Location
Hybrid - Kemble Court, Reading

Hours
38 hours per week (Monday - Friday) with participation in the relevant security escalation rota

Salary
£55,680 to £75,000 per annum, depending on experience and skills

About the Role
This is a key leadership role responsible for shaping and strengthening Personnel Security across Thames Water, ensuring the protection of people, information, and infrastructure against an increasingly complex threat landscape. Reporting to the Head of Protective Security, you will provide strategic leadership for managing personnel and insider security risks across the organisation. You will lead the development and maturity of the Personnel Security function, establishing robust governance, assurance, and performance frameworks.

Your responsibilities will include overseeing screening and vetting, access governance, insider risk management, supply chain security, and promoting a strong security culture. A major focus will be enhancing Thames Water’s Personnel Security capability through the application of NPSA best practice and recognised maturity frameworks.

You will drive effective processes for identifying, assessing, and responding to personnel security risks, concerns, and incidents. Working closely with senior stakeholders across HR, Legal, Procurement, Cyber Security, Operations, and Communications, you will embed personnel security into key business processes, lead continuous improvement programmes, and build a high-performing specialist team capable of responding to evolving threats and regulatory requirements.

The successful candidate will be required to undertake UK National Security Vetting (NSV) Security Check (SC) clearance before starting in this role. Candidates must either hold active SC clearance or be willing and eligible to undergo the vetting process. To meet eligibility criteria, you must typically have been a continuous resident in the UK for the last 5 years and hold a valid passport.

A full UK driving licence is required.

Experience
- Significant experience within Personnel Security, Insider Risk, Protective Security or a related discipline, ideally within a complex, regulated or Critical National Infrastructure environment.
- Proven leadership experience with a strong track record of developing specialist security capabilities, setting strategic direction, and effectively managing personnel security risks across employees, contractors, third parties, and supply chains.
- Strong knowledge of the personnel security lifecycle, including personnel security risk management, screening and vetting, access governance, workforce trustworthiness and insider risk.
- Experience developing and improving Personnel Security strategies, operating models, governance and assurance arrangements, informed by NPSA good practice and risk-based principles.
- Ability to assess complex people-related security risks and translate them into proportionate, practical and defensible controls.

About you
- Strong leadership, influencing, judgement and communication skills.
- Experience developing specialist teams and handling sensitive security matters with discretion and professional integrity.
- Ability to work collaboratively with senior stakeholders across multiple disciplines.
- Commitment to embedding a strong security culture and continuous improvement.

Qualifications
- Candidates must either hold active UK Security Check (SC) clearance or be willing and eligible to undergo the vetting process.
- Typically, continuous UK residency for the last 5 years and a valid passport are required to meet eligibility criteria.
- Full UK driving licence is essential.