Head of Personnel Security

The Vacancy

We have a fantastic opportunity for a highly credible and experienced Head of Personnel Security to provide strategic leadership and assurance across the organisation. This is a pivotal senior role, accountable for safeguarding our people, intellectual property, and assets.

Leading a team of Vetting and Personnel Security teams, you’ll act as [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]’s Subject Matter Expert and Senior Risk Owner for personnel security, shaping strategy, setting standards, and advising at Board and Executive level.

As Head of Personnel Security, your responsibilities will include:

• Owning and delivering the Personnel Security Strategy and 3‑year roadmap, aligned to UKSV policy, NPSA guidance, and customer security requirements.
• Leading, caching and developing security teams.
• Acting as Senior Risk Owner for personnel security controls supporting Defence and HMG contracts.
• Chairing the Insider Risk Working Group and contribute to the Strategic Security Risk Board.
• Maintaining the Personnel Security Risk Register, setting risk appetite and assurance cadence.
• Providing regular briefings and MI to the [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] Board and Executive, and engage with leadership across UKRI, Innovate UK, the Catapult Network and HVM Catapult.
• Establishing and overseeing case handling frameworks, thresholds, escalation routes, and evidential standards.
• Leading sensitive investigations with integrity, fairness, and due process, working closely with HR, Legal and, where necessary, law enforcement.
• Taking ownership of role‑based risk assessments across the organisation, defining controls to reduce insider and workforce risk.
• Leading and maintaining the personnel security policy framework, including Personnel Security, Vetting & Aftercare, Suspension & Incident Management, Travel Security, Pre‑employment Screening (BPSS).
• Overseeing clearance forecasting, workforce planning, and reduction of clearance churn and delivery risk.
• Run a formal assurance and audit programme (policy compliance, sampling, case audits).
• Prepare materials for customer assurance reviews and accreditation bodies.
• Embed personnel security considerations into bids, contracts, supply‑chain onboarding, and access controls.
• Act as a trusted ambassador for [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] across Defence, Security, and Intelligence communities.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for an experienced security leader, comfortable operating at Board level and influencing complex organisations.

You’ll have:

• Significant leadership experience in personnel security within Defence, HMG, or regulated critical sectors.
• Practical experience of insider risk and behavioural science, psychology, or insider motivation.
• Strong working knowledge of vetting, aftercare, reviews, and incident notification.
• Proven experience designing and operating insider risk programmes.
• Demonstrable governance, risk, and assurance expertise, including executive‑level briefing.
• Track record of managing sensitive cases with HR, Legal and multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of data protection, privacy‑by‑design, and ethical monitoring.
• Excellent communicator, engaging professionally at all levels of the organisation.

Desirable

• NPSA training and Security Institute membership.
• Chartered status (Security Professional or Psychologist).
• Experience working with the UK Intelligence Community, MoD, Home Office, Cabinet Office, or FCDO.
• Expertise across multiple domains such as Insider Threat & Counterintelligence, Protective Security Accreditation, Technical Security, Personal Security & Vetting.

Interview Process

Applications will be reviewed by our Talent Acquisition team. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a two‑stage interview process.

Reference & Security Checks

Due to the nature of our work, all appointments are subject to satisfactory references and security clearance checks.

About The MTC

[Employer hidden] ([Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]) is an internationally renowned and respected research and development organisation, bridging the gap between academia and manufacturing, and is home to some of the brightest minds in engineering from around the globe.

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]'s engineers, scientists and technicians work with some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world in a supportive and collegiate environment for the development and demonstration of new technologies on an industrial scale, helping manufacturers of all sizes develop new and innovative processes and technologies.

Established to prove cutting edge manufacturing advances in an agile environment in partnership with industry, academia and other institutions, the [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] works with hundreds of industrial clients across a range of sectors including automotive, aerospace, rail, informatics, food and drink, infrastructure, construction and civil engineering, electronics, oil and gas and defence. [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] helps businesses thrive by advancing their technological and engineering capabilities to improve their business efficiency, capability and competitiveness.

Supported by one of the largest public sector investments in UK Manufacturing, the [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]'s engineering capabilities cover research and development, advanced manufacturing management, factory design and training for the skills of the future.

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] has world-class facilities in Coventry, Liverpool and Oxford, and is part of the UK's High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK.