Cyber Security Specialist (Operational)
Location: Manchester
Salary: A GBP 57,528 : A GBP 64,750 per annum
Vacancy Type: Permanent
Closing date: 21/06/2026
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance and advice on promoting high quality health, public health and social care.
We have modern offices in Manchester city centre and Stratford, London. Please take into consideration that you may be required to commute to one of our offices for business purposes if necessary.
Job overview
Do you want to do meaningful work that makes a genuine difference to society? Our main purpose here at The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is to improve health and wellbeing by putting science and evidence at the heart of health and care decision:making.
As an organisation we all collaborate to achieve this goal by empowering our workforce to do great things
Please note that this role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route. Please refer to the DirectGov website for more information on eligibility.
We reserve the right to close the advert early should we receive sufficient applications, so please dont delay your submission.
Main duties of the job
As a Cyber Security Specialist (Operational), you will play a key hands on role in protecting NICEs digital platforms, systems, and data from cyber threats. Working as part of a collaborative cyber security function, you will investigate security alerts, manage vulnerabilities, respond to incidents and help ensure our services remain secure, resilient and compliant. The role combines technical expertise with clear communication, supporting both operational delivery and the continual improvement of NICEs cyber security posture.
What the candidate will be expected to do / bring
* Act as a hands on cyber security specialist, investigating security alerts, responding to incidents and supporting day to day operational cyber resilience
* Configure, manage and maintain security tooling and infrastructure across on premise and cloud environments, embedding secure by design principles
* Carry out routine vulnerability assessments, threat analysis and horizon scanning to identify and mitigate emerging risks
* Serve as a technical escalation point for complex security issues, contributing expert analysis and practical solutions
* Support compliance with recognised security standards and frameworks (e.g. Cyber Essentials, ISO27001), maintaining clear and auditable records
* Communicate complex technical risks and findings clearly to both technical and non technical stakeholders
Person specification
Essential:
* Holds highly developed specialist knowledge and expertise acquired through masters degree level or equivalent qualification/experience. Additionally holds specialist knowledge of the relevant area(s) of expertise as outlined in the person specification, acquired through relevant practical experience and training/development
* Proven hands on experience in cyber security operations, such as working as a Security Analyst, SOC Analyst or in a similar technical cyber security role
* Demonstrable experience of incident response and security configuration, with the ability to systematically analyse issues, identify root causes and implement effective solutions
* Strong technical knowledge of cyber security tooling and techniques, including vulnerability management, incident investigation and monitoring tools such as SIEM, EDR and vulnerability scanners
* Practical understanding of core cyber security concepts, including network, infrastructure and system security across Windows and Linux environments, with awareness across networking, operating systems and cloud platforms
Desirable:
* One or more of the following qualifications, or equivalent experience, is desirable for this role: FEDIP Senior Practitioner, Cyb