Senior Security Investigator

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 366483**Salary**:

- £39,439 - £47,039- SEO National: £39,439 - £43,569, London: £42,577 - £47,039 plus industry leading pension and benefits. For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- DEFRA - COO - Digital, Data and Technology Security**Type of role**:

- Digital
Information Technology**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Please be aware that space within the London office is restricted and it may not be possible to be based in this location.About the job

**Job summary**:
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

Digital, Data Technology and Security (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire Defra Group.

We have around 1,200 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with Defra. If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.

**Find out more about DDTS**:
Defra digital, data and technology blog

LinkedIn

Defra Jobs

**Job description**:
The Senior Security Investigator is a critical permanent position that heads up as the Senior Security Investigative Officer on specified security investigations; namely unauthorised disclosures investigations (Leak investigations) as well as managing the response to Security incidents across the physical, personnel, cyber and information Security domains.

They are accountable to the Senior Security Advisor for the conduct of the investigation and management of the investigative response, and all resources associated with the investigation. They are accountable to Cabinet Office in terms of leading the Departmental aspects of pan-Government leak investigations. They develop and implement strategies, procedures and systems that underpin the investigation and ensure the management and assessment of security threat, risk and harm and in doing so manage and mitigate the “insider risk” to the Department.

The role conducts security investigations across the Defra Group providing skilled help and knowledge to a range of Directorates and ALBs and will report directly to the Permanent Secretary and Secretary of State in relation to leak investigations. Key responsibilities include obtaining witness statements, compiling casefiles for HR/legal teams where prosecution is pursued; maintaining the integrity of evidence; maintaining case management and continuity of evidence chains.

Civil servants and Ministers must have confidence that information shared across the department is handled securely, and that should any information be disclosed to outside parties that a thorough, legally compliant proportionate investigation is conducted by a suitably qualified person. Failure to investigate leaks and security incidents could have serious consequences for Ministers’ and civil servants’ confidence in the department and increase the risk of sensitive information being released.

**Person specification**:
**Responsibilities**
- Developing crisis response and incident management policy and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for specific incidents - establishing policy, process, responsibilities and governance for taking on incidents across core Defra, agencies and ALBs
- Leading the response to major incidents, including dealing with complex and varied situations where no clear guidance is available, assimilating available information and making clearly reasoned recommendations to senior stakeholders
- Designing, developing and running exercises to test incident management processes
- Establishing relationships with Incident Management and Crisis Response teams both within DDTS/Defra and wider government departments
- Leading investigations, including designing investigative plans, liaising with stakeholders and tasking actions to the wider team
- Overseeing and leading the triage of incidents, including monitoring an inbox where necessary
- Clear expertise of team scope and structure to ensure requests, incidents and other communications are dealt with appropriately
- Escalating high priority requests or incidents to senior stakeholders for action in a timely way, ensuring they are made aware of the level of urgency of response
- Representing the Investigations and Crisis Res