Lead Security Architect

The Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) profession enable the Home Office to keep the UK safe and secure. They do this by designing, building, and running the services that help people apply for visas or passports, support policing and counter-terrorism operations, and protect the UK's borders.

Metis is the Home Office's implementation of Oracle Fusion Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The Lead Security Architect will provide governance for ensuring that security design standards are adhered to.

A Lead Security Architect is responsible for driving the secure design and development of solutions for one or more major business sectors within the department. They lead the security engagement for all projects within their portfolio ensuring that the department's security design standards are adhered to. This challenging role incorporates aspects of security architecture, cyber risk management and cyber security policy development for Metis. You will also provide an 'out-reach' service to your business areas to advise on security requirements and solutions to enable technical teams to make security decisions, ensuring the effective use of common tools and products.

What You'll Do:

• Contributing to the vision, principles and strategy set down by the Metis Security Manager ensuring it reflects the needs of your portfolio as well as the wider department.
• Overseeing the security engagement for projects within your business sphere and cooperating with colleagues to find common solutions to similar challenges across all business lines.
• Driving 'secure by design' by promoting security as an aspect of quality, ensuring that program, project and service managers own this responsibility.
• Following developments in the security and technology industry to ensure that the technology landscape is kept secure in line with industry standard.
• Recommending security controls and identifying solutions that support a business objective, working out subtle security needs and understanding the impact of decisions, balancing requirements and deciding between approaches.
• Providing specialist advice and recommending approaches, interacting with senior stakeholders across departments and influencing a wide range of people across larger teams and communities to execute security standards, policies and principles. This will include advising on key security related technologies and assessing the risk associated with proposed changes.

What You'll Bring:

• Leading and evaluating the secure design of major products, services and input to complex solutions, challenging outmoded concepts and driving improvements with innovative, creating precedents and setting direction.
• Making and guiding effective decisions on risks, based on information assurance risk assessment methodology, documenting and explaining clearly how the decision has been reached.
• Applying security concepts to a technical level across multiple projects, working with security tools, network security infrastructure technologies, and information security management frameworks (e.g. ISO 27001, NIST).
• Working with penetration testing and effectively translating cyber risk analysis into standards, patterns and approaches to enable the safe exploitation of current and emerging technologies.
• Understanding NCSC information security guidance and architecture patterns.
• Understanding government Secure by Design principles.
• Understanding architecture methodology e.g. SABSA, TOGAF.

Why join us:

At the Home Office, your work has real-world impact, shaping the safety and security of millions. We offer:

• Meaningful Work: Contribute to critical national security and public service initiatives.
• Career Growth: Benefit from tailored development frameworks and professional communities.
• Flexible Working: Balance your professional and personal life with hybrid work options.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Join a workplace where your unique background and talents are celebrated.
• Learn more about our benefits: Benefits - Home Office Careers

Additional Information:

This role requires SC clearance. To meet national security vetting requirements, you must typically have been resident in the UK for at least five years. Unfortunately, we cannot sponsor visas.