IT Risk and Security Undergraduate Review

I work in IT Governance, Risk and Compliance which involves taking technical detail around IT operational and strategic risks, assessing the implications from a business perspective, and then working with our delivery teams to drive decisions and remediation. Day to day is widely varied but generally involves hosting meetings, managing documentation and data, and using some specialist tools and applications to complete a plethora of tasks. The major benefit of working within the GRC function is that you are exposed to plenty of highly experienced staff and senior leaders who are always accommodating and are passionate about teaching you what they know.

I have developed a plethora of new skills, predominantly, around cyber and operational risk management. I have also undertaken numerous opportunities to help develop my ability to communicate and present to large audiences. Stakeholder engagement is also a key responsibility as most of the role involves driving our local delivery teams to achieve best outcomes for our customer base. Ability to analyse and critique data is an absolute necessity and naturally over the course of the placement you will learn to develop a critical mindset.

I was given plenty of responsibility during my placement and my team actively pushed me to take on difficult tasks and take accountability for work impacting a plethora of stakeholders. My team always ensured I was kept busy and constantly thinking about how I can either develop myself or improve our function which lead to many interesting interactions with various highly experienced staff who offered plenty of invaluable advice.

My team have always been on standby to provide advice and support when required. My manager, in particular, took every opportunity to teach me about how I can improve on particular skills to support my career development and insight into what careers are on the rise and suggested where I can invest my talents. GRC in general is an expansive team and so I wasn't just gaining experience from my immediate colleagues but also those who work in the wider team.

Company culture is fantastic and highly accommodating. Staff in and around IT are always keen to help out and advise on any degree of endeavour.

My placement has been highly enjoyable and I have had the opportunity to network with so many great individuals. The company regularly holds staff forums and updates in which details are given around current company performance and key output and contributors which helps to give tasks at hand context and value.

Yes

Be ready to learn from day one, because even if work is slow to begin with there is so much to read up about and educate yourself on. Just ask your manager about what to familiarise yourself with and crack on with the broad range of learning resources offered by the company. It will be extremely helpful as you begin diving into those key tasks. As always ask as many questions as you can, it makes a huge difference to the entire experience. But most importantly, just enjoy it!