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.

The Role

This exciting and varied role comes with full training that will teach you everything you need to become a Business Support Officer at MI5. You don’t need any previous experience to apply, just a grade C/4 in English Language and Maths, and a Driving Licence. If you’re inquisitive with good organisational skills and ambitious to develop your career, then this role could be your start of a rewarding career with us. We encourage regular rotation into different roles including investigations and central services.  The successful applicant can enjoy a varied career path if they wish to.

Working with a broad section of government, police and liaison, you’ll directly support a wide range of functions across the business, including investigations, compliance, security, finance and vetting. All contributing to our mission to keep people safe. You’ll organise meetings, manage information and records, triage information, provide role-specific guidance to partners and colleagues, support teams, draft responses, and facilitate change projects.

Joining a close-knit community, you’ll be paired with a mentor who will help you settle in, explain how things work and train you. Then, once you’re up to speed, you’ll work with lots of customers and partners as we work to keep people safe and make a lasting difference to the community we serve.

You’ll also have the support and resources to develop your skills. You’ll take part in regular rotations into different roles to give you the chance to discover which areas you prefer. And, if you’d like, you’ll have the opportunity to specialise in an area of the business of your choosing.

About You

It’s only with different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that we can find the answers we’re looking for. Our Business Support Officers have different backgrounds and come from different communities – but the thing that unites them is their passion for protecting the people and places they love. 

If you’re keen to learn and develop yourself professionally, we’ll teach you everything you need to know. All you’ll need is a C/4 in Maths and English Language, and a Driving Licence. We’re not looking for somebody with lots of experience. It’s more important that you’re inquisitive and a team player who can be discreet. And you’ll need to be proactive, organised and as you’ll be working with a range of people, a confident communicator.

Training and Development

You’ll attend a short induction and receive Northern Ireland-specific training in your first week. And you’ll have plenty of opportunities to attend a wide range of personal development and job specific courses throughout your career. We have dedicated training budgets which can be used to upskill or secure new qualifications to enhance your career. There are also a large number of internally run courses that you can sign up to either in-person or via e-learning/dial in. You’ll be encouraged to take learning days and will be provided with the necessary IT to support learning.

Rewards and Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £27,751 plus other benefits including: 

• 25 days’ annual leave automatically rising to 30 days’ annual leave after 5 years' service, and an additional 12 days’ public and privilege holidays.
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
• A Personal Learning Budget.
• Excellent pension scheme.
• Facilities such as a gym and restaurant.
• Paid parental and adoption leave.

Equal Opportunities

It’s only with different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that we can find the answers we’re looking for. Our Business Support Officers have different backgrounds and come from different communities – but the thing that unites them is their passion for protecting the people and places they love. 

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 groups 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:

https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/diversity

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 offer a person-to-person interview to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role.  This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:

• Two GCSEs in Maths and English Language at grades A*-C/ 9-4 (or equivalent).
• Successfully passing a question about your motivation for applying for the role.
• On completion of the application form, and successfully passing the full application form sift, you will be invited to interview. This is your Offer of Interview.
• (If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know).

What to Expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order: 

• Eligibility questions – you’ll answer a number of questions based on the requirements for the role
• Initial form – you’ll create a personal account and complete our equal opportunities monitoring questions. If you do not feel comfortable completing equal opportunities monitoring, there is a ‘prefer not to say’ option for each question
• Application form – you’ll be asked to complete an application which will cover relevant experience, your motivation for applying and some situational judgement questions aligned to being a Business Support Officer, but which require no prior knowledge or experience of the role.To process your application, it is essential that you provide all the information requested in the application form.
• Application sift – our recruitment team will complete an application sift and successful applicants will be invited to the next stage which is a telephone interview.

• Online interview – this interview will take place online over a video conferencing system. You won’t be required to visit any of our premises. This interview will further explore that you have the potential skills and motivation to join MI5.

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 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. https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/applying-for-jobs

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 https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/vetting

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 roles are based in Belfast, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application.

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.