Director Cyber Defence Operations

DIRECTOR CYBER DEFENCE OPERATIONS | Whakataka Ngā Whakahaere Ārai a-Ipurangi
Join our diverse and talented people and work at the heart of national security, providing essential intelligence to the NZ government to protect Aotearoa New Zealand and its people.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand's cyber defence. We fulfil the cyber security responsibilities of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) | Te Tira Tiaki, as the government's lead operational cyber security agency.
Why work for us
Alongside getting to work with our talented people, we also offer a range of comprehensive benefits which include:
Medical Insurance and Vision Care packages
Enhanced employer contributions to your Kiwisaver
Generous leave benefits, including additional paid days off and enhanced sick and parental leave
Childcare allowance for your pre-schoolers
Opportunities for personal and professional growth and career pathways across the intelligence community
Great work-life balance
The role
This position is one of the most challenging and impactful operational leadership roles available. As Director Cyber Defence Operations, you will lead a range of specialist disciplines to detect, disrupt and respond to cyber security incidents from across the motu, while being exposed to international expertise and insights. You will contribute to the defence of New Zealanders and their businesses across the economy and internationally.
The NCSC envisages an Aotearoa New Zealand where good cyber security is practised everywhere, all the time, by everyone. To achieve this, we need a cross-functional approach to identify and address the drivers of poor cyber security, while addressing the immediate challenges of a complex operating environment. This means a keen focus on real world outcomes, proactive and collegial peer relationships and strong constructive engagement with industry partners.
Key responsibilities
Keep pace with the operating environment to detect and disrupt threats before they cause harm and inform proactive guidance and resilience efforts
Maintain operational readiness of the 24/7 national cyber security incident response function
Lead operational coordination for the NCSC in domestic and international contexts
Working through your leaders, develop priorities and set work programmes that keeps pace with the operational context and system expectations
Identify and resolve/escalate emerging problems, working collaboratively with others to resolve systemic issues
Lead stakeholder management in situations where seniors may be operating in crisis
Collaborate with colleagues across multiple agencies and industry to improve Aotearoa New Zealand's resilience to cyber security threats and vulnerabilities
Who we're looking for
Given the responsibilities and the high-pressure environment this role operates in, you are expected to have the following:
Significant operational leadership ideally involving incident response
Strong and effective people management background, with experience in leading leaders
Extensive public sector stakeholder engagement experience
Some exposure to intelligence analysis
Qualification in cyber security, IT, risk management (including law), data or a related field
Flexibility to accommodate some international travel as part of your role
Before you apply
Working within our unique environment means we have to ensure you're eligible for employment.
**You must**:
Have been a New Zealand Citizen for at least 10 years
OR
Hold a current NZ Residency Class Visa and ideally have been a citizen of the UK, USA, Canada or Australia for at least 10 years
Be eligible to obtain a Top Secret Special (TSS) security clearance
Ordinarily, this means you'll have a 15 year checkable background in countries NZSIS Vetting can make meaningful and reliable checks.
Job Details
Reference #
8175
Location(s)
Wellington
Salary
Band L $200,888 (90%) - $256,691 (115%)
Midpoint of the salary range (100%) reflects full competence in the role
Closes on
02 Mar 2025 23:55
Work type(s)
Permanent full-time
Job level(s)
Management, Executive
Expertise
Cyber Security, Management, Security & Intelligence