Skip to main content

?
Helpdesk
Click here to connect with our resourcing helpdesk team

Head of Cyber Assurance

Northampton, United Kingdom; Knutsford, United Kingdom

Apply for job

Key information

Date live: 27/08/2025

Business Area: Chief Information Security Office

Area of Expertise: Technology

Contract: Permanent

Reference Code: JR-0000067664

Apply for job

It’s happening at Barclays.

Be a part of a place where challenges are measured in billions, qubits and nanoseconds. Build your career in an environment where we’re advancing machine learning, leveraging blockchains, and harnessing FinTech. Working in Barclays technology, you’ll reimagine possibilities: learning and innovating to solve the challenges ahead, delivering for millions of customers.
We are shaping the future of financial technology.
Why not join us and make it happen here?

Where will you be located?

Explore locations
  • 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.

Barclays welcomes applications from all candidates and is committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments (accommodations) are put in place to allow for a fair and inclusive recruitment process. For more information and how to request one, please review Adjustments to the recruitment process.

We’re a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring Purpose. Operating in 39 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted. A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.

To find out more about Barclays' strategy please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and opposed to discrimination on any grounds. It is the policy of Barclays to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.

Who succeeds in
Tech at Barclays?

For a career with us, you need to be prepared to take big steps forward, curious to face the challenges ahead, and driven to focus on the outcomes. We need people with the Barclays mindset to make it happen here.

Qualities we look for:motivator, supporter, connector, driver, communicator, transformer, maker, observer

What you'll get in return

Competitive holiday allowance
Life assurance
Private medical care
Pension contribution

Our technology

Supporting our 48 million customers and clients worldwide takes a lot of forward thinking. It means harnessing technology to support the economy. It means making a difference to people’s lives. And it requires the maintenance and development of a global, technological infrastructure. At Barclays, technology helps us keep transactions moving, manages data, and protects our customers. Join a world where your work creates unique moments of impact. Make it happen here.

This is Barclays Northampton

Northampton is one of our most important UK centres. We’re home to all card and payment services across the Barclays business; we’re also home to Barclaycard. This is a vast operation, with a huge influence and impact on the financial services industry and on the lives of millions of British people.

Unique initiatives to enhance your wellbeing like our colleague allotment, helping to build community through getting closer to nature.

You can experience a wealth of diverse and surprising career paths right here in Northampton, across Barclays UK or even globally.

Our building is environmentally friendly and people-friendly too, with excellent facilities designed to make work a pleasure.

Northampton is the perfect blend of town and country, a growing and thriving centre for business, and a wonderful place to live and work.

This is Barclays Northampton

Northampton is one of our most important UK centres. We’re home to all card and payment services across the Barclays business; we’re also home to Barclaycard. This is a vast operation, with a huge influence and impact on the financial services industry and on the lives of millions of British people.

Focus on wellbeing

Unique initiatives to enhance your wellbeing like our colleague allotment, helping to build community through getting closer to nature.

Big opportunities

You can experience a wealth of diverse and surprising career paths right here in Northampton, across Barclays UK or even globally.

The workplace of the future

Our building is environmentally friendly and people-friendly too, with excellent facilities designed to make work a pleasure.

Discover Northampton

Northampton is the perfect blend of town and country, a growing and thriving centre for business, and a wonderful place to live and work.

Barclays

Working flexibly

We’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. If you'd like to explore flexible working arrangements, please discuss this with the hiring manager. Your request will be reviewed in-line with the requirements of the role/business needs of the team.

Hybrid working

We have a structured approach to hybrid working, where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, ‘anchor’, days, as set by the business area. Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Barclays is built on an international scale.

Our geographic reach, our wide variety of functions, businesses, roles and locations reflect the rich diversity of our worldwide customer base. All of which means we offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience. And the chance to learn from a globally diverse mix of colleagues, including some of the very best minds in banking, finance, technology and business. Throughout, we’ll encourage you to embrace mobility, exploring every part of our operations as you build your career.

Find more information

Related content

Related Jobs


Technical Product Owner

Knutsford (United Kingdom)

18 Aug
Head of Data Transformation - Customer

Knutsford (United Kingdom), Northampton (United Kingdom), Glasgow (United Kingdom)

27 Aug
Solution Architect

Northampton (United Kingdom), Knutsford (United Kingdom)

27 Aug
Lead Testing Automation Engineer

Northampton (United Kingdom), Knutsford (United Kingdom)

27 Aug
Engineering Manager

Knutsford (United Kingdom)

18 Aug
Head of Direct Digital Channels

Knutsford (United Kingdom), London (United Kingdom), Northampton (United Kingdom)

26 Aug
Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst

Knutsford (United Kingdom), London (United Kingdom)

26 Aug
Senior Security Consultant

Knutsford (United Kingdom)

26 Aug
Technical Product Owner- 12 month Fixed Term Contract

Knutsford (United Kingdom), Greater Manchester (United Kingdom)

26 Aug
Business Banking Service Manager

Knutsford (United Kingdom)

26 Aug