Telecoms Security & Resilience Policy Advisor

UK Government – Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Position description

The Digital Infrastructure directorate leads on digital communications infrastructure, spectrum, policy and regulation. We play a leading role across government, delivering new commercial deals, policy and legislation, and work closely with No.10, Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and key Whitehall delivery departments as well as industry and Ofcom to achieve this.

Communications (telecoms & internet) is one of UK’s critical national infrastructure sectors and the bedrock for the UK’s digital economy. The Telecoms Security & Resilience Team works to enhance the security and resilience of the telecoms critical national infrastructure. The team is responsible for ensuring that the sector is in the strongest position to provide safe and reliable telecoms services for the UK by mitigating and responding to the evolving threat landscape. We work across government and with industry and Ofcom to drive investment in the UK on the strength of security offered by our digital infrastructure.

Job description

Overview

We have five exciting Band B roles available across the Telecoms Security & Resilience Group.

Telecoms Resilience Policy & Incident Management Team x 2

The post requires an organised and driven person to support the Department’s work on cyber, FDI (foreign direct investment) and resilience telecoms policy. The postholder will have opportunities to work on the development of different policies, including new legislation, shaping the telecoms sector. The role is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in a complex policy area which combines a mix of policy and stakeholder management work. These roles provide significant exposure to a wide range of teams and external stakeholders, including industry, government, international bodies and the regulator. Both positions will also be part of the ongoing incident management and response arrangements. This will involve supporting on-call arrangements and actively engaging with industry to assess live telecoms network outages, proactively handle the situation, and report to senior management and ministers.

Telecoms Security Policy – International x 1

This is a high profile role supporting a portfolio with considerable interest across Whitehall from Ministers, No10, the FCDO and security departments and agencies. You will be working at the intersection of domestic and foreign policy, economic policy and national security matters. The post holder will contribute to and take ownership of elements of our international engagement policy on telecommunications security, including supporting and managing relationships with other countries to promote the UK’s position. The post holder will also be required to develop and maintain a clear understanding of international approaches to telecoms security, including those of individual countries and intergovernmental bodies.

Cables & Internet Security team x 2

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Department’s work on internet infrastructure and subsea fibre optic cables (SFOC) security and resilience policy. Over recent years, the importance of both subsea fibre optic cables and the infrastructure of the internet has become increasingly prominent, and we are looking for two exceptional individuals with strong strategy, policy and stakeholder management skills to join the team leading the work.

The portfolio will require work on strategy and policy design and implementation, to address identified and developing economic resilience and national security concerns. You will need to work closely with FCO, NCSC, MoD and Cabinet Office who all have an interest in this work. You will also need to build strong relationships with industry and international partners – primarily the US, Norway and France. You will have a role in reporting to Ministers on any incidents involving cables or internet infrastructure, and in developing cross-government approaches. In addition to your work, you will be part of the Unit’s resilience and incident management arrangements, providing occasional out of hours or weekend cover as part of the team’s incident management rota.
Responsibilities

Telecoms Resilience Policy & Incident Management Team (x2)

– Working alongside another Band B to provide the secretariat function for a large group of industry stakeholders
– Provide general policy support on FDI, cyber and resilience telecoms policy, drafting reports, guidance for legislation and responding to industry stakeholder queries. Specific policy areas will include climate change adaptation within the telecoms sector or the National Security & Investment Bill.
– Establishing links across Government with other teams leading on critical sector resilience or FDI policy such as NCSC, CPNI, Ofcom and the newly set-up Investment Security Unit in BEIS.
– Support telecoms resilience on-call and incident management arrangements.
Advising on live telecoms related cases resulting from known mergers and acquisition, drawing upon commercial, policy, and legal expertise both from within DCMS and external stakeholders.

Telecoms Security Policy – International (x1)

– Develop and take ownership of international engagement policy on telecommunications security.
– Support the development and management of relationships with other countries to promote the UK’s work on telecoms security policy.
– Contribute to the UK’s engagement on telecoms security matters with international telecoms bodies, such as ISPA and the ITU.
– Prepare senior officials and Ministers to represent the UK Government at international events relevant to telecommunications security, including international conferences. Provide policy advice to Ministers and others across government on international telecoms security policy.
– Develop and maintain a clear understanding of international approaches to telecoms security, including those of individual countries and intergovernmental bodies. Monitor, record and raise awareness of those approaches amongst other telecoms security policy makers within DCMS. Prepare responses to Ministerial correspondence and Parliamentary questions relating to the Government’s international telecoms security engagement policy.

Cables & Internet Security ( x2)

– Developing a deep and technical understanding of relevant areas, including understanding how they fit within telecommunications and data infrastructure.
– Developing policy and strategy to address potential economic resilience and national security concerns.
– Establish relationships with key stakeholders within our own Department, across Whitehall and with Industry and to use these relationships to further the effectiveness of the team’s work.
– Maintaining UK relationships with international partners. This may involve international travel for regular bilateral and trilateral meetings and occasional multilateral meetings and conferences.
– Shaping Ministerial and senior official decision making by drafting high-quality advice and where necessary be able to explain difficult technical issues in an understandable way.
– Working with the team’s economists to scope consultancy packages and analytical work to build the evidence base for policy-making, and where needed managing funds available and ensuring that they are used effectively.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Application instructions