Lead Cyber Security Analyst - Vulnerability Management in Glasgow

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Cyber Security Lead – Vulnerability Management to join the Digital Risk & Security branch within Digital Delivery & Change. This role is responsible for leading the delivery and continuous improvement of Vulnerability Management services, helping to protect Social Security Scotland’s digital services, systems, and sensitive information from emerging cyber threats.

As a technical lead within the Security Operations function, you will lead a small team of specialist security professionals and provide leadership and expertise across the organisation’s vulnerability and exposure management capabilities. Working closely with infrastructure, application, cloud, and security teams, you will drive the identification, assessment, prioritisation, and remediation of vulnerabilities, ensuring that cyber risks are effectively managed and reduced across a complex, cloud-first technology estate.

You will lead the operational delivery and development of key Vulnerability Management services, including:

• Vulnerability and Exposure Discovery
• Vulnerability Triage, Risk Assessment and Reporting
• Risk-Based Vulnerability Prioritisation
• Security Configuration and Hardening Assurance
• Patch and Remediation Governance
• Asset Discovery and Attack Surface Management
• Cloud Security and Vulnerability Monitoring
• Vulnerability Metrics, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement
• Threat-Informed Risk Assessment and Remediation Planning

The role requires strong technical knowledge of vulnerability management practices, threat and risk management, and security technologies, combined with the ability to engage effectively with technical and business stakeholders. You will provide expert advice, support the development of team capability, and drive improvements to processes and tooling to ensure vulnerabilities are identified and remediated in a timely and risk-based manner.

If you are passionate about reducing cyber risk, improving security resilience, and helping protect critical public services, we would welcome your application.

The Vulnerability Management Lead is responsible for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and information systems used by government and Partners Across Government. Performs security risk, vulnerability assessments, and business impact analysis for complex information systems or risk-based projects.

Investigates security breaches in accordance with established procedures and recommends required actions and supports / follows up to ensure these are implemented. Specifies requirements for environment, data, resources and tools. Interprets, executes and documents complex test scripts using agreed methods and standards. Contributes to the development of cyber security policy, standards and guidelines appropriate to business, technology and legal requirements and in accordance with best professional and industry practice. Understands “voice of the customer” and develops mechanisms to proactively sense adoption and usage patterns of consumer technologies by end users so that policy can align with need.

Responsibilities

• Leads the identification, assessment and remediation of security vulnerabilities across infrastructure, endpoints, applications and cloud services, using threat intelligence and risk-based prioritisation to reduce cyber risk.
• Has oversight of security administration processes and checks that all requests for support are dealt with according to agreed procedures.
• Contributes to the development of cyber security policy, standards and guidelines appropriate to business, technology and legal requirements and in accordance with best professional and industry practice.
• Deliver specific pieces of work resulting from the Cyber Security Strategy, related to cyber business risk and information control/protection requirements.
• Champion incident management, incident investigation and response policy and/or incident management and investigation processes, procedures and systems.
• Performs security risk, vulnerability assessments, and business impact analysis for complex information systems or risk-based projects.
• Leads and directs Cyber Security Analysts to create test cases using in-depth technical analysis of risks and typical vulnerabilities and to produce test scripts, materials and test packs to test new and existing software or services.
• Specifies requirements for environment, data, resources and tools. Interprets, executes and documents complex test scripts using agreed methods and standards.
• Maintains current knowledge of malware attacks, and other cyber security threats.
• Maintains knowledge of specific specialisms, provides detailed advice regarding their application and executes specialised tasks.

Qualifications

Experience of designing and performing vulnerability and/or configuration non-compliance risk assessments using appropriate risk assessment methodologies to effectively and consistently manage exposure risks in complex IT environments with competing priorities. Experience of designing and implementing safe multi-platform test programmes for systems, products, applications or processes, selecting suitable techniques, tools and test strategies to identify vulnerabilities, and determine whether they are exploitable, adapting your testing approach based on findings.

Behaviours:

• Leadership - Level 3
• Communicating and Influencing - Level 3

This role is aligned to Lead Cyber Security Analyst within the Government Digital and Data Profession. These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will not be assessed at application stage.

How to Apply: Apply online, you must provide a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the Experience and Behaviours listed in the Success Profiles above. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Expected Timeline (subject to change): Sift - w/c 24th August, Interview – w/c 7th September.

Location - In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow.

About Us: Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working Pattern: Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options, depending on the needs of the role. We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location, which will be either Glasgow or Dundee.

If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Security checks: Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

This post requires the successful candidate to clear additional National Security Vetting clearance (Security Check) before a start date can be offered.

Equality Statement: Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion, and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post.

Right to Work in the UK: Social Security Scotland is an approved sponsor under the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route.

Further Information: Social Security Scotland’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you can make a complaint, by contacting Social Security Scotland at recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot in the first instance.

The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.

Apply before 23:55 on Thursday 20th August.