applicants
Administrative Officers
at Secret Intelligence Service London in London (Published at 09-11-2023)
About Us
MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners, including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you’ll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.
The Role
MI5’s mission is to keep the country and its people safe. It means we have really rewarding careers that rely on people with varied backgrounds, ages and skills – just like our Admin Officer role. Whether you’ve just finished school or are returning to work after a break, whether you choose to work full-time or part-time, you’ll have a hugely positive impact and be at the heart of what we do. It’s a chance to develop your skills and get plenty of support along the way.
You’ll do lots of different things as you’ll work across a variety of departments. Each one offers a range of roles, diverse challenges and interesting insights. Day-to-day, you’ll be organising meetings, managing information and records, booking travel, looking after visitors and providing essential support to our business. It’s all about helping us to run smoothly.
About You We’re after lots of initiative and great organisational skills. You’ll also need to be comfortable talking to a range of people and paying close attention to detail. If you’re keen to learn new skills, you’ll have all the makings of an excellent Admin officer. You’ll need two GCSEs (or equivalent) in Maths and English Language, at grades A*-C / 9-4. Or, you’ll have relevant experience within an office and/or admin role.
We’re interested in all the things that make you, you. So there’s really no ‘type’ of person we’re after. If you consider yourself to have a disability or long term condition, we offer adjustments in the recruitment process and support you throughout your career.
Training and Development
We’re hugely committed to staff development. As an Admin Officer, you’ll attend a short induction course when you join. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend a wide range of personal development and job specific courses throughout your career. Whether it’s through courses run by our own academy, or through knowledge sharing, you’ll never stop learning. Our strong community of Admin Officers have created a peer support group, where you can learn from each other, share ideas, organise events and build connections that’ll last throughout your career.
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £26,790 plus other benefits including:
- 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays.
- Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
- Personal Learning Budget.
- Opportunities to work flexibly, subject to business needs
- Interest-free season ticket loan
- Excellent pension scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars
- Paid parental and adoption leave
Equal Opportunities
At MI5 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website:
https://www.MI5.gov.uk/careers/diversity
We’re Disability Confident
MI5 are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a person-to-person interview to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI).
To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
- Two GCSEs in Maths and English Language at grade A*-C (or equivalent).
- Successfully passing a question about your motivation for applying for the role
- On completion of the application form, you will be invited to an online interview. This is your offer of interview.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
Eligibility questions – you’ll answer a number of questions based on the requirements for the role.
Initial form – you’ll create a personal account and complete our equal opportunities monitoring questions. If you do not feel comfortable completing equal opportunities monitoring, there is a ‘prefer not to say’ option for each question.
Application form – you’ll be asked to complete an application which will cover relevant experience, your motivation for applying and some situational judgement questions aligned to being an Admin Officer but which require no prior knowledge or experience of the role.
To process your application, it is essential that you provide all the information requested in the application form. Our recruitment team will complete an application sift and successful applicants will be invited to the next stage which is an online interview.
Online interview – this interview will take place online over a video conferencing system. You won’t be required to visit any of our premises. This interview will further explore that you have the potential skills and motivation to join MI5.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 – 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before You Apply
To work at MI5, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
The role is based in London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to Withdraw Statement:
Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
