Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading university, with a turnover of $1.3bn, including research revenue of over $300m generated across eight diverse faculties and two research institutes. We employ more than 5400 academic and professional staff to support over 45,000 students, making us one of NZ’s largest employers.

We are a research-led institution with academic staff operating at the forefront of their fields. Securing the integrity of our research is vital to our continued success in this area and forming partnerships to take our research to the world.

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

We have a newly created role for a Deputy - Chief Information Security Officer. You will ideally be based in Auckland, but we are open to offering remote working options from within New Zealand.  

The purpose of this position is to work across three large entities, the University of Auckland (UoA), National eScience Infrastructure (NeSI), and Auckland UniServices Limited (AUL).

You will be charged with leading a programme of work designed to enhance our cybersecurity capabilities via new systems, adapted processes and staff training improvement projects. You will also work to improve our reporting capabilities to highlight where we are now, where we are going and how we are tracking towards our targets.

The goal of these programmes is to move the University towards formal cybersecurity accreditation and to enhance cross company capability in the cybersecurity space to protect the intellectual property of our researchers and research based ventures.

Our University of Auckland researchers, and others throughout the country, rely on NeSI for expertise and capability in computational and data intensive research. AUL brings our researchers together with industry and government to commercialise the ideas and intellectual property that arise from our research. This role will work across all three institutions to ensure that security is maintained appropriately throughout the research process lifecycle.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing cybersecurity leadership, including the formation of strategy for NeSI and AUL.
• Contribute to the cybersecurity strategy of UoA.
• Produce and present periodic reports for NeSI and AUL governance structures on cybersecurity posture.
• Identify and maintain cybersecurity KPIs across UoA, AUL and NeSI to objectively communicate cybersecurity posture.
• Partner with the Office of Research Strategy & Integrity (ORSI) and Centre for eResearch (CeR) to support the inclusion of appropriate cybersecurity and information security principles within research data management plans.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures to support good cybersecurity practice.
• Partner with the Cybersecurity Awareness and Training Lead and ORSI to ensure that researchers have access to appropriate cybersecurity learning material to undertake their research securely.
• Identify and promote appropriate cybersecurity capabilities and practices to support research requirements within our technology platforms.

For more detailed information, please refer to the Position Description.

Mō tō mātou rōpū | About the team

Your direct team sits within our Digital Services division. Though, you will not have any direct reports you will work closely with our Chief Information Security Officer and his team who split their time between operational activities and the development of our cybersecurity capability at the University.

The CyberSecurity team includes specialists in developing cybersecurity training and awareness programmes for our people, and in developing and maintaining policies, KPIs and risk management processes. We also have a sizeable team of cybersecurity architects, engineers and testers to provide technical capability to the University. You will be able to leverage the skills of this wider team to deliver outcomes to our researchers.

You will also spend time with key stakeholders at NeSI and AUL and act as a faciliatory between the three entities. As part of a national entity, your work with NeSI will involve engagement with a wide group of stakeholders and partners outside of the University of Auckland.

He kōrero mōu | About you

This role is focused on supporting our research endeavours and partnerships, so it is essential that you have a depth of understanding of research practices, grant processes and the interplay between the different entities.

You will be able to demonstrate an understanding of how our researchers’ ideas are tested, adapted, and pitched as a service or product, before being shaped into a viable real-world outcome. Ideally, this would mean that you have a Postgraduate research qualification or equivalent experience in an academic research environment.

It will be your role to ensure that our data is safe through the whole cycle of creation and information sharing that goes with the development of research, so you will need both an understanding of how research and its funding/processes, and a technical understanding of IT and computer systems to allow you to advise and shape how we implement our security in the future.

This role is very much a position for an IT technical expert (we are open to people looking to transition towards cybersecurity) with relevant experience in research processes.

To be considered for this role you need:

• Tertiary qualification or equivalent experience in cybersecurity or a related IT field.
• Extensive experience in IT/cybersecurity leadership or management of research.
• An understanding of the process and lifecycle of academic research.

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou | What we offer

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading university and maintains significant computational, laboratory and analytic facilities. Auckland itself is frequently rated as one of the world’s most liveable cities. 

The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment through:

• Flexible employment practices (including working from home and flexible hours)
• Up to 6.75% company superannuation scheme
• A competitive salary with five weeks’ annual leave
• 37.5 hour work week for professional staff

In addition, we also offer career development programmes, discounted car parking, a generous parental leave allowance, childcare and a number of other discounts on internal and external services. 

For more information please visit Staff Benefits.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

Applications must be submitted online, by the closing date of Tuesday 26 July to be considered. Please include your cover letter and your CV highlighting how you can meet the skills and experiences detailed above.

Please reach out to Neil Constable via [email protected] for a confidential conversation. Please note we are happy to answer your questions but we do not accept applications by email.

Overseas Applicants

In response to COVID-19 the New Zealand Government imposed travel restrictions but have recently announced a five-step plan for a phased border re-opening. This phased re-opening will take some time and this may alter the nature of the standard interview process for offshore candidates, particularly at the on-site interview stage. To see how this might affect your application and for more information and updates on the border restrictions and phased re-opening, please visit the Immigration New Zealand website or the New Zealand Government's official Covid-19 website.

Equity

The University is committed to meeting its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and achieving equity outcomes for staff and students in a safe, inclusive and equitable environment.  For further information on services for Māori, Pacific, women, LGBTQITakatāpui+, people with disabilities, parenting support, flexible work and other equity issues go to www.equity.auckland.ac.nz