Ministry of Justice

Overview of Security and Information Directorate (SID)       

SID is part of the Service Transformation Group. The Group oversees the building of a strategic vision for modernising and digitising our legacy systems, generating a coordinated plan across the MoJ and its agencies for transformation, and tracking delivery of this transformation.

Security and information management are fundamental building blocks of enabling the department to deliver. We have highly skilled experts working collaboratively with the department, Government Security Group, Government Knowledge and Information Management profession and other partners to enable the whole of the MoJ to function securely, lawfully and transparently.

We identify, manage, and mitigate MoJ’s security, data protection and information risks, and provide assurance against those risks. We’re also home to the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise. Part of our mission is to up-skill the department so that security becomes second nature to our people and partners.

Team Profile

Security and Counter Fraud work as part of the Security Information Directorate to keep the MoJ and its people safe and secure. We cover:

1. Group Security (including Personnel and Physical Security)
2. Security Governance and Portfolio
3. Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise
4. The Office of the Chief Security Officer

The responsibilities of the Personnel security team are:

• Deliver a high-quality National Security Vetting (NSV) service to ensure timely and accurate clearances.
• Manage personnel security risks through effective handling of cases within the NSV Aftercare process.
• Coordinate and oversee Overseas Security Travel Requests, ensuring compliance with security policy.
• Lead and develop the Insider Risk Programme, driving initiatives to identify and mitigate internal risk.
• Investigate, oversee, and continuously improve unauthorised disclosure investigations and processes.
• Advise on and enhance personnel security policies, processes, and guidance, collaborating with stakeholders to manage risks and support Ministry of Justice staff.

Summary

As Insider Risk Lead, you will drive a transformative programme that supports the Ministry of Justice’s five-year Insider Risk Strategy. This is a cross-discipline role, which considers more than security, it’s about shaping a culture of trust, resilience, and collaboration across the organisation. You will lead a change programme designed to proactively manage insider risk, reduce vulnerabilities, and protect what matters most.

You will champion a data-driven approach that turns insight into action. From building a strong stakeholder community and embedding governance structures, to driving innovation and improving working environments, your leadership will ensure insider risk management becomes a shared responsibility across MoJ.

You will work in partnership with the G7 Personnel Security Lead to deliver a proactive, integrated personnel security and insider risk capability across the Ministry of Justice. Together, you will lead a single, collaborative team, deputising for each other where necessary and building a culture of shared responsibility.

This is an opportunity to lead an exciting programme and ensure the MoJ’s approach to insider risk management is aligned with best practise.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

 The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities, and duties:

Insider Risk Programme

• Lead the Insider Risk Programme: delivering strategic objectives and providing expert insight to strengthen organisational security and manage risk effectively
• Programme Governance and Delivery: Establish and maintain robust structures to oversee transition planning and apply appropriate delivery methodologies across programme phases.
• Manage Risk and Change: Use Project Portfolio Management (PPM) principles to identify and mitigate risks, manage interdependencies, and deliver an integrated end-to-end programme view.

Stakeholder Engagement and Governance

• Build an Insider Risk Community: Develop and maintain a multi-disciplinary insider risk stakeholder community, driving collaboration and alignment across teams.
• Improve Compliance: Work with stakeholders to improve and maintain compliance with the Government’s Personnel Security Standards.
• Insider Risk Governance: Develop and lead insider risk governance groups to steer strategic priorities, embed a collaborative approach to risk, and leverage data insights to target areas of concern.

Insider Risk management

• Champion Data-Driven Insights: Direct analytical work to identify insider risk trends, enabling proactive and wellbeing-led risk reduction.
• Insider Risk Assessments: Oversee critical asset, insider risk and role-based risk assessments for MoJ HQ, ensuring processes safeguard the organisation.

Unauthorised Disclosure

• Unauthorised disclosure strategy: Set the strategic direction for managing unauthorised disclosure investigations, ensuring governance, proportionality, and adherence to legal and HR standards across the Ministry of Justice.
• Provide senior oversight and resilience for investigations: deliver clear, timely briefings and proactive engagement with senior stakeholders, including the Chief Security Officer and Permanent Secretary, to build and maintain trust throughout the process.

Leadership and Continuous Improvement

• Empower a High-Performing Team: Manage a team of around 7 staff, including direct line management of 5 SEOs, setting clear objectives and promoting collaboration.
• Develop Capability and drive innovation: Champion professional development and resilience, encouraging a strong, supportive culture and coaching future security professionals.
• Maintain Agility and Resilience: Align with evolving priorities and provide leadership cover, as necessary to guarantee continuity of critical personnel security functions.

This list is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Minimum Eligibility  

• All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post. This post requires the successful candidate to achieve DV clearance. It is not a pre-requisite for the role but eligibility for DV clearance is.
• All external candidates are subject to a minimum of 6 months’ probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within MoJ.

Application Process 

This vacancy will be assessed using Success Profiles:

The Civil Service recruits using Success Profiles. This means for each role we advertise; we consider what the candidate will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

A Success Profile is made up of 5 elements:

• behaviours - the actions and activities that people do which result in effective performance in a job.
• strengths - the things we do regularly, do well and that motivate us.
• ability - the aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard
• experience - the knowledge or mastery of an activity or subject gained through involvement in or exposure to it.
• technical - the demonstration of specific professional skills, knowledge or qualifications.

Not all the elements are relevant to every role, and will vary depending on the profession, level and type of role.

For this role the application process is:

1)  Written application

1. Behaviour-Making Effective Decisions
2. Statement of suitability against the essential/desirable skills- 750 words
3. CV

If there are a high number of applications a long sift will be completed on behaviour Making Effective Decisions

2)     Interview

1. 10min presentation with supporting slides
2. Behaviour questions, changing and improving and communicating and influencing.
3. Strength based questions

Essential Skills

• Knowledge and expertise of insider risk.
• An understanding of HMG unauthorised disclosure policy and procedures, including relevant legislation.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation capabilities, with a focus on strategic and collaborative delivery.
• Ability to form excellent relationships at different levels of the organisation and with the wider insider risk community, including engaging confidently with senior leadership.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to distil complexity into actionable priorities.
• Exceptional communication skills, including written, verbal, and presentation.
• Highly self-motivated, able to work autonomously and drive initiatives forward.
• Strong risk management capability, including assessing and mitigating insider risk.
• Exceptional decision-making skills in complex, high-risk environments.
• Experience of preparing and delivering briefings and/or submissions to senior level staff, supervisory boards and other stakeholders.

Desirable skills:

• Experience managing or implementing complex change programme.
• Experience in conducting unauthorised disclosure investigations.
• Experience working in Counter fraud, Unauthorised disclosure, counter corruption or a similar profession.
• Experience in developing and influencing security policy.
• Certification in Insider Threat Programme Management or Evaluation (e.g., SEI Institute or equivalent).
• In-depth knowledge of Government Security Personnel Security Standards.
• Proven ability to run effective governance groups and security compliance structures.
• Proven leadership experience, including managing multi-disciplinary, nationally dispersed teams.