Senior Infrastructure Specialist – Red Team

Job summary

We are looking for a Senior Infrastructure Specialist – Red Team Operator to join HM Land Registry’s IT Security Operations function.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a new and emerging capability, where you will help shape and develop our approach to offensive security. Working alongside colleagues across security, infrastructure and engineering, you will simulate real-world cyber threats, identify vulnerabilities and provide actionable insight that helps us strengthen our systems and services.

You will use your technical expertise and knowledge of attacker tactics, techniques and procedures to test our defences, identify potential attack paths and help ensure our security controls continue to protect the organisation effectively.

If you enjoy solving complex technical challenges, thinking creatively and working collaboratively to improve cyber resilience, we would love to hear from you.

Job description

HM Land Registry’s IT Operations Practice sits within our Digital, Data and Technology directorate and is responsible for the performance and delivery of the technical infrastructure that underpins and supports the organisation.

Our teams work across a wide range of infrastructure platforms, supporting, monitoring and operating the technical solutions that enable HM Land Registry to deliver its services.

As part of the practice, our established security function is responsible for operational security across our platforms and systems.

As a Senior Infrastructure Specialist – Red Team Operator, you will join a new and developing function within IT Security Operations. You will have the opportunity to help shape our offensive security capability and influence how it develops.

Working as part of the Security Cluster, you will take an attacker-focused approach to understanding potential cyber threats. You will emulate real-world attacks, test our defensive capabilities and identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses before they can be exploited.

Your findings will provide practical, actionable intelligence to colleagues across our defensive security and engineering teams, helping them prioritise improvements, strengthen security controls and increase our overall resilience to cyber threats.

You will need to combine strong technical expertise with good judgement and communication skills, particularly when translating complex security findings into clear recommendations that colleagues can act on.

Main duties

In this role, you will:

• emulate the behaviours and techniques of real-world threat actors to identify exploitable vulnerabilities and potential attack paths
• plan and carry out adversary emulation scenarios to test the effectiveness of security controls
• undertake penetration testing across networks, applications and computer systems
• identify security weaknesses and misconfigurations and work with the appropriate operational teams to address them
• perform simulated attacks to assess our defensive controls and detection capabilities
• assess the risk and potential impact of identified vulnerabilities and security findings
• identify the entry points and techniques attackers could use to exploit systems or weaknesses
• use relevant threat intelligence to identify and communicate priority vulnerabilities and attack paths
• provide clear and actionable threat intelligence to defensive security teams
• support the definition and prioritisation of changes to security controls
• work collaboratively with colleagues across security, infrastructure and engineering to strengthen HMLR's defensive capabilities
• assess existing security controls, threat intelligence and incident response procedures and identify opportunities for improvement
• maintain an up-to-date awareness of the wider cyber threat landscape, including emerging attacker tactics, techniques and procedures
• produce clear documentation and reports setting out findings, risks, recommendations and potential threats
• communicate technical security findings clearly to a range of colleagues and stakeholders.

Additional requirements

• Occasional travel to HM Land Registry offices, external supplier sites and other government departments will be required. This may occasionally involve overnight stays.
• The role may require planned out-of-hours working to support IT changes and maintenance activities.
• The role falls within HM Land Registry's flexible working hours arrangements.
• The role may include participation in a permanent on-call rota.
• The successful candidate will be considered for Security Clearance (SC) and will be subject to the appropriate additional background checks.

Person specification

To be successful in this role, you will be required to demonstrate the following criteria throughout the recruitment process.

