Job Title: CSOC - Head of Physical Security Unit (Team Leader)
Salary: The starting salary is £63,409, which includes allowances totalling £3,009.
The salary is broken down as £60,400 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £65,886. Plus, a location allowance of £2,009 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.
Location: West Brompton
Job Summary
This role serves as the National Lead and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Physical Security compliance across the Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) Network. As the technical authority for physical security within the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), you will drive the development, implementation and continuous improvement of CTP’s Physical Security Strategy, policies, standards and frameworks to ensure the national CT estate remains resilient, accredited, and aligned to UK Government protective security requirements.
You will provide senior-level technical leadership across all physical security disciplines, ensuring that physical, personnel and technical security controls are designed, implemented and maintained in line with threat assessments, accreditation requirements, system architecture, and national protective security standards. This includes advising on and assuring the secure design, deployment and integration of physical security technologies such as access control systems, CCTV, intruder detection systems, perimeter protection, security monitoring platforms and other protective measures used across the national estate.
As the National Lead, you will oversee the formal accreditation and assurance of all CT sites, ensuring they meet required security standards through technical assessment, risk evaluation and participation in national working groups and governance boards. You will maintain the central repository of accredited sites and ensure all documentation, risk statements and accreditation evidence remain accurate, auditable and technically robust.
A critical part of the role involves continuous engagement with key partners and stakeholders, including the Accreditor, UK NACE, NPSA and regional security leads, often at Director or senior governance level. You will act as the authoritative point of contact for all physical security technical matters, providing expert guidance, interpreting complex requirements, and ensuring the national approach remains consistent, compliant and operationally effective.
As the Physical Security Unit (PSU) Team Leader, you will lead and manage a team of Physical Security Officers (PSOs), ensuring a high-quality, technically capable workforce. This includes developing the PSU training pathway, overseeing ongoing professional development, mentoring new officers, allocating regional responsibility, quality‑assuring technical assessments and reports, and ensuring the unit operates as a cohesive, high-performing national capability.
The role carries significant technical responsibility and requires an in‑depth understanding of protective security engineering, risk assessments, site security architecture, secure system integration, and the emerging technologies used to protect the CT estate.
This is a national post and will involve regular travel across the UK, with the flexibility to meet operational, technical and accreditation demands. You will play a key role in safeguarding the security, integrity and resilience of the CT estate, ensuring physical, human and technical measures work together to protect communities and support national security.
Key Tasks
The post holder will be required to do the following:
- Demonstrate advanced expertise in compliance, assurance and physical protective security, applying technical knowledge of protective security architecture, system integration, physical security engineering and accreditation requirements to maximise value to the organisation.
- Understand and communicate the technical and operational value of the Physical Security service, clearly articulating how protective security controls, systems and accreditation outcomes support the CTP Network and wider mission.
- Apply detailed technical knowledge of physical security principles, systems and standards, including access control technologies, CCTV systems, intruder detection, perimeter protection, secure storage solutions, blast/ballistic standards, and security zoning, within practical and operational contexts to enhance resilience.
- Lead and manage a national physical security portfolio, identifying and communicating risks, dependencies, system weaknesses and emerging threats to stakeholders at regional, national and director-level governance boards.
- Analyse, interpret and present complex technical information objectively, including system and site diagrams, technical specifications, accreditation evidence, site surveys, risk assessments and system performance data.
- Assess CTP accommodation and estate against the national physical security standards, identifying opportunities to uplift maturity through improved design, technology upgrades, risk mitigation or enhanced procedural controls.
- Translate customer, operational and threat-driven requirements into clear, technically accurate service descriptions, solution options and protective security recommendations.
- Provide authoritative technical advice, challenge and support across the full-service lifecycle, from the initial design and planning of secure estates through to implementation, accreditation, assurance and ongoing compliance activities.
- Clearly articulate physical security technical requirements, risks and outcomes to diverse audiences, building awareness across the CTP Network and ensuring stakeholders understand the purpose and value of compliance with national physical security standards.
Competencies Value Framework
- We take ownership - Level 3
- We are collaborative - Level 2
- We analyse critically - Level 3
- We support and inspire - Level 2
Met Values
Vetting
This post requires access to the most sensitive intelligence material on a daily basis. Applicants must hold or be prepared to undergo National Security Vetting (NSV) Developed Vetting (DV) level before taking up the post.
This post requires British nationality (some dual nationals may be ineligible) and an Enhanced Security Check (eSC)/Developed Vetting (DV) clearance.
As the post holder will have access to very sensitive information, there are limitations on travelling to a small number of countries and we will undertake additional security checks as part of the recruitment process. Applications from candidates with close connections to certain countries may take considerably longer to process, or in some cases result in a withdrawal of an offer of employment. Further details will be provided at the conditional offer stage.
Please note the successful candidate will be part of a recruitment pipeline for a period of up to 12 months.
Confidentiality Agreement
Applicants should also be aware of the need to sign a confidentiality agreement on taking up the post.
Our Colleague Commitments
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) continues to prioritize an inclusive and supportive working environment and culture, where all of our people feel a strong sense of belonging and are empowered to reach their full potential. CTP keeps the nation and everyone in it safe from all manner of threats and as those threats evolve, so do we - that’s why Inclusion, Diversity and Equality (IDE) is the key to supporting our greatest asset, our people.
Our people protect our national security across the UK. In order to continue to deliver against our organizational priorities, we collectively seek to ensure that all colleagues feel respected, supported and valued to fully participate in the delivery of our mission – “working to keep people safe from Terrorism”.
IDE is at the heart of our approach to make the composition of Counter Terrorism Policing more representative of the communities we serve. As Counter Terrorism is rooted in Local Policing, to tackle today’s complex policing challenges, applications from across all backgrounds, cultures and experiences are therefore essential and encouraged. The CTP Network is committed to ensuring that candidates identifying as disabled are able to realize their fullest career aspirations and, as such, will endeavor to accommodate any reasonable adjustments that you may require during the recruitment process. CTP also welcomes applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements, such as part-time working, job-share and where the role permits, hybrid working arrangements. All flexible working arrangements should be discussed and agreed with the hiring manager.
How to apply
To begin your career at the Met, please click the "apply button “. The application process requires a comprehensive CV, a Personal Statement, and an online application form. In your Personal Statement, you should explain your interest in the position and illustrate how your skills and experiences make you a suitable candidate. Please note that you should not submit two copies of your CV, and ensure that your documents are saved in either PDF or Word format, clearly labelled as CV and Personal Statement.
Completed applications must be submitted by 23:55 on 2nd June 2026.
Once received, your application will be reviewed against eligibility criteria, following this, your application will be reviewed by the hiring manager. The application review for this vacancy will commence 2 weeks after closing
Following application review, successful candidates will be invited to interview. Interview dates will commence 2 weeks after sift.
