**Principal Security Adviser - Grooming Gangs Inquiry

Job summary

The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs (IIGG or “the Inquiry”) was established under the Inquiries Act 2005 following Recommendation 2 of Baroness Louise Casey’s National Audit on Group‑based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (June 2025). The Inquiry examines group‑based child sexual exploitation and abuse, with a mandate to understand what happened, why institutional failings allowed it to continue, and what must change to protect children in the future.

The Inquiry is led by Baroness Anne Longfield CBE as Chair, supported by Panellists Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE, and has full statutory powers to compel evidence and call witnesses across institutional and geographical boundaries.

The Inquiry will operate across England and Wales and may conduct hearings, engagement activity and local investigations in multiple locations. Its security arrangements must protect people, information, evidence, premises and operations while remaining accessible, trauma-informed and consistent with the Inquiry’s statutory independence.

Job description

The Principal Security Adviser is the Inquiry’s professional head of protective security and the senior officer accountable for security.

You will have end-to-end strategic and operational responsibility for the Inquiry’s protective security function. This encompasses physical, personnel, personal, information, technical, cyber and supplier security; security risk management and assurance; incident management; organisational resilience; and the secure delivery of hearings and other public-facing activity.

Operating as a member of the Inquiry’s senior leadership, you will advise the Chair, Panel, Chief Executive and senior officials on complex and potentially high-consequence security decisions. You will have substantial autonomy to determine the Inquiry’s security strategy, operating model, priorities and deployment of resources, escalating matters where risks fall outside agreed appetite or require decisions by the Chair, sponsoring department or other accountable authorities.

You must balance several potentially competing imperatives: protecting victims, survivors, witnesses, staff and senior leaders; safeguarding sensitive information and evidence; enabling open and accessible proceedings; maintaining public confidence; complying with government security requirements; and protecting the Inquiry’s actual and perceived independence.

You may also provide strategic and operational security leadership to other statutory inquiries on a recharge or portfolio basis. These inquiries may be geographically dispersed and subject to different threats, operating models, sponsoring arrangements and delivery timetables.

Responsibilities

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Acting as the Inquiry’s professional head of protective security, leading all protective security workstreams and ensuring compliance with Government Functional Standard GovS 007, associated technical standards, sponsoring-department policy, the Inquiries Act 2005 and Inquiry Rules 2006, while safeguarding and modelling the Inquiry’s statutory independence.
• Developing, maintaining and implementing the Inquiry’s security strategy, governance and assurance arrangements, including threat and risk assessments, asset identification, security policies, incident-management arrangements and mechanisms for escalating risks requiring senior consideration or acceptance.
• Developing, testing and delivering holistic security plans for public and private hearings, protecting attendees, witnesses - including those requiring special measures - staff, information and evidence, and ensuring proceedings can take place safely, with dignity and free from disturbance or disruption.
• Developing and implementing security policies, procedures and minimum standards for pre- and post-hearing operations across physical, personnel and information security; leading the organisational response to security incidents and breaches; and embedding a positive, accountable and trauma-informed security culture through leadership, training, assurance and continuous improvement.
• Providing authoritative strategic and operational security advice to the Inquiry Chair, Panel, Chief Executive, Senior Civil Servants and wider workforce, and representing the Inquiry at senior level with the heads and deputy heads of sponsoring-department security, senior Government Security Group officials, National Technical Authorities, policing and private-sector security leaders.
• Leading arrangements for the personal security of the Chair, Panel and senior leadership, owning relationships with government, policing and commercial security partners and influencing them to commission or provide appropriate capabilities while maintaining the Inquiry’s independence.
• Leading the procurement and contract management of security goods and services, including providing operational leadership to the contracted hearing-security guard force, setting and assuring standards, managing performance, identifying efficiencies and securing value for money.
• Leading and deploying security resources across a geographically dispersed estate and portfolio, including task management of staff from EO to Grade 7, leadership of the Inquiry’s health and safety arrangements, and delivery of agreed security support to other public inquiries on a recharge basis.

Fixed Term Appointment (FTA)/Loan

This post is being offered on a 12 months’ basis in order to complete a finite piece of work. Please refer to attached Candidate Information Pack.

The Inquiry timeline is 36 months, and the assignment may be extended subject to relevant approvals.

Working patterns

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours are available.

Travel

The role will involve regular travel within the United Kingdom, including travel to hearing venues, Inquiry offices and locations involved in local investigations. Some overnight stays and out-of-hours working will be required, particularly during hearing periods, exercises or significant incidents.

Additional information

You will be required to obtain and maintain the appropriate level of national security clearance.

You must also maintain the highest standards of integrity, discretion, impartiality and political neutrality. You must be able to work constructively with the sponsoring department while consistently respecting and modelling the statutory independence of the Inquiry.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Significant security leadership experience within a statutory inquiry, inquest, investigation or independent review.
• Experience of applying security principles within a legislative and rules environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a proven ability to provide authoritative advice, challenge constructively and influence at the most senior levels.
• Experience developing and delivering trauma-informed security arrangements for victims, survivors, witnesses or other potentially vulnerable people.
• Experience procuring, contract-managing and/or operationally leading security services, including a professional security guard force.
• Experience leading security across a geographically dispersed estate and workforce, managing competing priorities and responding effectively to security incidents.

Desirable criteria

• Experience working with policing or other specialist security partners.