At a Glance
- Tasks: Support and enhance cyber security operations to protect vital NHS systems.
- Company: Join NHS Dorset, a leader in innovative healthcare solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a collaborative team dedicated to improving community health.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in patient care by combating cyber threats.
- Qualifications: Degree in IT or cyber security, with hands-on experience in security operations.
The predicted salary is between 49387 - 56515 £ per year.
The IT Cyber Specialist is responsible for supporting the delivery, monitoring, and continual improvement of cyber security operations across the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and GP IT estate. The post holder helps protect critical clinical and corporate systems by strengthening defences, supporting incident response, managing vulnerabilities, patching, and ensuring adherence to NHS cyber, DSPT CAF and other information security standards. Working under the direction of the Head of IT Infrastructure & Cyber Operations, the IT Cyber Specialist provides expert hands-on cyber security capability, maintains tooling and monitoring platforms, and contributes to organisation-wide cyber resilience. The role supports safe patient care by helping prevent, detect, and mitigate cyber threats.
Main duties of the job include:
- Supporting the day-to-day cyber security operations across the Integrated Care Board (ICB) & GP IT estate.
- Monitoring & managing security tools, investigating & responding to security alerts & incidents.
- Conducting vulnerability assessments, & supporting patching & remediation activities.
- Working closely with internal IT teams, NHS partners, suppliers & national cyber services to strengthen the organisation's security posture.
- Maintaining cyber security records & compliance evidence, producing technical reports, supporting security audits, responding to national cyber alerts, & providing specialist advice on cyber risks & secure working practices.
- Contributing to cyber improvement programmes, security hardening initiatives, resilience testing, disaster recovery exercises & phishing simulations.
- Supporting identity & access management processes, helping develop secure technical standards, & assisting with the implementation of new cyber security tools & controls.
- Acting as a subject matter expert for cyber security, helping to improve organisational resilience, supporting compliance with NHS & regulatory requirements, & promoting a strong culture of cyber awareness across the organisation.
- Occasional participation in out-of-hours support for major incidents & essential maintenance may be required.
About us: Under the Model ICB Blueprint and the 10 Year Health Plan, ICBs will adopt a more strategic commissioning role, focusing on population needs, reducing inequalities, and delivering the three shifts as defined in the 10-year health plan, all while operating within strict financial limits. The new organisation will operate on a larger scale with a revised vision and purpose, managing a commissioning budget of around 8 billion. Our role as a strategic commissioner is to transform our local NHS through exceptional commissioning and build an innovative health system fit for the 21st century that truly meets our communities' needs.
We will encourage and support our people to grow and develop new skills and embrace new agile ways of working. Everyone is encouraged to contribute ideas, seek feedback, and take part in creating a listening and learning culture where insight leads to improvement. We will work as a team of teams, collaborating across services and professions to deliver the best outcomes for our communities. You will be encouraged, and expected to model inclusive behaviours, valuing diverse perspectives and helping to create a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported, and able to thrive.
Details:
- Date posted: 11 August 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 7
- Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
- Reference number: D9467-26-0006
Job responsibilities: For detailed information on this IT Cyber Specialist job, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Person Specification:
- Experience: Strong technical understanding of cyber security principles, secure configuration, threat detection and vulnerability management.
- Experience working with security monitoring and protective tooling such as Microsoft MDE, vulnerability scanning tools, identity security and multi-factor authentication.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 security in nhs.net connect.
- Understanding of network security concepts (e.g., firewalls, segmentation, IDS/IPS, DNS filtering).
- Knowledge of patching methodologies, operating system hardening, and baseline compliance.
- Awareness of national NHS cyber policies, cyber alerts, and regulatory expectations e.g. NIS and DSPT CAF.
- Hands-on technical experience supporting cyber security operations in a complex IT environment.
- Experience analysing security alerts, investigating incidents, correlating events, and contributing to incident response.
- Experience conducting vulnerability assessments, patch compliance checks and remediation tracking.
- Experience working with IT teams to improve security posture across endpoints, servers, networks, and cloud environments.
- Experience documenting incidents, maintaining risk registers, and producing security reports.
- Ability to communicate technical cyber risks clearly and appropriately to both technical and non-technical colleagues.
- Ownership of issues and demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales.
- The promotion of equality of opportunity and good working relations (providing practical leadership).
- Self-motivated, demonstrating honesty and integrity and promoting organisational values.
- Embrace change, viewing it as an opportunity to learn and develop.
Qualifications: Educated to degree level in a relevant IT, cyber security, or computer science discipline, or able to demonstrate equivalent specialist experience at an advanced technical level. Professional cyber security qualification(s) desirable, such as CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CySA+, EC-Council CEH (Desirable), CISSP / CCSP / CISM (or working toward). Evidence of ongoing professional development in cyber security, threat detection, security monitoring, and vulnerability management. Knowledge of NHS cyber frameworks (DSPT, Cyber Assessment Framework, NIS/NIS2) acquired through formal training or relevant experience. Training or certification in security tooling (MDE, vulnerability management, identity protection) advantageous.
IT Cyber Specialist in Dorchester employer: National health service
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that prioritises patient safety and service improvement. With a strong commitment to employee development, including leadership training and apprenticeship programmes, staff are empowered to grow their skills while contributing to the health of London. The Trust's inclusive culture and focus on quality management ensure that employees feel valued and supported in their vital roles.
