Cyber Security Team Leaders – Autonomous Systems

Job content

Location

Dstl Porton Down or Dstl Portsdown West

About the job

Summary

Would you like the opportunity to Lead a Team of top Cyber Security professionals and technically contribute to our research, development or consultancy? We are a friendly, collegiate and rapidly growing Group dedicated to enabling MOD systems and platforms to have a World Class advantage by maximizing their Cyber security and dependability.

As Dstl’s first line of management, your primary purpose as a Team Leader (TL) is to provide leadership to the people in your team. The roles have a balance of leading / managing people and technical delivery, ensuring the development and delivery of capability to meet current and future demand.

The roles are within Dstl’s Cyber Security and Safety Group. We lead and undertake innovative research and are passionate about mitigating the risks of failure of Defence electronics and software through accidental or adversarial behavior that would otherwise harm the effectiveness of the UK’s military capabilities.

The Cyber Security Technologies Team Leader is responsible for stewarding the capabilities of our Technologies team that innovates new technical solutions across the NIST Cyber Security Framework Core Functional Areas, particularly those concerned with Detect and Respond.

The Cyber Security Autonomous Systems Team Leader is responsible for stewarding our expertise in dependable autonomous systems covering both the aspects of security and safe operation.

We would like you to have or be developing knowledge in the following areas relevant to the particular role:

• Cyber Security;

• Mathematical Modelling;

• Systems Engineering;

• Robotics;

• Industrial Automation;

• AI & ML;

• Safety Critical Systems;

• Software;

• Networks;

Job description

In this role you will:

• Lead a Team, but also undertake exciting, challenging and above all, worthwhile work, critical to Defence of the Realm.

• Develop & sustain capability (people relationships, infrastructure, knowledge, licenses to practice) to provide technical/scientific contribution to current and future projects across Dstl through effective use of the Team’s resources/expertise:

• Maintain awareness of current and future demand requirements

• Understand and use our different resource options to ensure an appropriate mix of resource

• Understand and optimally develop capability to align with Division Capability plans

• Build resilience through succession planning, including developing future leaders

• Line management of a team of ca.10 Team Members:

• Enable effective performance management and development of team members

• Allocate employees to tasks or projects based on requirements

• Coach and support Team Members career and personal development.

• Ensure that people have the necessary skills and competencies for the tasks assigned

• Ensure employees have knowledge of and conform to all safety and security and resilience requirements.

• Build employees engagement and create an environment which cultivates excellence through:

• setting the direction for your team, including how the team fits with strategic aims;

• creating a positive and inclusive working environment that aligns with Dstl Values, champions diversity and enables employees to excel

• communicating and owning difficult messages;

• challenging and addressing poor performance

• recognising and highlighting high performance

• networking with other Team Leaders and stakeholders to share good practice and ensure a coherent approach

• Implement Dstl’s policies and ensure compliance with the Management System

• Provide individual technical/professional contribution as agreed with Line Manager.

• Recommending:

• Allocation of employees to all leadership roles on projects (PM, PTA, LTR)

• Appointment of Capability Advisers to a programme

Responsibilities

We are looking for someone who has:

• A desire for a career with a difference, doing genuine good for our Country rather than growing a Company’s Bottom Line!

• A flair for problem solving and a passion for new technologies.

• The ability to efficiently develop good working relationships with a variety of people.

• Good networking skills.

• Tact and diplomacy in dealing with a wide range of issues/challenges

• Persistence to see things through to a conclusion

• Passion for developing capability and people

• The ability to lead through change

• Able to communicate coherently and sensitively, explaining complex issues in a way that is easy to understand.

• Emotional Intelligence, able to understand own and others reactions, motivations etc

• Able to handle conflicting priorities successfully delivering to changing requirements.

• Able to successfully handle multiple tasks simultaneously

• Sufficient Technical Competence in their domain to lead and earn the respect of a highly motivated technically proficient diverse team of people and successfully undertake your own project work within the Group

Important Information

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be British Citizens who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to understand the work you will undertake to protect us from any security threats. For this reason, we regret that only UK Nationals will be able to apply for this role. If you are an international or dual-national candidate, and you think you have the skills we need, please consider applying to any of our government, security or defence partners.

This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. For some roles Developed Vetting will also be required, in this case you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years.

If you are a current Dstl employee, you are encouraged to inform your line manager of your application as they can support you through the process and should you be successful it will help in negotiating a release date.

Work location

Dstl is strongly encouraging blended and flexible working either at one of our sites or from home or both. We want to empower you to undertake your duties at the most appropriate location for the task, however you will be allocated a Dstl site as a base. You may be required to travel to other Dstl and MoD sites as required.

We particularly welcome female and ethnic minority applicants and those from the LGBTQI community, as they are under-represented within Dstl at these levels.

Qualifications

• Degree or Higher Degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science or other numerate degree

• Other relevant qualifications will be considered for the right person if significant domain experience can be demonstrated

If the above sounds like you or sparks an interest, please click the apply button where you will be redirected to the civil service jobs website, where you can access the full job description.