Chief Information Security Officer

Chief Information Security Officer required to work with a Public Sector organisation based in Liverpool. This is an initial 6 month contract, In Scope of IR35 paying up to £850 per day. Summary of the Role: As the Interim Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), you'll fulfil a critical leadership role until the appointment of the permanent incumbent, preventing disruption to our regulatory outputs and ensuring the secure transition of our systems through a major IT separation programme, focused on improving our internal cyber security. Reporting to the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO), the role is crucial to ensuring the on-going security and resilience of our systems and the information we require to inform our regulatory judgements. You'll work alongside technical experts and contracted partners to develop our security strategy, implement controls, deal with threats and embed best practice throughout the organisation, to enable us to be a modern, transparent regulator delivering value and trusted outcomes. Leadership qualities are essential, as you'll not only advise our Senior Leadership Team but also set an example to colleagues, developing a team and empowering them towards ever-improving performance. Beyond this, you'll represent at cross Industry forums, building key networks of contacts that will help us meet future challenges. This is an exciting role and an opportunity to join the organisation at a time of significant investment and transformation. The Main Duties As a priority you'll collate work undertaken so far to write the Cyber Security Strategy, produce a comprehensive cyber risk assessment across the organisation and assess our new IT Strategy to confirm and evidence that it will appropriately mitigate identified risks. As part of our overall cyber security strategy, you will develop a comprehensive cyber security training and awareness programme for staff. You will undertake risk based assessments (factoring in identified standards and best practice) on key information and cyber security issues and provide recommendations to the IT Separation SRO, the Data Protection Officer, Chief Information Officer and other key stakeholders. Essential Requirements You'll have led transformation programmes, have experience in modern technology and approaches, including cloud deployments and understand our unique role as an independent regulator, who is trusted with sensitive information You'll have a strong track record in cyber security at senior management level. This includes delivering transformational security improvements, leading innovation and managing a complex portfolio of projects. You'll bring a wide knowledge of cyber security and IT to the table, including knowledge of relevant legislation (including GDPR and NISR), understanding of emerging threats and security standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, Cyber Essentials and NIST. You'll also be familiar with ONRs Classification Policy. A natural communicator and collaborator, you'll be able to inspire colleagues and articulate strategy in a clear, engaging way. You'll take a creative and analytical approach to your work depending on the situation, balancing competing demands and achieving strong results. Qualifications You may be a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). An MSc in Information Security is also highly desirable, along with a relevant senior or lead level certification with the NCSC, although other qualifications will be considered. Full membership of the Institute of Information Security Professionals, Security Institute, British Computer Society or an equivalent organisation is also highly desirable. This post will require security clearance up to SC level Please apply should you meet the above criteria