Dstl
Project Security Service Lead
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Project Security Service Lead
Location: Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JQ or Dstl Portsdown West, Fareham, PO17 6AD
At Dstl, our vision is to have a modern way of working efficiently, accommodating and enabling our people to create, collaborate and deliver. To do this successfully, this job will require attendance at a Dstl location; Government Departments including wider MoD or Delivery and Mission Partner’s premises for 60% of your working time. Where business needs allow, and with the agreement of your line manager, there may be the option for a combination of workplace and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement.
Job Summary
Are you an experienced security professional looking to influence high-profile science, technology and defence projects? Dstl is seeking a Project Security Service Lead to drive security assurance across our diverse project portfolio and help deliver critical capabilities safely and securely.
As a senior member of the Operational Security Team, you will provide expert security leadership, ensuring security risks are identified, managed and embedded throughout the project lifecycle. You will work closely with project teams, senior leaders and key defence stakeholders to enable secure delivery while supporting innovation and operational success.
Dstl recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion as people from diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive working environment in which each employee fulfils their potential and maximises their contribution.
Job Description
What you'll be doing
- Leading the delivery of project security advice, assurance and governance across Dstl programmes and projects.
- Providing expert guidance on security risk management, supply chain security and third-party assurance.
- Working with internal and external stakeholders to ensure compliance with defence and government security standards.
- Coordinating specialist security expertise across cyber, physical, personnel and operational security disciplines.
- Supporting projects from inception through to transition into business-as-usual operations.
- Driving continuous improvement of security policies, processes and assurance activities.
- Coaching and mentoring colleagues, helping to build security capability across the organisation.
Person specification
What We're Looking For
We're interested in candidates who can demonstrate:
- Experience providing security advice and assurance within defence, government or another highly regulated environment.
- Strong knowledge of security risk management and assurance frameworks.
- The ability to assess complex risks and provide practical, proportionate solutions.
- Experience working with multiple stakeholders and influencing decision-making at a senior level.
- Understanding of key security disciplines, including supply chain, cyber, physical and personnel security.
- Excellent communication, leadership and relationship-building skills.
Why join Dstl?
This is an opportunity to play a key role in protecting nationally important science and technology programmes while helping shape the future of security across Dstl. You'll work with a wide range of experts, influence strategic decisions and contribute to projects that have real impact on UK defence and security.
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If you're passionate about enabling secure delivery, leading through expertise and making a difference, we'd love to hear from you.
Important Information
Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be UK Nationals who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to undertake the projects we are involved in to protect us from security threats. For this reason, 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.
Qualifications
Evidence of good standard of general education e.g. GCSEs or equivalent including English and Mathematics at Grade C or above.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Please describe your experience of leading and decision making relating to Security and Resilience, in the civil or defence context.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £51,568, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contributes £14,939 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Dstl’s full range of great benefits can be found in the information pack which includes:
- Financial: An excellent pension scheme starting from 26% employer contribution. In Year Rewarding Achievement bonuses and thank you vouchers. Rental deposit scheme and cycle to work scheme.
- Flexible working: Options include alternative working patterns such as; compressed hours, job shares and annualised hours (agreed number of hours per annum paid monthly i.e. working term-time only).
- Working hours: Flexibility around your working day (e.g. start time, finish time). Ability to bank hours in a 12 month reference period including the ability to accrue and use 3 days per calendar month.
- Where you work: Depending on your role, blended working may be available including remote working to suit you and your team. This can be discussed at interview.
- Annual leave: 25 days pro rata (rising to 30 after 5 years) plus 8 public holidays with the ability to buy/sell 5 additional days per annum.
- Family: Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks with full pay, an additional 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid.
- Learning and Development: Dstl encourages and supports charterships, accreditations and provides employees access to fully funded apprenticeships up to level 7 (Masters Degree). Dstl will pay for 2 memberships with relevant bodies/institutions. Employees also have access to Civil Service Learning.
- Facilities: Onsite parking, EV Charging points, restaurants, cafés and gyms.
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.
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Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
We want you to have your best chance of success in our recruitment process, so If at any stage of the application process you would like help or assistance please contact the Dstl Recruitment Team dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk and we will do all we can to support you.
Sifting will take place week commencing the 9th November with interviews to be arranged on 25th November 2026.
Your interview will consist of behavioural & technical interview to include a presentation entitled ‘How would you deliver Supply Chain Security within a Defence or Government environment?’
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting. See our vetting charter.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.
Nationality requirements
Open to UK nationals only.
This job is not open to candidates who hold a dual nationality.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
- Name: Dstl Recruitment Team
- Email: Dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email: dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk
Further information
Should you wish to raise a formal complaint about the Dstl recruitment process you should email dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk stating the nature of the issue. We will respond within 5 working days.
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