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Problem-solvers and tech enthusiasts are being recruited for the new National Cyber Force (NCF) headquarters in South Ribble.
Trainees are wanted to join the organisation’s cyber specialist development programme – the closing date for which is this weekend.
After a paid 18-month course, successful candidates will move into the Computer Network Exploitation team and will work to help defend the UK from digital threats – whether posed by terrorists, criminals or other countries.
The jobs are thought to be the first to be advertised for the NCF’s new Samlesbury HQ, which is expected to open this year. It is not known how many roles there will be – but the overall Samlesbury GCHQ site is due to bring around 2,000 jobs to the area.
Training for the roles – which will be delivered on-site in Samlesbury and at another unspecified location in Lancashire – begins in January 2026. It will involve lectures and seminars, but also “real-world simulations” to provide practical experience in preparation for the work.
Applicants do not need any formal qualifications in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects – and places on the programme are open to school and university-leavers, as well as people looking to change careers later in life.
Once their training is complete, the new recruits will become part of what the job advert – published by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) – describes as “the front line of our mission to protect the UK from harm”.
Two roles are on offer – operators, who use bespoke technologies to disrupt threats to the UK and infiltrate adversaries’ computers, and developers who design the tools on which the operators rely.
Applications have to be submitted via the GCHQ website by 5pm on Sunday (19th January).
At a Lancashire County Council cabinet meeting this week, where it was agreed to establish an “innovation hub” at the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone to capitalise on the opportunities it is hoped the NCF will bring, cabinet member for economic development and growth Aidy Riggott said the jobs that would be on offer as a result of the the county’s success in attracting the facility would be “life-changing”.
