The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) provides physical and personnel security advice to the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) 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 help shape the UK’s approach in protecting people and enhancing buildings against the effects of blast and ballistic threats. This will involve delivering world leading research, working alongside other CPNI research, advising delivery teams and liaising with international partners.

Within our Explosion and Ballistic Protection Research and Development team, you will use your project management and engineering skills to manage a portfolio of work developing methods of mitigation appropriate for the CNI. You will develop training, standards and procedures for constructing and protecting buildings, personnel and other critical assets.  You will deliver credible, threat driven advice, backed up by an extensive research and development programme, to keep the country safe.  

In this role, there is a requirement to travel in the UK and potentially abroad. You will therefore require a clean, full, current UK driving licence.

Key responsibilities for the role are:

• Plan and manage technical projects (mainly trials at external test sites, which will require the post holder to spend periods of up to a week away several times a year).

• Engage and manage external specialist suppliers and contacts.

• Produce policy and guidance documents.

• Review technical information and give specialist and application/site specific advice.

• Contribute to national and international standards.

• Design and deliver presentations at CPNI training courses, events and other meetings (UK and abroad).

• Attend post-incident bomb scenes to capture information to assess and develop blast protection techniques. Please note you may be exposed to distressing material.

• Provide support to other physical security projects, such as developing physical defences against other malicious threats.

The Person

We are looking for individuals with a proven track record of thinking creatively and prioritising effectively; as you will be working in an area of often conflicting and high demands. Achieving value for money, you will have proven abilities in capturing requirements, making the most of available resources, and maximising opportunities for collaboration with partners.  You will have sound written and presentation skills, enabling you to communicate complex technical messages effectively to audiences from both technical and non-technical backgrounds.  You will feel comfortable negotiating with a variety of stakeholders at different levels, with confidence and credibility, to ensure the best outcome is achieved.

Qualifications and Experience

It is essential for you to have an in-depth knowledge and some experience of building/infrastructure construction. In addition, you will have proven project management skills.  

A broad knowledge of physical security barriers and systems would be valuable, but is not essential.  Knowledge and experience of dynamic loads (for example impact, blast, etc) and their effects on structures would be desirable, as would an understanding of common terrorist weaponry and their effects on structures and people. An understanding of the theoretical performance of blast and ballistic mitigation measures, in addition to having practical experience in their development, would also be beneficial to the role.    
 
Ideally you will have a qualification to degree level in a relevant engineering, construction or scientific field and have achieved, or be working towards, Chartered status in a relevant building, civil or structural engineering discipline.  

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.