Cyber Security Principal

As a Cyber Security Principal (Band 8d) within NHS England’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Function, you will play a pivotal role at the heart of national cyber leadership. Operating as a core member of the CISO’s Extended Leadership Team, this position offers a rare opportunity to influence the strategy, priorities, and operating model of one of the most critical security functions in the health and care system. 

You will bring deep expertise, strategic insight, and strong leadership to strengthen NHS England’s security posture across a complex, high stakes landscape. This is a highly visible role that shapes national approaches to cyber risk, informs executive level decision making, and drives mature, modern security practices across the organisation. 

The Cyber Security Principal is trusted to lead with authority, collaborate with senior stakeholders, and deliver meaningful impact at scale. You will help define the future direction of NHSE’s central cyber capability— providing thought leadership, championing best practice, and supporting the CISO and Deputy CISO in advancing a coherent, proactive, and resilient security environment for the nation’s health services. 

This role exists to turn national cyber ambition into operational reality

You will operate at a scale and complexity comparable to leading global enterprises, working at the sharp edge of risk, delivery, and service continuity — where decisions have real-world consequences for millions.

You will embed security into operational and programme delivery in a pragmatic, outcome driven way — setting direction, removing friction, and enabling teams to move faster with confidence. Your guidance will be proportionate, commercially credible, and aligned to organisational priorities, accelerating initiatives while strengthening resilience by default. The focus is on measurable impact, not theoretical compliance.

You will define what excellence looks like for a modern CISO function — building a high-performance culture grounded in ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement. You will attract and develop exceptional talent and keep the team focused on delivery.

You will shape complex, time critical decisions with senior leaders and delivery teams — cutting through ambiguity and communicating risk with clarity, evidence, and conviction. You will build trusted partnerships that position cyber as a strategic enabler of safe, effective national services.

You will continuously evolve how cyber operates — streamlining processes, reducing friction, and adapting rapidly to emerging threats and change — helping shape a future-ready security function that protects some of the UK’s most critical systems.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

We Lead The NHS In England By

• Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
• Making the NHS a great place to work, where people can develop and make a difference
• Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
• Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
• Delivering value for money
  
  

Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and waste.

If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Dulcie Herreros Job title: Deputy Director of Security Email address: [email protected]