Compliance Advisor (Security and Vetting)

Role Description

We welcome applications from passionate and committed individuals to join our team.

About the Role

An opportunity has arisen for a vetting professional to join our Compliance team. You will deliver a partnering service to key customers across the University, providing first-class customer service and proficient business-focused advice and support. You will play a key role in ensuring we recruit safely, efficiently, and in line with our high standards. The role will have regular, close liaison with the University’s Security Controller.

Our People and Culture Compliance team provides a range of vetting services, a business-critical function, and is increasingly important given the nature of Cranfield’s work and strategic partnerships. The primary purpose of this role is to provide a focus of expertise for security and other vetting for the University and its subsidiaries, via support to screening and security clearance processes. You will be key in identifying and assessing risks so that effective vetting decisions are made and, when appropriate, risk mitigation measures are put in place.

The Compliance Advisor will work closely with the Senior Business Partner – Immigration and Security, and the Security Working Group, in supporting a variety of activities, including but not limited to:

• Providing advice to staff and candidates on security vetting and pre-screening clearance procedures.
• Coordinating vetting clearances for the Cranfield, MK:U and Shrivenham sites, including BPSS, Security Clearance, Developed Vetting and DBS.
• Ensuring security clearance applications are complete, appropriate, and processed within agreed timescales.
• Recording and maintaining security clearance data on our Cranfield Secure database.
• Producing and monitoring reports in order to inform internal University stakeholders about security vetting procedures.
• Monitoring and responding to queries in the Security inbox.
• Conducting research into best practices and using this to inform Cranfield’s ongoing adherence to the relevant security standards, currently IPSA.
• Representing People and Culture security and compliance on the relevant working groups.
• Providing wider support to the People and Culture team where required.

About You

You will have excellent communication and problem-solving skills, be organised and detail focused, and demonstrate a practical, proactive and flexible approach to your work. You should have the ability to prioritise and to cope under pressure at busy times whilst keeping to deadlines. Teamworking skills and a focus on customer service are also essential. You will initially need to undergo Security Clearance, if not already held.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here.

The People and Culture service provides a framework for the management and development of our people and organisation, which underpins the University’s strategic plan and objectives. The People and Culture Professional Service Unit includes resourcing, talent management and development, compliance, administration, data management, policy development, employee relations, organisational change, performance enhancement, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, and embedded people operational management.

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

How to apply                                   

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Tracy Tobin, Senior Business Partner – Immigration and Security, on (E): t.tobin@cranfield.ac.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on (E): peoplerecruitment@cranfield.ac.uk. Please quote reference number 5352.

Closing date for receipt of applications:   16 August 2026

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert prior to the stated closing date should we receive sufficient numbers of applications. Therefore, we would encourage you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.