Intelligence Officer Development Programme London, England
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About the job
Job summary
About Us
MI5 safeguards the UK against threats such as terrorism, espionage, cyber and sabotage. We investigate suspect individuals and organisations in the UK to obtain, collate, analyse and assess secret intelligence relating to these threats. Alongside our British 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.
Job description
The Role
Our Intelligence Officers play a crucial role in keeping the country safe, which makes for one of the most challenging, stimulating and rewarding careers you can imagine. As the country faces increased threats to national security, your role as an Intelligence Officer gives you the opportunity to have a tangible impact on the security of the UK.
Upon successfully completing our structured Intelligence Officer Development Programme (IODP) and the necessary training, you’ll be an accredited Intelligence Officer (IO). Your first IO role could be countering threats from International or Northern Ireland related terrorism, to espionage by hostile states. Using your training, you’ll set investigative strategies, making evidence-based recommendations based on your own assessments of intelligence detailing threats to the UK. This is a role that thrives on teamwork, so you will collaborate with colleagues including the Police, MI6, GCHQ, Whitehall, foreign liaison, and a wide range of internal specialists to thwart threats. In short, you’ll work with some fascinating teams while having a genuine influence on how we protect the country.
The Programme
On joining, you’ll complete one post in a role which will teach you different aspects of the work. The role you get posted to may not be directly linked to investigations but will provide you with vital experience, insights and understanding of how the organisation works, while developing relevant and transferable skills for a varied and fulfilling career.
You might find yourself in a key area such as: Policy, Warrantry, Legal Casework or Analysis. The timing and length of this post will be based on business needs, then when you’re ready, you’ll complete the Investigative Skills Training Course (IST). Alongside your initial post you will also benefit from lots of learning and development to help prepare you for the next stage of the programme and future training.
Investigative Skills Training (IST)
After successfully completing your development posting and learning, you’ll advance onto our IST course. Across 12-weeks, this comprehensive course will alternate between classroom-based training and time with your first investigative team to consolidate your learning. Upon successfully completing IST you’ll gain accreditation in all the core skills required to be a brand-new IO. You will also be assigned a development partner to support you throughout your training, so you’ll always have someone to guide you and provide advice.
Post-IST Role
Upon successfully completing the IST course, as an accredited investigator you’ll be ready to take on your first core role within investigations. Here you’ll spend a minimum of two years working in the fascinating investigative capability, putting your new skills to the test while learning new ones. Deployed to one of our teams in either Counter-Terrorism or Counter-Espionage, depending on requirements at the time, once you have completed the IST and become an accredited intelligence officer, like many of our new IOs you could apply for promotion within your first IO role.
Post Programme
After the IODP programme, including your first posting as an accredited IO, many of our IOs go on to have a varied career across a broad range of roles within MI5, or remain within the Investigative Capability as an IO. Progression is based on merit, so if you’re ready there is also the potential for further promotion opportunities in other areas of the organisation after completion of the programme.
The programme, including your first IO post, is designed to provide you with a wide range of core transferrable skills. You will be continuously developing your written and verbal communication skills; briefing colleagues and liaising with partners from different organisations using different modes of communication and adapting your style to fit the situation. You will be practicing your organisational skills; being required to plan your investigations, organise meetings, and manage your workload and resources. You will be constantly solving problems and finding solutions, thinking strategically about your investigations, often under time pressure. All of these skills will be invaluable throughout your career with us.
Person specification
About You
There’s no one ‘type’ of person we recruit. Safeguarding the UK requires talented, committed people from a diverse range of backgrounds. We want you to do your best throughout the recruitment process, so we have made sure it is fair, transparent, and based on merit.
To join, you’ll have (or be expecting) a 2:2 degree or above in any degree discipline or have work experience where you have demonstrated some of the key qualities required for the role: you’ll thrive in a team environment and use your communication skills to build rapport and establish productive working relationships with your colleagues, as well as a range of internal and external partners. With great organisational skills and good attention to detail, you’ll trust your own judgement and have confidence making your own decisions. And of course, a high degree of honesty and integrity is a must. You'll have an interest in looking at data sets and a variety of sources, gaining insights, evaluating the reliability of your findings, and communicating them clearly.
