Job Description
Chief Information Security Officer
At NHS Blood and Transplant, secure and resilient data and technology help connect the generosity of donors with patients whose lives depend on our services. From blood and plasma to organs, tissues, stem cells and specialist diagnostics, our technology underpins services that save and improve lives every day.
We are seeking an exceptional Chief Information Security Officer to lead some of our most important cyber security, information governance and resilience capabilities.
Working with the Executive team and leaders across the organisation, you will set the strategic direction for cyber and information security, information governance and records management.
You will provide a critical role in strengthening organisational resilience, and provide authoritative advice and assurance to senior leaders and Board committees, in an increasingly complex and volatile risk landscape.
This is a highly influential leadership role at the heart of an organisation delivering nationally critical services, where security, trust and resilience are critical. You will balance security, risk and regulatory requirements with the need to enable innovation and transformation, ensuring NHSBT can embrace new opportunities safely and confidently.
Main duties of the job
Your duties will include:
- Lead the development and delivery of NHSBT’s cyber security strategy, ensuring it responds to an evolving threat landscape and supports the organisation’s wider ambitions.
- Provide leadership and oversight of Cyber, Information Security, Data Privacy and Records Management ensuring NHSBT has effective controls, assurance and governance in place to protect its critical services, systems and information.
- Act as a trusted adviser to the Executive team and Board committees, providing clear, evidence-based advice on cyber threats, vulnerabilities, risk, regulatory requirements and the investment needed to address them.
- Strengthen NHSBT’s cyber resilience, ensuring the organisation is prepared to prevent, respond to and recover from significant cyber incidents and emerging threats.
- Build a strong, organisation-wide security culture, making cyber security and information protection a shared responsibility and enabling colleagues to make informed, proportionate decisions about risk.
- Lead and mature cyber and information security governance, risk and compliance arrangements, including GDPR, DSPT, CAF and relevant DHSC requirements, ensuring NHSBT maintains regulatory alignment, audit readiness and demonstrable assurance over its security control environment.
- Build, inspire and develop a diverse, inclusive and high-performing cyber and information governance team, with the skills and capabilities required to respond to current and future challenges.
- Develop influential relationships with government, NHS partners, regulators, national cyber bodies and strategic suppliers, ensuring NHSBT benefits from shared intelligence, expertise and best practice.
About You
Experience and Knowledge
- Deep knowledge and practical application of relevant regulatory requirements, including DSPT-CAF, NCSC guidance, ISO 27001 principles, GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and information governance requirements
- Significant experience of successfully developing information and cyber security strategies and leading the delivery of associated technical services, solutions and integrated partnership working.
- Expert knowledge of cyber resilience and operational security, including threat management, security architecture, IAM, vulnerability management, security operations, incident response, business continuity and disaster recovery across critical or Essential Services environments.
- Significant experience of assuring organisational capability to identify, protect against, detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents, including exercising and continuous improvement.
- Significant experience leading crisis management and integrating cyber security with Enterprise Risk Management and organisational business resilience.
- Significant leadership experience across cyber security, information governance, data protection and assurance functions, including capability building, professional standards and management of scarce specialist skills.
- Experience of decision-making and delivery in a changing environment.
- Extensive experience in developing, procuring, implementing and supporting complex regulatory system change.
- Significant experience of working with 3rd party technology and application providers and undertaking complex contract negotiation.
- Experience of successfully delivering priorities in collaboration with a range of stakeholders and partners.
- Demonstrable experience of managing significant operational revenue and multi-million capital investment programmes.
- Experienced in leading, building and delivering programmes through to successful delivery.
- Significant experience leading people and capabilities across multi-disciplinary, specialist teams, alongside contractor resources and strategic suppliers.
- Demonstrable commitment and in-depth experience to people leadership and staff development and progression.
Qualifications and Training
- Educated to master’s level in a digital, IT, security or related subject or significant operational and strategic cyber, information security and digital leadership experience.
- Holds an appropriate recognised cyber or information security qualification or professional registration—for example CISSP, CISM, CCISO, Chartered Cyber Security Professional or equivalent—or demonstrates comparable expertise through substantial senior experience.
- Demonstrate commitment to continuous personal learning
About Us
It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.
Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do. By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work – and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever.
You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.
What we offer:
- Hybrid working arrangements – because NHSBT works nationally, we’re able to offer hybrid working options that give you more flexibility to balance work with life.
- Flexible working options – we promote flexible working where the role allows. We’re happy to discuss what flexibility might look like for you.
- Generous annual leave - 27 days annual leave (pro rata for part-time) plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and to 33 days after 10 years.
- Inclusive pension scheme - the NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme (not dependent on investment returns). Further details and outline of benefits can be found at: http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/information-about-nhs-pensions
- Supportive learning culture - we’ve fostered a culture of continuous learning where colleagues are well-led, engaged, and encouraged to grow. We support you in reaching your full potential, both in your current role and future career. Our Thrive program embodies our commitment to learning and development, offering a wide range of activities to support your personal and professional growth. It’s open to everyone at NHSBT, ensuring you have the resources to succeed and shine in your role.
- Health and wellbeing support – we offer confidential services including occupational health, employee assistance programme, and wellbeing resources. Our support is available to all colleagues and we endeavour to provide tailored workplace adjustments where possible.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. We will talk with you to explore any adjustments that may help you during the recruitment process.
You can find more information about accessibility, our culture, and how we support applicants on the NHSBT Careers website:
To learn more, please see the job description and person specification. These can be accessed via the link below, or by clicking ‘Apply’ if you are viewing this advert on another site.
Next steps
This vacancy will close at 23:59pm on 29 Novermber 2026.
The assessment process for this role will include multiple stages of assessment, this will include a video presentation and a competency-based panel interview.
Panel interviews are anticipated to be held on 18 December 2026 at the NHSBT Birmingham New Street site- subject to confirmation.
For informal enquiries please contact –
Name: Daniel Madzikanda
Job Title: Recruiter
Contact Details: Email – daniel.madzikanda@nhsbt.nhs.uk
