Overview

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 puts the emphasis on 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 has the aim of making the UK the safest place to live and work online.

Job Description

As a Cyber Security Consultant, you will play a pivotal role in delivering expert cyber consultancy to critical systems and major projects across government and the wider public sector. You will lead and support large-scale interventions that enhance cyber resilience at a national level, ensuring that the UK’s most vital services are protected against evolving threats. Establishing strong partnerships with departments and agencies is key to driving meaningful outcomes. You’ll collaborate closely with teams across the NCSC, including technical specialists and incident response teams, to ensure a joined-up and effective approach.

Responsibilities

• In this role, the successful candidate will be at the forefront of protecting critical systems and shaping the UK’s cyber resilience. You will provide expert advice to senior stakeholders, helping them to manage cyber risks effectively and embed robust security measures from the very beginning of major projects.
• Working across government and sector boundaries, you will coordinate and lead efforts that bring together internal and external stakeholders to tackle large-scale cyber challenges.
• Drawing on the full range of NCSC services, you will offer a blend of technical expertise, incident response support, and strategic guidance to meet the needs of our customers.
• You will also represent the NCSC at forums and events, influencing national cyber policy and championing best practice across a variety of sectors.
• With a strong focus on continuous improvement, you will use customer insights to refine and enhance our delivery, ensuring that interventions are data-driven, relevant, and impactful.
• We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. You’ll join a politically astute, high-performing group of cyber security consultants from a variety of backgrounds, where your ideas will be welcomed and your impact recognised. Hybrid working is well embedded, and you will be expected to travel to London, Cheltenham, and customer sites as needed.

Person Specification

We’re seeking a passionate and skilled professional to join our team. Previous experience in cybersecurity, consultancy, or policy, is required, or you must be able to demonstrate how you’ll develop these skills and explain why you want to work as a Cyber Consultant in the Government Team.

The successful applicant will need to have

• Proven experience in preparing and coordinating briefings for ministers and senior officials, ensuring that complex information is communicated clearly and effectively at the highest levels. You will demonstrate strong communication skills and the ability to work successfully with a wide variety of stakeholders, building productive and collaborative relationships.
• You will be capable of performing effectively in high pressure situations, maintaining focus and delivering results when it matters most. With a track record of working and collaborating with organisations across a diverse range of sectors, you will be adept at navigating different organisational cultures and priorities.
• In addition, you will possess strong skills in risk management and project oversight, ensuring that objectives are met while potential challenges are identified and addressed proactively.

GCHQ Competencies

The NCSC will assess you against competencies used by the UK Intelligence Community. These competencies are based closely on the Civil Service Behaviours. The Level 3 competencies you’ll be assessed against are:

• Driving Innovation and Change (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Changing and Improving)
• 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)

Further information on Civil Service Behaviours

Benefits and Rewards

At NCSC and GCHQ, we are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment that’s 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.

You’ll receive a starting salary of £44,044.

• 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
• An environment with flexible working options
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave.
• 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.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.

Disability Confident

GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s 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 Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

• Able to demonstrate experience of working with external stakeholders. - Assessed at sift.
• Can demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills. - Assessed at sift.
• Able to explain technical issues and collaborate with varied teams. - Assessed at sift.

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.

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
• 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 - 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 the NCSC, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read about our eligibility criteria.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process.

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 advise you to consider 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.

Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

The closing date for this role is: 17/09/25 at 23:55.

Right to Withdraw Statement

Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.