Security and Estates Lead

As a Security and Estates Lead within the UKTL Team, you’ll play a critical role in safeguarding our people, facilities, and reputation. You’ll lead on physical, personnel and cyber security, ensuring our security posture remains proportionate to risk and aligned with government standards. You’ll also be responsible for managing our site and facilities. This is a hands‑on role where you’ll design, implement, and oversee security measures across a complex environment, including secure facilities and data centre operations. You’ll lead a small team of physical/personnel security, cyber security and estates professionals and be responsible for all security and estates matters, working to the Chief Operating Officer and closely with leadership colleagues to deliver a holistic approach to risk management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Overall responsibility for all security and estates matters at the UKTL facility.
• Maintain and promote a strong security culture.
• Oversee physical security standards, ensuring compliance with relevant accreditation requirements.
• Oversee Cyber Security to deliver integrated risk management.
• Build strong relationships with internal teams, contractors, and government agencies.
• Managing construction and building fit‑out projects and facilities contracts.
• Monitor emerging threats and provide intelligence to inform risk strategies.
• Manage security and estates aspects of data centre facilities, ensuring resilience and continuity of operations.
• Lead investigations into vulnerabilities or procedural failings and report findings.
• Respond to incidents, including out of hours.

Successful Applicants must be onsite at the UKTL offices in Birmingham at least three days a week. We strive to offer a great work life balance - if you are looking for full time, part time or flexible options, we will try to make this work where business possible. This will be dependent on the kind of role you do and part of the business you work in.

About You:

You’re an experienced security professional with a proven track record in designing and managing secure facilities and data centre environments. You combine technical expertise with strong communication skills, enabling you to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels.

Essential Skills & Attributes:

• Experience in physical security design and implementation, including data centre security.
• Ability to balance business needs with security and safety requirements.
• Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., DISA, Security Institute) or Vocational qualification such as CSMP or ASIS CPP.
• Discretion, integrity, and sensitivity in handling confidential matters.
• Adaptable, proactive, and able to work autonomously.
• Experience leading security professionals.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical. We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in this specific area means that nationality, residency and security requirements are more tightly defined than others. To work in this role, you will need to have a DV clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain a DV clearance.

About Us:

UKTL is building leading edge Telecoms testing facilities to keep our telecommunications networks safe, accelerate the roll‑out of new technologies, and grow our world leading telecoms sector to maintain resiliency and security. Successful candidates will join a state‑of‑the‑art facility and be supporting the team conducting testing and research on the latest technologies and innovations in the industry. You will work alongside our infrastructure and Cybersecurity professionals to ensure that the UK’s world class Telecoms infrastructure grows in a resilient and secure manner underpinning growth in other industry sectors.

As a trusted and independent national capability, UKTL interacts with standards bodies, Academia, and Government Departments as well as Communications Service Providers and equipment vendors. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world‑leading centre of excellence that provides cutting‑edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK.

At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity. As part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome.

We offer a wealth of above industry standard benefits, such as enhanced pension scheme, flexible working, and more. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.