Cyber Security Architect

Reference Number - 79372

This Cyber Security Architect will report to the Cyber Security Architecture Manager and will work within the Information Systems directorate based in our London office. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of up to £82,000.00 - Depending on experience, skills and qualifications and a bonus of 7.5%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote, this role requires a minumin of 3 days a week in the office and may require travel to other sites or / to external parties. 

Close Date: 06/12/2024

We also provide the following additional benefits

• 25 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays

• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)

• Tenancy Loan Deposit scheme

• Tax efficient benefits: cycle to work scheme

• Season ticket loan

• Occupational Health support

• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers products.

• Discounted access to sports and social clubs

• Employee Assistance Programme.

JOB PURPOSE:

You will develop the security systems and policies within the organisation and will ensure that UK Power Networks data, network, and systems are protected from cyber threats and will comply with the relevant standards and regulations. You will develop security standards, best practices, and guidelines to support the cyber security leadership team and provide training and guidance to other security staff, teams, and partners.

DIMENSIONS:

UK Power Networks is expanding its presence in Microsoft Azure and enhancing its on-prem OT Mission Critical Systems. It is necessary that a secure environment is developed for the hosting and management of our critical information assets. We ask that you have a blend of skillsets across cyber security including solution design, configuration, implementation, operation, governance, change management, communications, and the understanding of protecting data in employing the use of relevant encryption standards. The main measure of success is maintaining regulatory compliance and improving the technical and organisational resilience of UKPN concerning the ever-changing cyber threat landscape.

• People – work collaboratively in a team of circa 8 permanent and temporary cyber security architecture resources.

• Financial – no direct budget responsibility.

• Suppliers – regular interaction with 3rd party service providers, specialist technical consultants and cyber security tooling vendors.

• Communication - communicate technical cyber security concepts to all kinds of colleagues across different levels of seniority to facilitate and ensure common understanding of decisions taken across the business.

• Partner - establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with internal and external technology teams and third party providers, suppliers, and partners to improve outcomes and create agreement around a course of action. 

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Implement the cyber security plans, technology roadmaps based on sound enterprise architecture practices to help implement UK Power Networks Cyber Security Strategy ensuring agreement to the company vision, values, and strategic goals.

2. Develop the security architecture framework including policies, standards, blueprints and procedures that enables the enterprise to develop and implement security solutions and capabilities in projects and operations that are aligned with business, technology, and threat drivers.

3. Participate in the Architecture Review Board (ARB) as the design authority for all cyber security for all cyber security matters through the review and approval of all solution proposals.

4. Create target and transition architectures which conform to best practice, and UKPN's Information Security policies and underpinning standards.

5. Contribute to the development of cloud security and network architecture policies to facilitate the short, medium, and long-term planning and enhancement of the technology landscape.

6. Translate our requirements into technical solutions, and communicate with product teams on your design.

7. Develop cloud security measurement tooling to manage cloud performance, resources, and cost to ensure budgetary compliance and make recommendations for improvement.

8. Work with multiple DevOps teams across the business to assess existing cloud security architectures, advocate secure by design, secure coding practices, and define strategies that provide clear progression in improving security of the solutions and CI/CD pipelines in the cloud (Azure).

9. Establish and maintain relationships with important partners on matters of cyber security that maintain business support for cyber security and network architecture measures and improvements.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

The Information Systems Department works across UK Power Networks, supporting us in the achievement of our vision to become the best performing DNO. The team achieve this through the provision of technology solutions and the optimisation of current solutions to improve how we operate. Continuous improvement, customer service and seamless delivery is at the heart of this ethos and are therefore strongly underpinned by effective cyber security.

You will work with five disciplines within the Cyber Security Team, Enterprise Architecture, Technical Teams, IT Service Providers, Project, Innovation, and partners to implement and increase the security infrastructure, systems, and services.

Qualifications:

1. Experience acquiring an understanding of cyber security technologies and principles within an operational technology (OT) environment or enterprise environments and utilising the security features of Azure Cloud, Microsoft 365, and other Cyber related Solutions.

2. Experience working as a Cyber Security Architect, OT Cyber Security Architect, Cloud Security Architect (DevSecOps) or relevant Cyber Engineering Role with Architecture responsibilities.

3. A degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or relevant field with cognate experience designing, implementing, and supporting Cyber Security solutions.

4. Relevant security certifications such as Microsoft Azure Security Technologies (AZ-500), Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Further security certifications include CISSP, CISSP-ISSAP, CCSP, CCSK, or CompTIA are desirable.

5. Containerisation experience with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Docker, including the use of tools such as Vagrant and LXC

6. Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Automation tools, such as Terraform and deploying "secure by design" IaC approach with the DevOps team.

7. Working knowledge of Cyber Essentials, ISO27001:2022, CSA Cloud Controls Matrix, NCSC CAF and GDPR, is important to ensure that data is being managed in a compliant manner.

8. Experience determining requirements and developing security solution design, both technical and process oriented...

9. Experience in security assessment, risk management, and governance for secure infrastructure, systems, and services.

10. Experience in enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF.

11. Quality review solution providers high- and low-level solution designs ensuring they align to the data architecture and policies.

12. Proven experience of developing a credible and practical target architecture for the Security domain, which supports the Business and IT strategy.

13. Ability to communicate complex ideas in a focused, simple, and commercially relevant manner to a senior audience.

14. Excellent influencing skills, with the ability to advise and recommend with credibility at all levels and manage complex partner relationships.

15. Experience working in a team environment and with range of internal and external people, collaborating with Project Managers, Business Managers, and Technical Engineering Teams to understand customer needs then designing secure, "fit for purpose" business and technical solutions.

16. Experience working within a regulated environment, preferably Energy sector Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

Health & Safety Responsibilities

Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

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