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cyber security jobs
Job Post Details
Head of Proactive Protection - job post
Location
Benefits
Pulled from the full job description
- Company pension
- Work from home
Full job description
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Contents
- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know
- Apply and further information
Location
Leeds Regional Centre - Wellington Place
Stratford Regional Centre - Westfield Avenue
Please note that due to workforce controls Stratford is only available to existing HMRC staff in this location.
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what its really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
The Fraud Prevention Centre (FPC) in HMRC Security is a growing area, focusing on countering fraud across HMRC services and providing secure Identity and Access Management services for customers. Our mission is to protect our customers and their online accounts from malicious actors, providing a high-quality customer service and support.
Our team is rapidly growing as we invest in new technologies and capabilities, and we are in search of enthusiastic individuals who can help us in achieving our mission.
We are continually improving the service we give to our customers and in line with this we are creating a new response and management team within the HMRC Fraud Prevention Centre.
Job description
The Proactive Protection function is central to this mission. It focuses on anticipating and mitigating fraud risks before they materialise, through anomaly detection, threat intelligence, and the design of preventive technical controls. This team will lead efforts to identify vulnerabilities, develop and manage innovative countermeasures, and collaborate with internal and external partners to strengthen HMRCs fraud resilience. By leveraging intelligence-led insights and advanced technology, Proactive Protection ensures that HMRC stays ahead of evolving fraud tactics and maintains trust in its services.
Person specification
Responsibilities:
- Strategic Leadership:
Set the vision and direction for the Proactive Protection function, ensuring alignment with HMRCs purpose, organisational objectives and security strategy, protecting services critical to the UK and millions of global user accounts. - Threat Intelligence integration:
Develop relationships across HMRC and externally for the collection, analysis, and application of threat intelligence to dynamically adapt proactive fraud prevention measures, technical controls, and ensure senior risk owners are informed. - Preventive Control Operation:
Lead and manage the operation of technical security controls and detection capabilities, leveraging intelligence to prevent identity-related fraud before it occurs across all customer communications channels. - Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:
Build strong partnerships across FPC and HMRC (including our Customer Compliance teams, tax and customs service leads) and with external bodies to ensure a coordinated approach to fraud prevention and victim support. - Innovation and Continuous Improvement:
Drive innovation in fraud prevention techniques, leveraging automation, anomaly detection, and advanced analytics to stay ahead of evolving threats, and ensure a prompt and effective response. - Team Development and Capability Building:
Recruit, lead, and develop a multidisciplinary team of analysts, investigators, and technical specialists to operate proactive protection services in close collaboration with the FPC Engineering lead. - Governance and Assurance:
Establish robust governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and organisational standards for fraud prevention. - Performance Monitoring:
Define and track key performance indicators for proactive protection activities, reporting progress to senior leadership and adapting strategies as needed. - Customer-Centric Approach:
Ensure that fraud prevention measures protect customers effectively while maintaining trust and minimising friction in HMRC services.
Essential Criteria
- Proven Leadership in Fraud Prevention or Cybersecurity
Demonstrated experience in leading strategic online fraud prevention and/or security functions within a large, complex organisation, able to take a hands-on approach to develop and grow a rapidly growing capability. Track record of working across industry and government sectors to build resilience collaboratively against mutual threats. - Expertise in Identity-based Fraud and Threat Management
Deep understanding of risks to financial organisations, threat intelligence, and proactive protection techniques, including anomaly detection and adaptive controls. Knowledge of cyber security fields and methodologies, including MITRE ATT&CK, threat modelling. - Strategic Planning and Delivery
Ability to define and execute a vision for proactive fraud prevention, aligning with organisational objectives, international standards and good practice, and regulatory requirements. - Technical Acumen
Current knowledge of threats to internet services including authentication and identity proofing, cybercrime tools, techniques and procedures, familiarity with fraud prevention technologies such as dynamic risk scoring, behavioural analytics, zero-trust security models and relevant industry and government standards. Technical skills should be evidenced by relevant academic qualifications, industry certifications and professional membership. - Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration
Strong track record of building partnerships across internal teams in a large organisation and external bodies, including internationally, to deliver integrated fraud prevention solutions. - Governance, Legislative and Compliance Knowledge
Understanding of governance frameworks, assurance processes, and legislative requirements relevant to intelligence collection, fraud prevention and data protection to ensue activity is lawful and outputs are actionable by law enforcement teams. - Change and Transformation Leadership
Experience in driving organisational change, embedding new capabilities, and managing cultural shifts towards proactive fraud prevention. - Analytical and Decision-Making Skills
Ability to interpret complex data, assess risk, and make informed decisions under pressure.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of law enforcement and intelligence
Familiar with applying relevant legislation to activity, management of information and criminal justice processes (e.g. IPA, RIPA, CPIA, PACE, CMA, Fraud Act and law enforcement directives of the Data Protection Act). - Knowledge of tax, customs and benefits services and investigation of fraud
Familiarity with HMRC services, criminal methods and investigative techniques would be helpful, but can also be quickly learned.
Additional Security Information
Candidates should hold DV clearance, or be willing and able to achieve that level of clearance. This is considered a Reserved Post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules and is open to UK nationals only.
Transitional Sites Information
If your location preference is for the following site, its important to note that this is not long-term site for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.
For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations
This site is:
- Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford.
You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- You will be asked questions at interview to assess your Technical Skills based on your abilities.
Benefits
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what its really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experiences.
- A 1000-word Personal Statement which should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the Essential Criteria and Person Specification as outlined in the advert.
Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable (up to 250 words max). This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at interview.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your Personal Statement.
At full sift your Personal Statement and your CV will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview you will be asked questions to assess your Technical Skills. You will also be asked strength-based questions to explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.
This is an example of a strengths-based question:
It is often said that the customer's needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.
Interviews will take place virtually via video link.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example Please re-open my application [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date].
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles if this applies to you, well let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Hybrid working at HMRC
HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Additional Security Information
Please note in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Developed Vetting (DV) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for DV is 10 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the location preferences section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations .
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.UK.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter .
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Kay Martin
- Email : kay.mcneil@hmrc.gov.uk
- Telephone : 07771542616
Recruitment team
- Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk
Further information
In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk . Please note that we do not accept complaints or appeals regarding scoring of outcomes of campaigns unless candidates can provide clear evidence that the campaign did not follow the Recruitment Principles.
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.