Our mission is to improve people's quality of life both now and in the future.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) touches the lives of every citizen in the country at some point in their lives. As the UK's largest public service provider, serving more than 20 million people, we support people into work, help disabled people live more independent lives, provide the financial foundations for a secure retirement through the State Pension, and deliver essential services that support families and communities across the UK.

We are passionate about making a positive and lasting impact on people's lives by delivering a modern, fair and affordable welfare system. We strive to be an exemplar of the Modern Civil Service, continually adapting to meet the needs of citizens and the challenges of tomorrow.

There has never been a more exciting time to join DWP.

We are looking for an exceptional senior leader to become our Deputy Director of Enterprise Security & Risk Management, playing a pivotal role in protecting one of the largest and most complex public service organisations in Europe.

This is a critical senior leadership position within DWP's Security and Data Protection Directorate. Reporting directly to the Chief Security Officer, you will lead the Department's enterprise security risk management, governance, risk and compliance (GRC), and assurance functions, ensuring security risks are identified, assessed and managed effectively across a highly complex organisational landscape. You will oversee a multidisciplinary function of around 90 security, risk and assurance professionals across the UK, providing strategic direction across enterprise risk management; governance, risk and compliance; supplier assurance; physical and cyber security assurance; audit engagement; and security oversight.  Through your leadership, you will advise senior leaders, executive committees and boards on the risks that matter most, helping the Department make informed decisions that strengthen organisational resilience whilst enabling the delivery of critical public services.

The successful candidate will bring significant senior leadership experience within a large, complex organisation, with a proven track record of leading security governance, risk and compliance functions. You will possess deep expertise in enterprise security risk management and assurance frameworks, together with experience of working across complex supply chains, outsourced environments and diverse technology estates.

You will have outstanding communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to engage confidently with senior executives, ministers, auditors and government partners. Just as importantly, you will be an inspiring and inclusive people leader, capable of building high-performing teams, driving continuous improvement and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and professional excellence.

If you are passionate about leading high-performing teams, strengthening organisational resilience and protecting services relied upon by millions of people every day, we would love to hear from you.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Department for Work and Pensions on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit roles.saxbam.com using reference GWPG. Alternatively email belinda.beck@saxbam.com. Applications should be received by 23:55 on 31 August 2026.