Head of Government Cyber Implementation

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The Government Cyber Unit (GCU) leads the government's approach to managing cyber security risk across departments and arm's-length bodies. The Government Cyber Action Plan (GCAP) sets the framework; the challenge now is turning strategy into changed behaviour across a complex, federated system. This is an opportunity to join GCU at a pivotal moment, as the unit moves from strategy-setting to delivery under the GCAP.

The Head of Implementation leads a multidisciplinary team that develops and delivers strategic solutions to the highest-priority systemic cyber risks facing government. This means understanding the policy landscape, diagnosing where and why departments are struggling to meet cyber security expectations, and designing targeted interventions that address root causes not just symptoms. It requires someone equally comfortable shaping strategy and driving delivery, who can translate system-level insight into practical action within the reality of limited central authority.

The role operates through a team of specialist G7 leads, each owning solutions development in their domain. The Head of Implementation sets strategic direction, ensures coherence across the portfolio, and creates the conditions for those leads to drive work with autonomy and confidence. This is a leadership role that succeeds through empowerment, not control.

This role sits within the Cyber Solutions directorate, alongside Partnering & Communications, Technical Advisory, Security Engineering, and Programmes. The postholder reports to the Deputy Director for Cyber Solutions and is a member of the Solutions senior management team. They will deputise for the DD as required.

1. Develop strategic solutions to priority systemic cyber risks

Lead the analysis of systemic cyber risk across government, drawing on GovAssure findings, departmental engagement, and cross-government intelligence to identify where targeted central intervention can make the most difference. Design solution approaches that address root causes whether those are technical, organisational, capability, or policy barriers and build the case for action with senior stakeholders.

2. Empower and develop a team of specialist G7 leads

The Implementation team covers a broad and deep set of priority issues. The postholder's primary leadership task is to enable G7 leads to drive solutions development in their respective domains with real ownership and autonomy. This means setting clear strategic direction, providing coaching and support, removing blockers, ensuring coherence across the portfolio, and trusting the team to lead. The breadth of the team's impact depends on this model working well.

3. Drive prioritisation and portfolio discipline

Work with the Accountability directorate (GovAssure, departmental engagement) to maintain a prioritised pipeline of implementation opportunities aligned to GCAP milestones. Ensure the portfolio is actively managed not everything that could be done should be done with clear rationale for what is selected, what is deferred, and what is stopped.

4. Coordinate cross-GCU delivery on priority interventions

Implementation work routinely requires TAG expertise, Partnering relationships, and Programmes capacity. The postholder is responsible for marshalling these contributions without owning them operating as a credible peer within the Solutions SMT and across GCU more broadly.

5. Build the evidence base for what works

Ensure interventions have documented hypotheses, measurable success criteria, and structured learning outputs. Feed findings back into GCU's policy development and operating model so that future prioritisation and solution design improve over time.

6. Deputise for the DD Cyber Solutions

Represent the directorate at senior governance forums, contribute to GCU-wide strategy and policy development, and support the DD in managing the Solutions portfolio and senior stakeholder relationships. This includes participation in the GCU on-call rota.

As a line manager, you will be responsible for working with your members of staff to define their objectives, as well as managing their development and performance.

Essential Criteria

• Cyber security or digital resilience experience the postholder must be credible with CISOs and technical teams on both the strategic and implementation dimensions of cyber risk
• Experience developing policy or strategic solutions to complex, systemic problems not just delivering predefined projects, but diagnosing barriers and designing responses that work across organisational boundaries
• A track record of empowering teams evidence of leading through delegation, coaching, and trust rather than directive management; enabling specialists to own and drive work in their domains
• Skilled at prioritisation under constraint evidence of making explicit trade-offs about what to do and what to stop, with a track record of managing a portfolio with entry/exit discipline
• Clear, direct communication able to explain complex cyber and policy challenges to senior non-technical audiences and to translate strategic direction into actionable plans

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working within or alongside central government assurance or standards functions (e.g., GovAssure, NCSC, departmental cyber teams)
• Familiarity with the Government Cyber Security Strategy and GCAP delivery landscape
• Experience with agile or iterative delivery methodologies in a governance-heavy context