MI5 is responsible for protecting the UK from threats to our National Security. It’s our job to ensure the safety and prosperity of our country, countering threats from terrorism and espionage. Whatever your role you will contribute to our mission in keeping the country safe.

The role

As a Release Train Engineer at MI5, you will have the opportunity to work on an array of truly unique projects, all of which work towards our mission of protecting the UK. You’ll work alongside a variety of professionals from across MI5, including product managers, business analyst, architects, developers and scrum masters. Our Release Train Engineers, play a leading role in adapting the continuous improvement for the benefit of the Agile Release Train (ART).  

Our teams play a key part in driving forward the new digital age here at MI5, heading up teams of likeminded people all delivering cutting edge technology and essential applications to aid the work of investigators, helping them to identify emerging threats.

You need the confidence to persuade others and create a culture of openness, transparency and collaboration. Adapting your communication style to suit the customer, as this will be critical in building strong relationships across all levels of MI5. You will be a trusted servant leader, guiding people in problem identification and decision-making. Bringing development teams together, encouraging them to share knowledge and ideas to promote continuous improvement across MI5.

Who you are

We are seeking a highly motivated individual who understands agile ways of working. You will be expected to lead teams of people from all different backgrounds.

We’re interested in people who:

• Come from a background of Program/project management, Software Engineering, Scrum Master, Lean-Agile Coaches, SAFe Agelist, SAFe Practioner Consultant or similar.
• SAFe qualified, or a qualified Release Train Engineer (Desirable but not essential)
• Enjoy working collaboratively, sharing your knowledge and ideas to develop yourself and the team
• Are confident in leading others
• Experience of planning Program increments (PI) 
• Have been part of, or have ran retrospectives to gain feedback
• Have strong organisational skills
• Be proactive in your approach to issues, thinking strategically in mitigating risk to dependencies.

What you’ll do

You’ll share our collective responsibility to keep the country safe and strive to develop your team. Our teams work closely with each other and with mission customers, so it’s important that you’re able to communicate and share your knowledge.

You’ll be expected to:

• Manage and optimise the flow of value through the ART as well as Escalating and tracking ART impediments
• Foster collaboration between teams and system level stakeholder
• Facilitate PI Planning readiness and the event itself
• Track and communicate key ART execution metrics
• Facilitate relentless improvement for the ART
• Help manage risk and dependencies
• Encourage and work collaboratively within your team and wider teams
• Share knowledge and proactively seek development to build your knowledge of SAFe agile and other ways of working
• Build strong relationships with Stakeholders and be able to influence decisions
• Attend daily stand ups and build strong relationships with your partner and customers.

Learning and development is central to our ethos and we invest heavily in our people. As part of your MI5 career we will support you in broadening and deepening your technical and non-technical skills. We have access to a wide variety of classroom and online learning, as well as our own development programmes and schemes.

We currently have other Technical roles open such as Scrum Master: Scrum Master

Benefits

• Pension
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Financial support for learning and development
• Subsidised Gym

Recruitment Process

Initially, we will ask you to 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 a 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 sift through your application. Successful applicants will be invited to a face to face interview at MI5, which will include some competency based questions and will explore your motivation to work for MI5. For more information, please visit: Interview Preparation.

This will be followed by 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 an 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 telephone 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.

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.

You can apply at the age of 17 years and 6 months, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday.

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.

The Security Service is committed to reflecting both equal opportunities and the society we protect. We particularly welcome applications from women and Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates.