Chief Security Officer

Chief Information Security Officer
Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here. The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.
Shared Technology Services (STS) is a shared IT service delivering end to end technology support across Brent, Lewisham and Southwark councils. We provide the full range of corporate IT capabilities from strategy, architecture and cyber security, through to day to day operations, infrastructure, cloud and supplier management, ensuring reliable and resilient services for thousands of users and residents. Working in a complex multi stakeholder environment, STS brings together scale, specialist expertise and strong governance to deliver value for money, improve customer experience and support the organisations we serve through major transformation and continuous improvement. Southwark council is due to exit the shared service by 31 March 2028. The Post As Chief Information Security Officer, you will set the direction for information and cyber security across Shared Technology Services (STS) and our partner councils Brent, Lewisham and Southwark. You will lead the development and delivery of the security strategy, ensuring proportionate controls are in place to manage risk and protect critical services, data and systems. You will oversee security governance, policies and assurance, and provide clear reporting and advice to senior leaders and key boards. You will work closely with technology, digital and operational teams to embed security by design across programmes and platforms, strengthen incident readiness and response, and drive continuous improvement across suppliers, cloud services and the wider estate. The Person You will be a credible security leader with strong technical breadth and the ability to translate risk into clear decisions and practical actions. You will have experience operating in complex environments with multiple stakeholders, balancing security needs with service delivery and user experience. You will bring strong knowledge of modern security practices across cloud, identity, networks, endpoints, data protection and third party risk, alongside a disciplined approach to governance and assurance. You will be confident influencing senior leaders, calm under pressure, and able to lead through incidents, audits and change. You will also be collaborative and pragmatic, building trusted relationships while raising standards and capability across teams.
Why join us?

We know people achieve their best when they feed valued. At Brent, you’ll benefit from:

• Up to 33 days annual leave (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays
• Excellent pension with generous employer contributions (LGPS)
• Hybrid and flexible working options available for most roles
• Supportive family-friendly policies for parent, guardians, and carers
• Health and wellbeing support, including access to eye test support and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial support such as education sessions, childcare deposit loans, and season ticket loans
• Travel perks including affordable parking nearby, a Cycle to Work scheme, and great onsite facilities
• Learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career
• Access to My Brent Rewards with exclusive discounts on shopping, travel, leisure, and entertainment

Closing date: 13 April 2026 (23:59) Additional Information Location: Civic centre and other locations from time to time

If you are interested in applying for this job, please start by clicking the "Apply Now" button below. You must provide a supporting statement as part of your application that clearly shows how you meet the essential requirements on the Job description. We will accept a CV in support of your application, however, you should still provide a supporting statement.

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community. We positively encourage all applicants to self-identify their characteristics in the diversity survey section in the application.

We are committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that posts working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.
The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas and your data protection rights, can be found here.
Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.
As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including “non-visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on recruitment@brent.gov.uk