Cyber Security Apprentice

Department: IT

Location: Worsley Compensation: £16,224 - £25,776 / year

Description

The Cyber Security Apprentice will support the day-to-day work of the Cyber Security team while working towards the Level 4 Cyber Security Technologist apprenticeship standard. The apprenticeship typically runs for around 24 months and combines practical, on-the-job experience with structured study, leading to an end-point assessment. The role is designed to build the knowledge, technical skills and professional behaviours needed to apply an understanding of cyber threats, hazards, risks, controls and mitigations to help protect the organisation’s systems, data and people.

This role is ideal for someone with a strong interest in technology and cyber security who is keen to build a career in the field through a practical, work-based apprenticeship. In the early stages the apprentice will spend much of their time learning alongside experienced colleagues - understanding how security alerts, tickets, investigations and operational tasks are handled - before taking on more complex and independent work as their knowledge, competence and confidence grow.

Working as part of a small Cyber Security team, the apprentice will work closely with other IT teams, including the IT Service Desk, Infrastructure and other technical colleagues, and will carry out their work to the required security outcomes within a legal and regulatory context. The role is expected to be office-based during the initial training period, with hybrid working considered once the apprentice is suitably trained and able to work effectively with less direct supervision.

Key Responsibilities

• Learn alongside experienced Cyber Security colleagues to understand how security operations, engineering and risk activities are delivered in practice, taking on greater responsibility as the apprenticeship progresses.
• Support the monitoring, triage and investigation of security alerts and events using SIEM and other security tooling, escalating where required.
• Assist with security incident investigation and response, ensuring findings, actions and outcomes are documented accurately.
• Support vulnerability management activities, including scanning, remediation tracking, validation and follow-up.
• Help identify, analyse and communicate cyber threats, attack techniques and vulnerabilities, and contribute to suitable controls and mitigations.
• Contribute, under guidance, to the secure configuration, testing and hardening of networks, endpoints, operating systems and security tools.
• Support risk, governance and compliance activities, including work aligned to recognised standards and frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST and Cyber Essentials.
• Develop practical skills in scripting and automation to support security tasks and investigations.
• Help maintain security documentation, policies, procedures, knowledge articles and internal guidance.
• Assist with reporting and summaries relating to incidents, vulnerabilities, risks, trends and system health for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Support cyber security awareness activities and user communications, recognising the human dimension of security.
• Complete all study, coursework, off-the-job training and assessments required by the apprenticeship, and take an active part in team meetings and knowledge-sharing.
• Occasional flexibility may be required to support planned maintenance, projects or business requirements outside standard working hours.