Two of the UK’s intelligence services are looking to fill a range of job roles, including some in Manchester. MI5 and MI6 currently have vacancies across various departments including software engineering, media and psychology.
MI5 is the UK’s Security Service, while MI6 is the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). The agencies work alongside the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) to form the UK’s Intelligence Services.
On their jobs site, they explain how they “work together to safeguard Britain’s people, interests and businesses from various threats at home, overseas and online, including cyber-attacks, espionage, terrorism, and organised crime.” MI5 currently employs around 4,400 people, according to its website, while MI6 increased its workforce from 2,500 to 3,500 in 2016, the BBC reported.
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MI6 has become synonymous with James Bond, as 007 works as a Secret Service agent for the agency. But while there are currently no vacancies listed for a top-secret spy, both MI5 and MI6 have a range of opportunities available in a broad range of sectors.
Here are some of the roles you can apply for now:
Software Engineers
£51,908 - £61,032 per annum dependent on skills, experience and location
MI5 and MI6 are seeking experienced software engineers prepared to take on a more senior role within multi-disciplinary product teams.
Successful candidates will:
Share a collective responsibility to keep the country safe, take on ownership of large problems, and work to deliver new features throughout the engineering lifecycle.
Support the products owned by the team, working with users to identify and fix defects developing automating tests to maintain the assurance of agency products and deploy through continuous integration pipelines.
Provide on-call support if necessary.
Support and mentor less experienced colleagues while helping them understand what great software engineering looks like by promoting best practices.
Candidates should have experience of developing software in at least one common language – for example Java, C#, Python, GoLang or JavaScript – and be familiar with the principles of a modern standards approach such as continuous integration and delivery, test driven development and cloud services.
This is a permanent role, with 36 hours per week required for candidates in London and 37 hours per week required in Manchester. There are full-time and part-time opportunities with flexible working hours available.
You can find out more about the role and apply here.
There is also an opportunity for a Senior Software Engineer.
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Media and External Affairs Officer
£64,575 - £66,804 per annum depending on experience
Mi5 is looking for a Media Relations and External Affairs professional to join a growing communications team with the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI).
Duties within this role will include:
Working in an integrated way with the Campaigns and wider communications team to identify and deliver opportunities to promote CPNI campaigns, guidance and advice through trade, specialist and online press.
Advising colleagues on media relations providing clear guidance on communications and writing a range of briefings and communication materials.
Ensuring a responsive and proactive approach in communications and ensuring reputational issues and risk are actively managed.
Identifying and delivering opportunities with external partners to amplify CPNI key messages, guidance and advice on other organisations’ channels.
Building relationships with peers and civil service colleagues across departments and agencies.
Candidates are expected to have experience working in a challenging external facing communications role, with a demonstrable track record in media relations, including previous experience in working with the media, journalists, and press.
There are full-time and part-time opportunities for this London-based role, with flexible working hours available.
You can find out more about the role and apply here.
Fire Safety Advisor
£54,644 per annum in Cheltenham or £56,151 per annum in London
MI5 has an opportunity for a Fire Safety Advisor to join as a full-time member of its Fire Safety team, with a main focus on fire safety strategy.
Candidates will be expected to engage in key strategies including:
Fire safety governance.
Assurance.
Legal compliance.
Competent advice.
Fire safety training.
Fire Risk Assessment.
Advice on compliance.
Emergency planning.
You will provide advice on fire safety preventative and protective measures across the Intelligence agencies and be a subject matter expert for their UK and overseas global network sites. As such, this role will require candidates to visit sites across the UK and overseas.
Candidates must have experience in fire safety and fire safety management, while previous experience in fire and rescue service and/or fire safety enforcement would be desirable. You will need to demonstrate an understanding in Approved Document B, Fire Strategies and BS 9999.
It is essential that candidates are a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers (MIFireE) or have equivalent knowledge of fire protection design or building regulations.
You can find out more about the role and apply here.
Senior Chartered Occupational Psychologists
£54,495 per annum for MI6 and £57,615 per annum for MI5
There are a number of Senior Chartered Occupational Psychologist roles available across MI5 and MI6 as they expand their occupational psychology teams in London.
MI5’s Corporate Psychology team: Recruitment and Selection
Responsibilities will include:
Designing and developing assessment systems and exercises in collaboration with recruitment teams.
Undertaking job analysis and other evidence-based methodologies to identify important selection criteria.
Conducting and evaluating individual candidate assessment, including a range of personality-based measures.
Evaluating recruitment processes and assessment stage benchmarking using evidence-based practice, qualitative and statistical analysis techniques.
Providing quality assurance to assessment and selection processes.
MI5’s HR team
Responsibilities will include:
Design of the new internal selection assessment materials, utilising a new competency framework.
Design and delivery of training for hiring managers and independents.
Playing a key role in defining a joint approach to defining and measuring strengths, skills and aptitudes for use in the future selection process.
Undertaking research – including job analysis and other evidence-based methodologies – to identify important thematic role criteria.
Supporting the design of how MI5 embeds the use of competencies across performance development, talent and wider HR processes.
Monitoring the use of the new competency framework, working with partners MI6 and GCHQ to identify shared changes required following rollout.
MI6’s Corporate Psychology team: HR & Organisational Development
Responsibilities will include:
Providing occupational psychology and organisational development expertise to a broad range of HR project work.
Duties within the Behavioural and Social Science (JBaSS) community such as leadership development, behaviour change techniques, internal assessment and selection, employee engagement and appraisal development.
Championing behaviour change approaches across the UK’s Inteligence Services’ behavioural science teams and other government departments.
Driving and utilising internal and external occupational psychology, HR and behaviour change research and innovation.
Applicants will be automatically considered for all three roles while being invited to express any preferences at a later stage in the selection process. Candidates must have an MSc in Organisational or Occupational Psychology or equivalent.
These are full-time roles with the flexibility for partial home working.
You can find out more about the roles and apply here.
Evaluation Team Leader
£64,575 per annum
MI5 has an opportunity for an Evaluation Team Leader to oversee a range of intelligence community evaluation initiatives, including complex government policies and programmes as part of the Evaluation Unit. This is a unique role with a significant amount of project work.
Duties within this role will include:
Ensuring projects and programmes are delivered to HMT Magenta and Green Book standards by applying process, impact and value for money evaluation techniques.
Liaise with teams across the intelligence community, as well as the Cabinet Office, Treasury, and external clients and ensure all parties stay informed as you reach out to providers, check in on progress, and escalate any challenges as required.
Gathering robust quantitative and/or qualitative data that informs evaluations, running focus group exercises, and accurately measuring the impact of different campaigns.
Taking on management responsibilities for one or two junior members in the Evaluation Unit and encouraging a collaborative and inclusive working environment.
Candidates should have an economics or social science qualification to degree level, as well as prior experience of commissioning or delivering an external evaluation of a project or programme. A good understanding of HMT Green and Magenta Book evaluation techniques will also be key.
There are full-time and part-time opportunities available with hybrid working also possible.
You can find out more about the role and apply here.
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