Personnel Security Manager

This is a key leadership role responsible for shaping and strengthening Personnel Security across Thames Water, ensuring the protection of people, information, and infrastructure against an increasingly complex threat landscape. Reporting to the Head of Protective Security, the role provides strategic leadership for managing personnel and insider security risks across the organisation.

The Person nel Security Manager will lead the development and maturity of the Personnel Security function, establishing robust governance, assurance, and performance frameworks. Responsibilities include overseeing screening and vetting, access governance, insider risk management, supply chain security, and promoting a strong security culture.

A major focus will be enhancing Thames Water’s Personnel Security capability through the application of NPSA best practice and recognised maturity frameworks. The role will drive effective processes for identifying, assessing, and responding to personnel security risks, concerns, and incidents.

Working closely with senior stakeholders across HR, Legal, Procurement, Cyber Security, Operations, and Communications, the role will embed personnel security into key business processes, lead continuous improvement programmes, and build a high-performing specialist team capable of responding to evolving threats and regulatory requirements.

What you will be doing as a Personnel Security Manager:

Lead and deliver Thames Water’s Personnel Security strategy, operating model, and improvement roadmap, ensuring alignment with organisational risk and regulatory requirements.
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Personnel Security function, strengthening capability across Thames Water and its supply chain.
Manage insider and people-related security risks through effective screening, vetting, workforce trustworthiness, access governance, and personnel lifecycle controls.
Drive continuous improvement by implementing robust governance, assurance, and performance frameworks based on industry best practice.
Partner with senior stakeholders across HR, Legal, Procurement, Cyber Security, Operations, and Risk to embed personnel security into key business processes.
Act as the organisation’s subject matter expert for Personnel Security, leading security culture initiatives, managing complex security incidents, and maintaining relationships with external regulatory, law enforcement, and government partners.
The successful candidate will be required to undertake UK National Security Vetting (NSV) Security Check (SC) clearance before starting in this role.
Candidates must either hold active SC clearance or be willing and eligible to undergo the vetting process. To meet the eligibility criteria, you must typically have been a continuous resident in the UK for the last 5 years and hold a valid passport.

Location - Reading

Hours of work: 38 (Monday - Friday)

Escalation rota - The role will participate in the relevant security escalation rota.

Driving licence - Full UK driving licence required.

What you should bring to the role:

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:
Significant experience within Personnel Security, Insider Risk, Protective Security or a related discipline, ideally within a complex, regulated or Critical National Infrastructure environment.
Proven leadership experience with a strong track record of developing specialist security capabilities, setting strategic direction, and effectively managing personnel security risks across employees, contractors, third parties, and supply chains.
Strong knowledge of the personnel security lifecycle, including personnel security risk management, screening and vetting, access governance, workforce trustworthiness and insider risk.
Exp…