Cyber Security Lead

Job Reference

0287-26

Date Posted

Wednesday 1 April 2026

Application Closing Date

Sunday 26 April 2026 at 11.59pm

Location

Preston Campus

Salary

circa £70,000 per annum

Basis

Full Time

Contract Type

Indefinite

Job Category / Type

Management

School / Service

IT Services

Hours

37.00 hours per week

Interview Date

See advert

Job details

When you work for the University of Lancashire , you'll be part of a thriving community of talent that's united in a common commitment to transform lives. We do this by delivering an outstanding educational experience and creating prosperity and opportunity in the communities we serve. Whatever your role, you'll be playing a vital part in helping us achieve our vision.

About the role:

We're seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Cyber Security Lead to provide both strategic direction and hands on leadership for cyber security across the University. As a senior member of our Learning & Information Services (LIS) team, you will play a pivotal role in safeguarding our people, data, systems, and reputation - ensuring we can deliver secure teaching, research, and professional services.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape and influence the University's ongoing digital transformation. You will help drive continued investment in our digital landscape and lead the development of a world class, safe, and secure environment for students, staff and the wider community.

We are looking for a creative leader who embraces innovation and leverages emerging technologies - including AI, to stay ahead in a fast moving and constantly evolving cyber security landscape.

The Cyber Security Lead will lead the University's cyber security programme, shaping and delivering a proactive, risk-based security capability. Acting as the University's cyber security subject-matter expert, you will bridge strategy and operational delivery, advising senior leaders on risk, threat, and assurance. Additionally the post-holder will lead a specialist cyber security team and work closely with digital, academic, and professional services colleagues to embed security by design across platforms, projects, and services.

About you:

We are seeking a proactive, visible, and highly credible individual with a proven track record in providing senior cyber or information security leadership and delivering a cyber security strategy with measurable outcomes. You will be confident engaging and influencing at senior and executive level and experienced in preventing the need but understanding how to lead or coordinate a cyber incident response.

You will have strong knowledge of cyber security and data protection legislation, a pragmatic, risk-based approach, and excellent communication skills, with a relevant professional accreditation (e.g. CISSP, CISM, ISO 27001 Lead Implementer), or an undergraduate degree or equivalent experience.

For further information, or to arrange a discussion about the role, please contact Chris Lakey - Head of IT Services and Operations.

We will be holding initial interviews via Teams during w/c 4 May and final interviews will be held on campus in Preston during w/c 11 May 2026.

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience and the written elements of your application should accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

What we can offer you:

We have a fantastic package of rewards and lifestyle benefits - from an attractive annual leave entitlement to access to a comprehensive employee benefits platform which includes a 24/7 online GP.

Our people are our most important asset. We'll encourage you to make the most of your talents and continually develop your skills and knowledge. As well as realising your career ambitions, you'll be making a positive difference to other people's lives.

About us:

We are proud to be a diverse, multicultural university. We are committed to building a truly inclusive culture where diversity is championed. Applications are particularly welcomed from individuals who will support the diversification within the University and support its development of a culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all.

The University is committed to providing a safe environment to study, work and visit, protecting children, young people and adults at risk from harm and abuse. Our safeguarding policy and safer recruitment procedure outlines our approach, alongside other internal policies, procedures and guidance which can be found on our Safeguarding page.

Applicants applying for roles in regulated activity and that are listed as an exception under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 will be required to disclose any spent and unspent convictions and undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check at the appropriate level, the University will only ask an applicant to make an application for a DBS check if they are legally entitled to.