GCHQ
NCSC Cyber Security Analyst
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Manchester
Job Summary
About us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity, and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners, MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage.
At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that emphasises teamwork.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, is the UK Government’s lead authority on cyber security. The organisation is at the heart of the Government’s cyber security strategy and aims to make the UK the safest place to live and work online.
Job Description
The role
As a Cyber Security Analyst at the NCSC, you’ll be at the heart of the UK’s cyber defence. Working alongside industry, intelligence partners, international allies, and law enforcement, you’ll help prevent, disrupt and investigate the most serious cyber threats facing the UK. In this role, you’ll tackle complex challenges using a range of techniques supported by our unique access to data, capabilities and legal authorities.
Developing a detailed understanding of how hostile cyber actors operate sits at the core of this role, alongside working collaboratively with colleagues to deliver reliable, evidence-based guidance to expert communities across the UK and internationally. Within an Agile environment, you’ll work on a variety of projects, helping to build insight into adversaries’ intent, capabilities and the vulnerabilities they target. By analysing threats and trends, and identifying patterns and connections, your work supports the development of a comprehensive view of the cyber threat landscape. Sharing this insight is key to strengthening defences and countering those who seek to do harm to the UK.
Depending on your skills and interests, you may specialise in one or more areas within Cyber Security. This could include intrusion analysis, operational technology, penetration testing or malware analysis. You might also explore the security of networking and telecommunications technologies.
Person specification
About You
We’re looking for someone with a genuine enthusiasm to learn, who can develop, adapt and apply their skills across a wide range of investigative problems to deliver meaningful impact and help protect the UK.
You’ll hold a degree (minimum 2:2) or equivalent qualification in a STEM subject. Alternatively you may have relevant work experience in a technical or cyber security role. Applicants without a degree must demonstrate relevant work experience, together with GCSEs (grade C/4 or above, or equivalent) in English Language and Maths. Alongside this, you’ll bring a keen interest in cyber security, supported by an analytical approach and a proactive, problem-solving mindset. You’ll be comfortable working both collaboratively and independently, with the ability to explore, understand and communicate complex technical concepts clearly. With a tenacious and naturally curious approach, you’ll continuously apply your learning gained both on and off the job to deepen your understanding of the UK’s cyber adversaries and contribute to the effective defence of our networks.
GCHQ Competencies
As part of the selection process, the NCSC will assess you using competencies aligned with those used across the UK Intelligence Community. These are closely based on the Civil Service Behaviours, so if you’re familiar with those, you’re already on the right track.
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At Level 2, we’ll be looking at how you demonstrate the following:
- Continuously Developing (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Developing Self and Others)
- Communicating and Influencing (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Communicating and Influencing)
- Working Collaboratively (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Working Together)
- Making Effective Decisions (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Making Effective Decisions)
- Delivering Outcomes (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Delivering at Pace)
Learning and development
At NCSC and GCHQ, we are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment, which is designed to encourage open minds and attitudes. As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential. With comprehensive training and development opportunities, tailored to your needs and the requirements of your work, we will enable you to flourish in your role and perform to the very best of your abilities.
Rewards And Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £37,892, which includes a concessionary payment of £2,758.
This role attracts a specialist skills payment. You’ll be assessed against the relevant skills criteria and your progress in post. To learn more, please visit the Life at GCHQ page on our website.
Other Benefits Include
- 25 days’ annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
- opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
- an interest-free season ticket loan
- a cycle to work scheme
- facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars; availability varies by location
- paid parental and adoption leave
- an excellent pension scheme - Civil Service pension
Equal opportunities
At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Disability Confident
GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident Leader, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. This is known as the Offer of an Interview.
Role
To secure an interview for this role, candidates must meet the minimum criteria, which will be assessed at the CV sift stage:
- You'll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which assesses criteria important for all roles in our organisation.
- A degree (minimum 2:2) or equivalent qualification in a STEM subject. Alternatively, we will consider relevant work experience in a technical or cyber security role, together with GCSEs (grade C/4 or above, or equivalent qualifications) in English Language and Maths
- Able to demonstrate the effective application of problem-solving skills to achieve a positive outcome, ideally within a cyber context, although examples from other areas will also be considered.
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There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best. Please see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements 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, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
What To Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
- Online Application
- Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) rating the appropriateness of your response to a series of short scenarios.
- Application sift
- Interview
If successful, you’ll receive a conditional offer of employment.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you to continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before you apply
To work at NCSC, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we recommend setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely.
The role is based in Manchester, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.
We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.
Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hard copy receipts for reimbursement.
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