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Working pattern:

Flexible working options, including part-time and job share are available upon agreement. The role begins with a full time 12 week Agent Handler training course which you’ll need to pass before starting your role. Due to the nature of the role, remote/ home working isn’t possible. Some evening and weekend work may be required; an additional allowance to cover general disturbance is also included.

About Us

MI5 safeguards the UK against a range of threats, such as terrorism and state threats like espionage and sabotage. We investigate individuals and organisations who pose a threat to the UK by obtaining, collating, analysing and assessing secret intelligence relating to these threats. Alongside our Intelligence partners, MI6 and GCHQ, we provide the UK government with the information they need to protect national security. At MI5 you’ll enjoy varied and rewarding work in a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

The Role

As an Agent Handler, you’ll be trained to recruit and oversee relationships with members of the public who provide MI5 with information on potential threats. You’ll work closely with these agents, building trust to gather intelligence that keeps the country safe.

This is a unique role where you’ll develop and nurture productive working relationships with the agents you manage. It's also a substantial administrative role. While a good proportion of your time will be spent outside of the office, you’ll need to ensure all meetings are followed up with the necessary paperwork. Everything you do must be legal and compliant, so you’ll liaise with our legal and compliance experts to ensure activity is secure and clearly planned. As you’ll often be working independently, you’ll need to effectively prioritise your workload and be confident in your judgement to make informed decisions.

Our Agent Handlers take time to understand and respond to different agents’ unique situations and are able to interact with a diverse range of people. They need a high level of empathy, curiosity and an open demeanour, to ensure people feel comfortable confiding in them. They also have sound judgement and can recognise the significance of the information gathered, before de-briefing internal teams on intelligence developments. Though our Agent Handlers spend a lot of time working independently, they are also collaborative as they work alongside other teams as well as different departments and external partners.

While there is flexibility to meet agents when it suits during working hours, evening and weekend work is sometimes required. There are also opportunities for overseas travel, but generally not within the first three years of being in the post.

If this isn’t the role for you, there are other opportunities within our operational teams that enable the work of Agent Handlers; we'll let you know if we feel you might be suited to one of these during the application process. These roles might range from supporting and planning operational logistics, building relationships with a broad range of external providers or providing vital procurement support to activities.

About You

You don’t need previous experience to do this role, as we’ll give you all the training you need to become a successful agent handler, but you will need some essential core skills. You’ll be a great communicator, able to make a wide range of people feel comfortable when talking with you and accurately relay key information back to colleagues internally. Empathy is essential; you’ll need it to connect to agents and build great trusting relationships, whilst occasionally initiating difficult conversations. Resilient and reactive, you’ll know how to adapt your approach where necessary.

With your good judgement and problem-solving skills, you’ll spot and manage risk appropriately, and you’ll be able to accurately understand and document information. Importantly, you’ll be able to work independently as well as part of team. You’ll direct others to conduct themselves safely and successfully, while demonstrating a natural curiosity about individuals.

A high level of fitness isn’t necessary, but you will need to be mobile as you’ll spend a lot of time meeting agents outside of the office, both on foot and public transport. You’ll also have a minimum of two GCSEs in Maths and English Language at Grades 9-4 (A*-C), or other equivalent qualifications or experience. We’d be particularly interested to hear from candidates with knowledge of a second language.

Training and Development

If you’re successful in the recruitment process, you’ll go through a short induction to learn more about working at MI5. The role begins with a full time 12 week Agent Handler training course which you’ll need to pass before starting your role.This course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to excel. You’ll receive dedicated support and guidance from experienced trainers, as well as regular feedback to ensure you have the best chance of learning and progressing into the role. In the unlikely event that you’re not successful in this training course an alternative role would be offered that matches your skills.

Once you’ve been offered the position, you’ll have access to a suite of self-directed Continuous Professional Development training courses that’ll enable you to continue upskilling. Some of the training is a legal requirement, but there’s also a range of mentoring and formal development pathways. Plus, you’ll be assigned a mentor to help you settle into life at MI5 and will receive plenty of support from colleagues, as you seek to continuously grow your knowledge and abilities during your time with us.

Rewards and Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £53,994 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
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Excellent pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• 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/ 9-4 (or other equivalent qualifications or experience).
• On completion of the application form, and successfully passing the full application form sift and online video assessment, you will be invited to a telephone interview. This is your Offer of Interview.
• (If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know).

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 include some situational judgement questions aligned to being an Agent Handler, 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.
• Application sift and online written video assessment – our recruitment team will complete an application sift and successful applicants will be invited to the next stage which is a telephone interview.
• Telephone interview - this interview should last approximately 45 minutes and will check that you have the potential skills and motivation to work for MI5.
• Assessment Centre – you will be invited to attend a one day assessment centre at one of our London buildings. The Assessment Centre will include role plays, self reflection exercises and an interview.
• If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting

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 hold 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.