Essential Technical Skills and Qualifications:

• Holds a qualification in Information Technology or a related area (Degree level or equivalent) or significant experience in an IT field
• Advanced skills in the management of at least three of a range of security technologies such as: - SIEM, EDR-XDR, CTEM, DAST, WAF/DDoS, Entra ID, IPS/IDS, PKI, SASE, AWS, Infrastructure as Code
• Proficient in Security Related Data Collection & analysis
• Proficient in one of: - Python, Perl, SQL Assembly, PowerShell, Shell scripting

Desirable Technical Skills and Qualifications:

• Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE)
• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
• Extensive knowledge in the security of either Windows, Linux or Mainframe systems
• Extensive knowledge in the operation of security controls in cloud services such as AWS or Azure
• Web application testing and exploitation
• Network penetration testing and exploitation
• Reconnaissance, Attack Surface Mapping and Exposure Management

Essential Experience:

• Experience of technical information gathering, analysis and problem solving of security related issues
• Experience of operating security/infrastructure technologies, which may include SIEM, XDR, WAF, Windows/Linux, Firewalls, Web Proxies, Virtualisation or Containers, Active Directory or Entra ID
• Experience in threat analysis and security incident response
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Strong leadership demonstrated through coaching or mentoring

Desirable Experience:

• Software Engineering Fundamentals
• Advanced experience in designing and documenting security systems and controls
• Experience in Malware Analysis & development
• Experience in cyber security testing
• Experience in planning and executing attack simulations
• Experience in applying standard frameworks to map attacker behaviour
• Experience in Infrastructure as Code and DevOps

Please note that desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of high application numbers or as a tiebreaker.

For further information please see the attached job description.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £49,443, HM Land Registry contributes £14,323 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

#WeAreHMLR

At HM Land Registry our vision is a world leading property market as part of a thriving economy and a sustainable future. We are unique in terms of the economic and social impacts of our work, our ability to make a positive difference to the lives of our customers, our sense of mission, and our great people. They are the foundation of all we have achieved and all we aspire to in the future. We want our people to feel proud to work for HM Land Registry and able to fulfil their full potential.

We have a strong and positive culture, a commitment to inclusivity, an emphasis on continuous learning and development, and flexible ways of working. We offer competitive pay and annual leave, attractive pension options and a wide range of other benefits.

• We have integrity – we value honesty, trust and doing the right thing in the right way.
• We drive innovation – we are forward-thinking, embrace change and are continually improving our processes.
• We are professional – we value and grow our knowledge and professional expertise.
• We give assurance – we guarantee our services and provide confidence to the property market.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry/about/recruitment#what-hm-land-registry-can-offer-you

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.

We are working with our recruitment partner (Inspire People) for this campaign.

Submit your CV​ on Inspire People’s website link.

https://hmlr.inspirepeople.net/jobs/senior-infrastructure-specialist-seo-3146/

Inspire People will assess your CV and compile a longlist of applications for HM Land Registry to sift.

If you progress through this stage, you will need to complete a short, pre-recorded video with Inspire People. Alternatively, you can provide written answers to the questions​. HM Land Registry will then sift these applications.

Please make sure your CV outlines how you meet the Technical Skills and Essential Experience

Please review your application form before clicking ‘submit’ – once you have submitted, you will not be able to amend your application. Ensure your application form is received by the closing date for receipt of applications – this is 11:55pm on the advertised date.

Successful candidates at sift will be invited to a blended interview held face- to -face at our Plymouth office.

Candidates can refer to notes within their interview but they should be used as a prompt only.

The interview will assess the experience and behaviours listed in the attached job description.

HMLR is accredited to the Disability Confidence Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If any candidate requires the panel to consider a reasonable adjustment or there is anything else they would like the panel to take into consideration they are asked to notify us of this at application stage where possible or during the process as soon as it becomes a requirement.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to share these values. Please ensure all examples provided throughout the recruitment process are representative of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating (including the improper use of artificial intelligence) will be investigated and, if proven, the application will be withdrawn.

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role is in a certain business critical category. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a skilled worker visa. You must ensure you have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying.

HMLR expect everyone to spend at least 60% of their working time in the office.

You can find more information on how we use your personal data on our website

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Andrew Medhurst - Inspire People
• Email : amedhurst@inspirepeople.net

Recruitment team

• Email : hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance to the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from HM Land Registry then you may take your complaint to the Civil Service Commission: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint/