The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) provides physical and personnel security advice to the national infrastructure, and other nationally important assets and events, on safeguarding against malicious threats such as terrorism or espionage.  

The Role:

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to be part of a collaborative team within CPNI to develop and deliver credible threat driven advice and provide guidance to some of the UK’s most important assets and systems; to keep the country safe.

The key responsibilities for the role are:

• Deliver cutting edge physical security advice to the UK’s national infrastructure assets and to the organisations which operate them.  Respond to protective security related enquiries.

• Acquire comprehensive knowledge of the operational requirements process, technical knowledge of physical security systems and national infrastructure sectors.

• Work with colleagues in the research and development teams to identify new requirements and assist with the development of advice and guidance.

• Work with colleagues to understand the current and developing threats to national infrastructure sectors.

• Develop a strong working relationship with colleagues in government departments and regulators.

Qualifications and Experience

We are looking for candidates with a strong technical background, who are self-motivated and hold skills in protective security advice, delivery or physical security research and development.  Knowledge of the national infrastructure sector would be beneficial, but is not essential.  

You will have sound written and presentation skills, enabling you to communicate complex technical messages effectively to internal and external audiences, from both technical and non-technical backgrounds. You’ll be comfortable making recommendations and delivering difficult messages, working with a sound understanding of political sensitivities and realities.  Anticipating risk and demonstrating effective risk management procedures is key for this role. You will need to develop a robust understanding of a situation, establishing clear desired outcomes, which are driven by both long and short-term requirements.  Using your creative approach, you will manage and deliver technical projects which withstand critical challenge and inspire confidence. You will have proven ability to build and sustain relationships with partners and customers, creating a supportive environment, to maximise opportunities for collaboration and achieve value for money.

You will need a qualification to degree level in a relevant engineering or scientific field, or equivalent experience. A willingness to become a Suitably Qualified and Experienced Person (SQEP) through internal and external training is vital. Membership of a relevant professional body and/or Chartered status, or the willingness to achieve this, is also highly desirable.  

Recruitment Process

The first thing we will ask you to do is complete our pre-screening questions to find out if you meet our initial criteria. If you do meet these criteria we will then ask you to begin an application.

You will need to create a log in and provide your full name, email address and a memorable password. Once you have successfully created a personal account, you will be required to complete an initial registration form, providing contact details and equal opportunities monitoring information.

You will then be invited to upload your CV and complete an online application form. Our recruitment team will conduct a sift of your application and successful applicants will be invited to attend a competency based face to face interview to further explore your skills and motivation for the role. If you are successful at this stage, you will be required to attend a security interview with a vetting officer. You should read about the vetting process and satisfy yourself that you meet the criteria outlined in the vetting pages of the How to Apply section prior to submitting your application.

Giving misleading information or omitting or concealing information during the recruitment and vetting process is viewed very seriously. You should ensure that you follow our guidance from when you apply.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme we offer an interview to all candidates with a disability who meet our minimum criteria for the job vacancy that they are applying for. This is known as the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS).

Along with the standard eligibility requirements for this post, your application will be assessed on how far you meet the job requirements. Your application must score the minimum amount of points set. On successful completion of this stage, you will be invited to interview. This will normally be a face to face interview and is our guaranteed interview.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply, you must meet our residency criteria. You must be a born or naturalised British citizen and one of your parents must be a British citizen or have substantial ties to the UK.

MI5 is committed to reflecting both equal opportunities and the society we protect and particularly welcome applications from women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates

Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for nine out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. However, we will still consider you if you’ve served overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of Her Majesty’s Government, studied abroad, or lived overseas with your parents.

Due to vetting requirements, you will need to be 18 years old, or above, to apply. Your application may take around six months to process.

Discretion

Owing to the sensitivity of our work, we do not publicly disclose the identities of our staff. Discretion is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.