priorities

Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or equivalent

Experience with DLP technologies, security analytics platforms, and governance dashboards

Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and audit processes

Please be advised that offers for this role are conditional upon obtaining the appropriate level of Security Clearance.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with everyday health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.
• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.