Security Architect (Ref: 15292)

Job summary

This position is based nationally.

Job description

The HMCTS Security Architect plays a vital role in embedding Secure by Design principles across the technology lifecycle. Working closely with the Chief Information Security Officer, Principal and Lead Security Architects, and the wider security team, the architect ensures that cyber security activities align with HMCTS’s strategic goals, risk management framework, and evolving security roadmap.

This role is responsible for maintaining compliance with key standards including PCI DSS, ISO27001, GovAssure, and the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Assessment Framework. The architect promotes a strong security culture, ensuring that Secure by Design is understood and consistently applied across programmes and platforms.

Operating across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, the Security Architect provides expert oversight and guidance to technical teams, enabling informed decisions on security controls. They ensure the effective use of common tools and patterns to deliver secure systems, while applying proportionate controls that support business outcomes.

The architect safeguards HMCTS’s data, services, and infrastructure by shaping robust security solutions and coordinating assurance activities. They play a key role in enabling secure innovation and ensuring that security is not just a compliance requirement but a strategic enabler.

This role demands a strategic mindset, deep technical expertise, and strong collaboration skills. The Security Architect must influence across multidisciplinary teams, advocate for security best practices, and contribute to the continuous improvement of HMCTS’s cyber security posture.

Key Responsibilities:

A security architect creates and designs security for a system or service, maintains security documentation and develops architecture patterns and security approaches to new technologies.

At this role level, you will:

· Ensure security architecture aligns with wider Gov security policies and frameworks, legal frameworks, industry regulations and best practise (e.g ISO 27001, NCSC Standards, GDPR, PCI DSS, GovAssure, Secure by Design).

· Recommend security controls and identify security solutions that support business objectives.

· Provide specialist security guidance and direction during the design, implementation and use phases of systems, applications and infrastructure.

· Provide specialist advice and recommendations regarding approaches and technologies across teams and various stakeholders, assessing the risk associated with proposed changes.

· Inspire and influence others to execute security principles, communicating widely with other stakeholders.

· Support the GovAssure process by coordinating the collection of evidence, and the submission of GovAssure returns to Cabinet Office.

· Advise on important security-related technologies and assess the risk associated with proposed changes

· Assist, where necessary, with incident response processes to identify architectural issues and solutions.

· Proactively engage with internal and external partners, stakeholders and peers to develop your knowledge and inform your decisions.

· You will be expected to carry out any other duties that may reasonably be required in line with your main duties.

· Continuously keep up to date with changing compliance legislation and initiatives to assess new opportunities for educating colleagues on relevant security standards.

· Continue to review ongoing security architectural activities

Essential Skills & Criteria:

• Good understanding and working knowledge of Cyber Security Policies and Frameworks.
• Broad technical knowledge, especially around cloud and hybrid technologies.
• Strong understanding of Governance, Compliance and Risk, and the Confidentiality, Availability, and Integrity (CIA) triad.
• Solid understanding of security protocols, networking, identity management, authentication, authorisation, and cryptography.
• Understanding security implications of transformation - Can interpret and apply understanding of policy and process, business architecture, and legal and political implications to assist the development of technical solutions or controls.
• Work with team members to identify risks and communicate them effectively to decision makers. Help inform prioritisation of wider departmental work to ensure security improvements are given due consideration.
• Able to understand and articulate the impact of vulnerabilities on existing and future designs and be able to articulate an appropriate response.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to interact with stakeholders of all levels to effectively articulate security controls, solutions, and advice.
• Capable of evaluating options and making decisions quickly and effectively.
• Apply leadership experience by using consultative and negotiating skills to contribute to the overall success including building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to address situations, incidents or tasks proactively and promptly.
• Continually stay abreast of emerging security technologies, threats and trends. Self-motivated to drive their learning needs.

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of Secure by Design principles and their practical application
• Analysis - Able to apply the approach to real problems and consider all relevant information. Applies appropriate rigour to ensure a full solution is designed and achieves the business outcome.
• You will also benefit from knowledge of the different approaches to delivery across digital and technology teams, and how security practices can integrate / clash with these working practices.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Capability skill 1 - Analysis
• Capability skill 2 - Enabling and informing risk based decisions
• Capability skill 3 -Communication
• Capability skill 4 - Designing secure systems

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,914, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £12,432 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/15292?entityId=15292