Cyber Security Engineer

The Cyber Security Engineer will play a key role in supporting the FCDO's Cyber Transformation Programme by enhancing threat detection, response, and onboarding of digital services into the Cyber Operations Protective Monitoring capability. The role involves defining, developing, and embedding onboarding standards and processes to ensure operational excellence and consistency across FCDO's digital estate.

This position is central to improving FCDO's cyber resilience, addressing growing threat complexity, and supporting the transition of secure digital services into steady-state operational monitoring.

DV Clearance is an essential requirement for this role. As a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active DV clearance.

As a Cyber Security Engineer your main responsibilities will be to:

• Define minimum requirements for onboarding digital services into Cyber Operations' protective monitoring.
• Identify, define, and support the generation of standard use cases for digital service onboarding.
• Develop logging and monitoring standards aligned with operational use cases.
• Create and maintain onboarding input requirements, forms, and questionnaires.
• Define and establish Operational Acceptance Criteria (OAC) for digital service onboarding.
• Develop and document the Digital Service Onboarding Process.
• Pilot onboarding processes and ensure effective implementation.
• Handover and embed onboarding processes into ongoing operational service.
• Support the design and delivery of cyber threat detection and response capabilities.
• Collaborate with technical, operational, and governance teams to ensure compliance with cyber security standards and policies.

• Proven experience working in cyber security engineering, operations, or monitoring environments.
• Strong understanding of SIEM tools, logging standards, and protective monitoring frameworks (e.g., Splunk, Sentinel, ELK).
• Experience with Azure cloud security and secure onboarding of cloud services.
• Working knowledge of security controls, incident response, and threat detection methodologies.
• Ability to write and maintain technical documentation, including procedures, standards, and onboarding templates.
• Strong understanding of security operations best practices (e.g., NIST, ISO 27001, CIS Controls).
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within multi-disciplinary teams in a complex environment.

Desirable:

• Experience within UK Government or critical national infrastructure (CNI) cyber environments.
• Familiarity with Government Security Classifications and Protective Monitoring (SOC) capabilities.
• Knowledge of cloud security architectures (Azure, AWS) and secure onboarding of cloud services.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CEH, GIAC, CompTIA Security+, or Splunk Certified Engineer.
• Understanding of Digital Service Management (ITIL) and Service Transition principles.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, FCDO guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

FCDO guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".

Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) is a government let framework, managed by AMS on behalf of Crown Commercial Services (CCS) for the provision of Contingent Labour across the UK. As one of the leading total workforce solutions organisations, at AMS we are no stranger to helping clients around the world, including 120+ blue-chip companies, create workforces that are fluid, resilient, diverse, and differentiated. PSR is committed to connecting the right person with the right role, helping candidates find meaningful projects that align with their skills and career goals. Our PSR customers, ranging from central government to agencies and public bodies, have an incredible range of assignments and assignment durations with roles at all clearance levels and across all skill sectors to include Tech and Digital, Commercial and Procurement, Project Management, Engineering, Nuclear, Finance, HR and Marketing and Communications. Candidates could find themselves working on the most cutting-edge projects, with the latest technologies, and some of the largest programmes of work throughout the country. The Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) framework is underpinned by our commitments to Social Value. During our tenure working with the UK Government to deliver talent solutions, Social Value has become an increasingly important topic amongst our customers and across the UK. After a number of economic changes in recent years, of which our communities and society as a whole have felt the huge impact, the delivery of Social Value has never been more significant. At PSR, we want to make sure we provide an inclusive and accessible experience for all of our candidates. PSR - Talent Attraction Candidate Wellbeing At PSR, we want to make sure we provide an inclusive and accessible experience for all of our candidates. We have a selection of resources available to support you throughout the recruitment journey and once you're in assignment with PSR., Your wellbeing is our priority. If you work with PSR, you'll get access to leading wellbeing app Unmind, which provides you with preventative measures to encourage positive wellbeing., At PSR, we understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. That's why we've launched the PSR Mental Health First Aider Programme. We've trained a cohort of Mental Health First Aiders who are equipped with the skills to identify and address mental health challenges, ensuring that our employees and contractors have access to the help they need. By prioritising mental well-being, we're not only supporting our people and contractors but also ensuring we deliver the best service to our customers across the UK public sector.