And it’s important that you’re keen to learn. We don’t expect you to be a fully formed IO when you join, so you’ll need to be open to building on your existing skills and qualities, and accepting constructive feedback, which will be crucial for your development on the programme.
Benefits
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £34,414 rising to £37,203 after 1 year and 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 need
- Interest free season ticket loan
- Excellent pension scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Parental and adoption leave
There are lots of facilities at our site, like a gym, restaurant, and coffee bars. And we also host lots of social events so that everyone can get together outside of ‘work’.
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 MI6ups 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.
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 ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview where practicable; this is known as ‘Offer of an Interview’. If you require support, reasonable adjustments are available during the application process and if you are successful in joining the organisation. To secure an interview for this vacancy, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:
Eligibility questions – you’ll need to answer a series of questions relating to this vacancy. If you meet the eligibility criteria you will be directed to the initial application form.
Online questions – you will be required to reach the pass mark set for the situational judgement test.
Online Investigative Assessment – you will need to reach the pass mark for the written element of the exercise.
On successful completion of these stages you will be invited to complete a telephone interview. This is our offer of interview.
Eligibility questions – The first step is for you to complete our pre-screening questions to find out if you do meet our initial criteria. If you do meet these criteria, we then ask you to begin an application.
Initial form – You will need to create a login and provide your full name, email address and memorable password. Once you have successfully created a personal account, you will be required to complete an initial application form providing contact details and equal opportunities information. The application form also includes a Situational Judgement test.
Situational Judgement Test – During the situational judgement test you will be presented with a set of hypothetical scenarios which have been designed using situations relevant to our values and key behaviours needed to perform the Intelligence Officer role. The situational judgement test is set in the context of you taking on the role of an Intelligence Officer, however you will not need any knowledge of the policies or procedures relating to MI5 in order to answer the questions in this test. You will just need to use your own judgement to rate the effectiveness of each option in response to the situation presented and pick the most and least effective options. This situational judgement test will present you with different situations that you might have to deal with as an Intelligence Officer.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
The recruitment process for this role is outlined below (in order):
Eligibility questions – The first step is for you to complete our pre-screening questions to find out if you do meet our initial criteria. If you do meet these criteria, we then ask you to begin an application.
Initial form – You will need to create a login and provide your full name, email address and memorable password. Once you have successfully created a personal account, you will be required to complete an initial application form providing contact details and equal opportunities information. The application form also includes a Situational Judgement test.
Situational Judgement Test – During the situational judgement test you will be presented with a set of hypothetical scenarios which have been designed using situations relevant to our values and key behaviours needed to perform the Intelligence Officer role. The situational judgement test is set in the context of you taking on the role of an Intelligence Officer, however you will not need any knowledge of the policies or procedures relating to MI5 in order to answer the questions in this test. You will just need to use your own judgement to rate the effectiveness of each option in response to the situation presented and pick the most and least effective options. This situational judgement test will present you with different situations that you might have to deal with as an Intelligence Officer.
Online Investigative Assessment – A 90-minute online assessment that will test your ability to make a proportionate assessment in relation to a fictitious investigation. You’ll be reading, analysing, and making decisions based on the intelligence that you will receive during the exercise. There are 15 multiple choice questions to answer with the last two questions requiring more in-depth written answers.
Telephone Interview – Your application will be sifted by our recruitment team and if successful, the next stage is a telephone interview. This will include competency-based questions and will explore your motivation to work for MI5.
Online Assessment Centre – Assuming you pass the online investigative assessment, you will be invited to attend an assessment centre online. Day 1 assessment will include a mixture of role-plays, an interview, and a written assessment. Day 2 is a mixture of role-plays and self-reflection. It is designed to assess the full range of competencies and skills required for the Intelligence Officer role but is often described by candidates as a challenging and rewarding day.
Vetting – You should read about the Vetting process and satisfy yourself that you meet the criteria outlined in the Vetting pages prior to submitting an application.
Security interview – this interview will take place in Central London and is an important part of the selection process. It’s an interview to explore your life and experiences, and it’s not a competency or capability-based interview. We have taken appropriate measures to ensure that our buildings are COVID secure, and this interview will take place in line with current government guidance around social distancing and COVID procedures.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order to progress to the next and your application may take around 9 to 12 months to process. Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order to progress to the next. Your application may take around 9 to 12 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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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