MI5's mission is to keep the country and its people safe.

A career at MI5 is like no other. Not only is it rewarding and unique, but the variety is unlike anywhere else. This variety together with our supportive and flexible working environment means most people who join MI5 stay for a substantial part of their careers.

An essential part of keeping the country safe is ensuring that MI5 get the most from its resources. By identifying best value for money and optimising allocation of resources you will be instrumental in shaping decisions taken by MI5’s senior management. This is a rare opportunity to take your career to another level.

The Role

You will be part of a central team who are responsible for the strategic financial management of MI5’s budget. You will provide support to managers to help them get the most from their money. At the heart of MI5’s work you will be influential in co-ordinating MI5’s strategy and engagement with other government departments. You will:

• Understand the drivers of cost across MI5 and how they generate value
• Develop performance measures
• Identify and manage financial risks
• Appraise investment proposals
• Challenge income and expenditure forecasts to improve the quality of information available to senior decision makers
• Help business areas identify and cut waste in order to create added value

The skills

You will need to be a qualified CCAB (or equivalent). Experience in managing and optimising information from the ERP systems would be a distinct advantage.

The Person

You will enjoy building strong relationships with partners and customers, sharing advice to inform spending decisions and manage financial risks. You will be able to think creatively to generate innovative solutions. Good communication skills will be required to explain the numbers to non-financial managers. You will need to be able to apply theory and technical skills on a pragmatic basis and communicate complex technical information to a range of audiences.

Before You Apply

The role is based at our London Headquarters. You will need to live in a commutable distance and should consider the financial implications and practicalities of working in central London prior to submitting an application. Please note, we do not cover relocation costs.

Honesty and integrity are crucial if you want to work at MI5. 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 an application.

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

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.

Face to Face Interview – this interview will further explore that you have the potential skills and motivation to work for MI5.

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.

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

Guaranteed interview scheme

As part of our commitment to being a "disability confident" employer we offer an interview to all candidates with a disability who meet our minimum criteria for the job vacancy for which 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.

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.

All applications will be considered on merit. 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.