Description
Who you'll be working for:
At Ipsum, we provide specialist infrastructure services across the UK's regulated water and energy companies and private sector businesses. We work with our customers to maintain, optimise and develop their above and below ground assets to ensure security and resilience, and with our smart systems and ways of working, we ensure we deliver on time, on budget and safely.

What's in it for you:
To support our continued growth we are looking for a Cyber Security Analyst apprentice to join our team. You will gain experience of providing the first line of defence against cyberattacks, and recommending and implementing tools, technologies and associated policies/procedures to defend company hardware, software and networks from malicious hackers by monitoring all aspects of an organisation's IT infrastructure.

We are committed to supporting and developing our people to achieve their full potential. As a fast growing ambitious business, we can offer our people opportunities to acquire a wide range of skills and gain broad and varied experience to enable them to progress in their career. Investing in our people and enhancing our expertise and flexibility enables us to deliver the highest standard of service to our customers.

Benefits:

• Flexible working
• Training, development and career progression
• Long service awards scheme
• Life assurance scheme
• 24/7/365 employee assistance programme including mental health support and access to counselling sessions
• Opportunities to volunteer and make a difference via local community projects and initiatives
• Employee discount scheme access to discounts with hundreds of retailers including supermarkets mobile phone / broadband providers, gym memberships and more
• Health and wellbeing support via smarty health app including 24/7 virtual GP
• Occupational health support, giving tailored advice and guidance when needed
• Established local social committees with a calendar of regular activities
• Attractive group personal pension scheme with Scottish widows
• Cycle to work scheme

You will be responsible for:

• Learning and keeping up to date with the latest security and technology developments
• Researching/evaluating emerging cyber security threats and ways to manage them
• Planning for disaster recovery and creating contingency plans in the event of any security breaches
• Monitoring for attacks, intrusions and unusual, unauthorised or illegal activity
• Testing and evaluating security products
• Involvement in designing new security systems or upgrading existing ones
• Learning to use advanced analytic tools to determine emerging threat patterns and vulnerabilities
• Engaging in 'ethical hacking', for example, simulating security breaches
• Assisting with identifying potential weaknesses and implement measures, such as firewalls and associated policies
• Investigating security alerts and providing incident response
• Monitoring identity and access management, including monitoring for abuse of permissions by
  authorised system users
• Liaising with stakeholders in relation to cyber security issues and providing future
  recommendations
• Generating reports for both technical and non-technical staff and stakeholders
• Maintaining the information security risk register and assisting with internal and external audits
  relating to information security
• Monitoring and responding to 'phishing' emails and 'pharming' activity
• Assisting with the creation, maintenance and delivery of cyber security awareness training for
  colleagues
• Becoming a key component in the organisation achieving Ipsum-wide ISO27001 accreditation

You will need the following skills:

• Good networking knowledge
• Basic programming and/or scripting knowledge
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Visio
• Knowledge of current trends in information security
• A passion for cyber security and a keen interest in IT
• Excellent IT skills, including knowledge of computer networks, operating systems, software, hardware and security
• An understanding of the cyber security risks associated with various technologies and ways to manage them
• A basic understanding of various security technologies such as network and application
  firewalls, host intrusion prevention and anti-virus
• Analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and assess risks, threats, patterns and trends
• Teamworking skills for collaborating with team members and clients
• Verbal communication skills, including presentation skills, with an ability to communicate with
  a range of technical and non-technical team members and other relevant individuals
• Written communication skills, for example to write technical reports
• Time-management and organisational skills to manage a variety of tasks and meet deadlines
• The ability to multitask and prioritise your workload
• Excellent attention to detail
• Demonstrates resilience and an ability to work under pressure at times of high demand

The following experience is desirable:

• Experience of working within a technical organisation and/or technical team would be
  beneficial
• Awareness of cloud-based technology and experience would be desirable

Entry requirements:

• an A Level in ICT
• OR an International Baccalaureate at Level 3 in ICT
• OR a Level 3 apprenticeship in a similar subject
• OR a BTEC Extended Diploma in IT (180 credits)

You may also have a combination of qualifications and experience which demonstrate the minimum foundation needed for the programme. In this instance you could still be considered for the programme.

If you hold international equivalents of the above qualifications, at the time of your application you must be able to provide an official document that states how your international qualifications compare to the UK qualifications.

Find out more here: https://www.enic.org.uk/Qualifications/UKQRS/Default.aspx

Working week:
38.5 hours per week

Future prospects:
90% of QA apprentices secure permanent employment after completing: this is 20% higher than the national average.

Important information:
QA's apprenticeships are funded by the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), an executive agency of the Department for Education. To be eligible for a Government funded apprenticeship you must have lived in the UK or European Economic Area (EEA) for the last 3 consecutive years.