Head of Cyber Assurance

• The Head of Cyber Assurance is key leadership position within the Barclays Cyber Posture and Assurance function, part of the Chief Information Security Office, with enterprise wide responsibility.
• The role has accountability for defining, implementing, and evolving the strategy for cyber assurance testing across the enterprise and ensuring that all arising findings are comprehensively remediated holistically across the bank.
• This role oversees the development and execution of comprehensive testing frameworks, leads a team of Cyber Assurance Subject Matter Experts, and ensures that the assurance activities achieve the a thorough evaluation against emerging threats and regulatory standards.
• The role requires broader analysis to ensure risks are appropriately managed and root causes identified, fostering continuous improvement.
• The Head of Cyber Assurance collaborates extensively with stakeholders throughout the business, partnering with Technology, Operational Risk, Internal Audit, and senior security leadership to promote a culture of security assurance.
• Threat Intelligence Collaboration: Incorporate threat intelligence insights into testing programmes to simulate real-world attack vectors effectively.
• Regulatory & Compliance Alignment: Ensure testing activities comply with applicable standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST, PCI DSS, GDPR) and facilitate internal and external audit requirements.
• Experience in any of information security and/or technology with a leadership capacity focused on assurance testing, controls enforcement, red/blue teaming, or vulnerability management.

Purpose of the role

To provide a primary liaison service between the business, technology, and security functions. In order to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information, and support the mitigation of security risk.

Accountabilities

• Collaboration with stakeholders to understand their security requirements in business processes and IT projects, to enhance overall risk management.
• Execution of risk assessments to identify and prioritise potential cybersecurity threats that could impact the banks operations and data and guide the implementation of mitigation strategies and communicate findings to relevant findings to relevant senior stakeholders.
• Collaboration with business units to develop and implement security policies and procedures for the banks operations aligned to the risk management framework.
• Management of the implementation, testing and monitoring of security controls across the banks IT systems to ensure the effectiveness of controls and mitigation of risk.
• Execution of training content and sessions to educate employees, enhance cybersecurity awareness and provide guidance on safe online practices.
• Management of complex cybersecurity incidents by collaborating with IT teams and response experts to effectively resolve cases through analysis, expertise support and project supervision.
• Identification of emerging cybersecurity trends, threats, and new technologies to address potential risks by advocating the adoption of new security solutions.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.