MI5 safeguards the UK against threats to national security including terrorism, espionage, cyber-attack and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Part of our work involves listening to legally intercepted audio material. Our Speech and Acoustics Analysis team uses forensics techniques, highly developed skills and sophisticated technology to determine the characteristics of language and identities of individuals of interest in national security investigations. Whether working at the forefront of speech technology or drawing on expert audio and linguistic knowledge, our work is continually evolving and always challenging.


The role

As a Speech Analyst, you will use speaker identification software to help analysts and intelligence officers to progress investigations, as well as providing manual forensic analysis of voice samples where technology cannot be used. Working closely with colleagues and customers you will triage requirements and determine appropriate solutions. You will then produce written reports on your findings and conclusions. You will use audio editing software to collect and edit voice samples and prints and help to develop our speaker and language identification tools, verifying the voice print metadata and testing performance. You will also monitor audio analysts’ feedback and work with other specialists in the team to ensure the highest levels of accuracy.

You will also have the opportunity to assist our speech technicians and scientists on longer term projects to further develop specialist speech technology tools, including speech to text, and machine translation.


The skills

You will be a recent graduate or have relevant work experience, with knowledge or experience in forensic linguistics, socio linguistics, corpus linguistics, accent profiling, voice comparison or speech therapy. You will also have knowledge of the acoustics of speech and hearing. To succeed in this unique role you will demonstrate a genuine interest in linguistics, language and speech processing technologies.

Along with your relevant degree, masters or PhD qualification in Linguistics, English or Foreign Languages or Speech Therapy, you may have degree level knowledge of phonetics, phonology or a masters in Forensic Speech Science. Whilst not essential, you will be at an advantage with knowledge of a foreign language, or experience of using audio editing software such as Avid Pro tools or Adobe Audition. You will need to combine a talent for phonetics with knowledge of the acoustics of speech and hearing or the use of technology to support speaker verification. Knowledge of biometrics and forensics in relation to speech and linguistics would also be useful.

The person

You will need to be able to apply theory and technical skills on a practical and pragmatic basis, and communicate highly complex technical information verbally and in writing to a range of audiences. You will be a creative thinker, pay attention to detail, share ideas and generate innovative solutions. Team working skills and a strong customer service ethos are also vital.

The Speech and Acoustics Analysis team often has to deliver work within operational deadlines, requiring flexibility and the willingness to adapt to changing priorities, including working out of hours and occasionally at short notice. Some UK and overseas travel may be required.

This is a rare opportunity to take your career to another level. Join our team and we will support you in developing your personal, professional and technical skills at every opportunity, through both internal training and external courses, conferences or events.


Recruitment process

The recruitment process for this role is outlined below (in order):

• Eligibility Questions – you will answer a number of questions based on the requirements for the role.
• Application Form – you will create a personal account, where you will complete our full application form.
• Telephone Interview - this interview will further explore that you have the potential skills and motivation to work for MI5.
• Face to Face Interview – this interview will further explore that you have the potential skills and motivation to work for MI5. There may also be a technical test to explore your skills in relation to the role.
• Security Interview – it is an interview to explore your life and experiences. This is an important part of the selection process, and is not a competency or capability based interview.
• Occupational Health Assessment – this is to ensure you have the required level of hearing.

Please note; you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order to progress to the next.

Guaranteed interview scheme

As a Disability Confident employer 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).

To secure an interview for this vacancy, the minimum criteria (refer to the recruitment process, as above) are:

• Eligibility Questions – we must be satisfied that you meet all of our eligibility criteria.

• Application Form – along with the standard eligibility requirements for this post, your application will be assessed on how far you meet the job specification and the competency questions you answer. Your application must score the minimum amount of points set.

On successful completion of these stages, you will be invited to a Telephone and/or Face to Face Interview and this 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.

Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for nine out of the last ten years prior to application. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. You will nonetheless be considered if you have, for example, 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 is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member, providing that they are British. You should also make them aware of the importance of discretion. You should not post on social media sites about your application or discuss it with anyone else at this stage. You will receive further guidance during the recruitment process.

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.

MI5 is committed to reflecting both equal opportunities and the society we protect. Work-life balance is important to us at MI5 and we offer flexible working wherever operational commitments allow.