Head of Cyber Security and Risk

Salary

£70,591 - £75,505

Contractual hours

37

Package

We are pleased to offer a wide range of benefits to support you and your wellbeing. You can read about them on our Why work for us pages.

Date posted

30/06/2026

Job reference

REQ0001175

When was the last time you had a real impact in technology leadership?
Brighton & Hove City Council is breaking barriers and setting a new standard for what good looks like in tech: we move at breakneck speed, clear obstacles, deliver great technology, and have placed technology at the very heart of our strategy. And we do this in a caring, dynamic environment where we support each other to be the very best that we can be
And now we need you
We are looking for an exceptional Head of Cyber Security & Risk to build a new service from the ground up and protect the council against one of its most significant risks
You will define the council’s cyber security strategy, posture and risk approach, creating a robust, modern cyber capability that meets national expectations and protects vital public services
From compliance and audit through to incident response and threat intelligence, you will be the senior expert guiding the organisation through an increasingly complex security landscape
In a world where cyber incidents can shut down councils for months, this is a mission-critical role with real-world consequences—and one where your expertise will directly safeguard services, residents, and the city
Most importantly? We want you to bring your experience and expertise to the table as one of six brand new heads of service: building the team your way, creating a setup you believe in, and setting the standard for what you know good looks like. Set direction instead of waiting for it; find ways to get things done, instead of reasons not to; and deliver outcomes people notice and care about
If you want to work somewhere where you can actually make a mark: this might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Why work for us?
As a council, we want to:

• be connected
• be confident
• be innovative and creative
• be diverse and inclusive
• be healthy and psychologically safe

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us which gives details of our wellbeing support, our benefits including leave and pensions as well as details of our training and development.

How to apply
Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview
As part of your application, you will need to provide your education and career history and answer some application/shortlisting questions. Your answers to the application/shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

AI advice for candidates
We are interested in hearing about your experience and skills in your own words. While we value people who know how to use AI, we ask that you minimise using it in your application
We are keen to hear how your experience and skills align to our values and the skills and experience needed to perform well in our roles with clear real examples from you. To support you in this, we have guidance on using the STAR model which can help you ensure you are telling us your whole story. We also provide clarity on the skills we are looking for in our adverts and in the job description/person specification attached to each job advert
All the applications we receive are read by at least two hiring managers and we do not use AI in this process
Our experience of reading applications is that those that have heavily used AI contain generic paragraphs that are strikingly similar to other applicants’ responses. This makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between applications, and doesn't give us enough evidence of your individual skills. There is a risk that we will therefore not be able to shortlist you. Instead, we recommend you ensure your application stands out by presenting clear examples of your actual skills and experiences in your own words.

Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only
We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.