Service Line Owner – Protect

Job summary

Can you lead a complex service, taking end-to-end accountability for performance, quality and outcomes?

Do you have experience working in protective security, information governance or data protection?

Have you influenced senior stakeholders, led strategic change and established effective processes to deliver organisational objectives?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Lead with confidence. Take ownership of the services which ensure critical security, proper information management and compliance with our legal obligations. Help the Department for Transport protect its people, data and operations while delivering secure, compliant and trusted services across the organisation.

This is an exciting time to join the Digital, Information and Security Directorate within the Department for Transport as we restructure our directorate to ensure we are ready for future challenges, building a more sustainable, skilled and in-house capability.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers within the Government Digital and Data Profession .

Job description

As a Service Line Owner you will lead the Protect Service Line, overseeing critical security, information management and rights services that help keep the organisation secure, compliant and resilient. You'll take end-to-end responsibility for service performance, quality and outcomes, ensuring services deliver value while supporting departmental priorities.

As a senior leader, you'll define and deliver the strategic vision for the service line, balancing user needs, legal obligations and policy objectives to drive continuous improvement. You'll ensure robust controls are in place and that services remain effective in a complex and evolving environment.

Working closely with senior stakeholders across the wider organisation, you'll build consensus, influence decision-making and ensure successful delivery of change and transformation initiatives. You'll also be responsible for securing and managing investment, ensuring funding is used effectively to deliver outcomes and value for money.

Leading high-performing teams, you'll foster an inclusive, collaborative culture and support the development of capability across the service. This is an opportunity to shape the future of security, information management and organisational resilience across the Department for Transport.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Defining quality measures for the service, driving continuous improvement towards these measures.
• Informing and influencing stakeholders, getting consensus that enables work to progress.
• Ensuring the delivery of change that realises the outcomes and benefits of your service.
• Prioritising areas of development, balancing user needs, business requirements, and policy.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Experience of working in a protective security environment and working with data of different security classifications.
• Knowledge of legislation and associated guidance in the field of information governance and a willingness to undergo the relevant qualifications.
• Experience of risk management and incident response.
• End-to-end ownership of a complex service, accountable for quality, performance and outcomes.
• Leading change and continuous improvement to realise benefits and outcomes.
• Influencing and building consensus with senior and cross organisational stakeholders.
• Securing and managing funding to deliver value for money.
• Leading and developing high‑performing, inclusive teams.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week.

Travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays. For candidates based outside of London, there will be an expectation to travel to London on a regular basis to maintain relevant access requirements and provide in-person support when required.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Service Line Owner - Applying user-centred insights
• Service Line Owner - Governance and assurance
• Service Line Owner - Life cycle management
• Service Line Owner - Stakeholder relationship management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £69,501, Department for Transport contributes

£20,134 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies .

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1000 word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Experience of working in a protective security environment and working with data of different security classifications.
• Knowledge of legislation and associated guidance in the field of information governance.
• Leading change and continuous improvement to realise benefits and outcomes.
• End-to-end ownership of a customer focussed complex service, accountable for quality, performance and outcomes.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The sift will take place on Thursday 10th September 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Leadership, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together.
• Technical – Applying user-centred insights, Governance and assurance, Life cycle management, Stakeholder relationship management.
• Experience.

You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place on Monday 28th & Tuesday 29th September 2026.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site.

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

During your application, you should indicate which location(s) you wish to be considered for and, if successful, you will be placed on an individual list of candidates for each location. Candidates will be held on that list and drawn from it in merit order. We advise you to carefully consider which locations you wish to be considered for. If you decline an offer for a location you have expressed a preference in or have expressed an interest in more than one location and accept an offer, you will be withdrawn from any lists you may be held on. We may also offer candidates a location that they have not expressed a preference for where we have the requirement to do so but this will again be done on the basis of your place in the overall merit order and, in this event, you will not be removed from the list if you decline.

Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).

Reasonable Adjust