Senior Business Enablers Ref. 2196

Stonewall Top Employer AwardSocial Mobility Foundation AwardThe Times Top 100Disability confident leader

Mission Enablers
London, Cheltenham (located within an hour’s journey of Birmingham and Bristol)
London: £49,346 (rising to £53,346 after three years) Cheltenham: £46,324 (rising to £50,079 after three years)

At MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, we help protect the UK and UK interests from threats to national security at home and abroad.  We work closely as partners in the intelligence community to safeguard Britain’s people, interests and businesses from various threats including cyber-attacks, espionage, terrorism and organised crime.  Senior Business Enablers and our corporate functions are crucial to this.  By being inclusive, supportive and respectful, they lead teams throughout the organisation and deliver critical work in flexible ways. Each team is essential to our success, and we are able to deliver the excellent results we need through having the right people in the roles.

What we look for

To apply, you’ll need to be an experienced manager who has led teams and knows how to get the best out of people. It takes people from a variety of backgrounds to help us tackle the threats that we face and MI5, MI6 and GCHQ are committed to reflecting the society we protect. For this reason, our Senior Business Enablers come from all walks of life.

You’ll have found your own leadership style and be open to developing yourself and finding new ways of working. As a critical enabler, a key part of your role will be creating a positive environment for your team, building great relationships, and inspiring everyone to do their best. You’ll be a resilient and confident leader, quick to settle in and get to grips with the work.  

The role

This is a role for those who are looking for a rewarding career in corporate roles, and who want to use their skills to help keep the country safe by providing the vital services that we need to operate. As a senior manager, you’ll enable critical business decisions across the organisation.  You’ll deliver projects, define strategies and support teams whilst communicating with a diverse range of people made up of varying levels of seniority. And with innovative thinking, you’ll help us solve unique challenges and improve our processes. You’ll be comfortable with change and bring creative solutions.  

At the heart of this role is our people. You’ll encourage teams, build trust and inspire excellence while involving others in your choices.  Your inclusive and supportive mindset will encourage everyone to learn and develop.  You’ll be responsible for coaching and mentoring others and be passionate about getting the best out of everyone – including yourself.  
 
Although you’ll work for MI5 in this role, if you select London as your location, you can expect to be based in either MI5 or MI6 headquarters. If you select Cheltenham, you will be based in GCHQ. Wherever you are located, you can expect to work in corporate roles which will likely cover all organisations.

Typically, your first role will last between two and three years and if based in London could be in a wide range of corporate areas, such as compliance, business continuity, corporate services or our legal branch. In Cheltenham, you could expect to be working across corporate services in departments such as commercial, audit or finance.

You don’t need to have any specialist knowledge of our business areas to apply. You’ll be encouraged to take control of your own development and shape your career, either by specialising in a certain area or moving between departments.

Location

As part of the application process, you will need to select which location you are applying for, Cheltenham or London.

Cheltenham is located within an hour’s journey of Birmingham and Bristol.

Recruitment Process

The first thing we will ask you to do is complete our pre-screening questions.  If you do meet these criteria we will then ask you to begin an application.  The first step will require you to create a login.  You can do this by providing 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 application form which contains some initial eligibility questions.

If you meet the initial eligibility criteria you will be sent an e-mail asking you to take an online verbal reasoning test, which forms part of the formal assessment process.  On receipt of this invitation e-mail, you will have up to one week to take the test.  If you do not complete the test within this timeframe we will assume that you no longer wish to proceed with your application.

The test is designed to assess the key skill of reasoning with verbal information, which is essential for the role of a Senior Business Enabler in the Security Service. You will be given 12 minutes to complete the test and you will need to do this in one sitting.

If you pass the test, we will invite you to complete and submit our full application form.  Our recruitment team will then complete an application sift.  Successful applicants will be invited to participate in a telephone interview to check that you have the skills and motivations to work for us.

Assuming you pass this interview, you will be invited to attend as assessment centre.  Depending on your performance, this may be followed by a final selection interview.  The next stage is a security interview with a vetting officer.
The recruitment and vetting process can take at least nine months to complete. During the recruitment process our recruitment team will give you further information about when you would be able to join.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply, you must meet our residency criteria.  You must be 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 7 out of the last 10 years.  This is particularly important if you were born outside of 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.  You can apply at the age of 17 years 6 months, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday.

Discretion is vital.  You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or close family member.  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.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The UK Intelligence Agencies are Equal Opportunities employers, committed to reflecting the society we protect.  Our recruitment process is fair, transparent and based on merit.  We welcome applications from LGBTQ+ candidates, candidates with a disability, particularly from women and Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates.

Disability Confident: Offer of Interview

As part of our commitment to being a ‘Disability Confident Leader’ we offer an interview to all candidates with a disability who meet our minimum criteria for the role that they are applying for.    

To secure an interview for this vacancy, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

i)    Eligibility Questions – You will be asked a series of questions relating to this vacancy.  If you meet the eligibility criteria you will be directed to an online verbal reasoning test.

ii)    Online verbal reasoning test - you will be required to reach the minimum set pass mark.
 
iii)    Application form – upon completion and an application form sift, you will be invited to interview.  This is our offer of interview.  
 
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.

This Program / Vacancy is closed to applications.