About Us

At MI5, we protect the UK from all sorts of threats – from terrorism through to cyber attacks. To do that, we rely on data. It can be complex, but understanding it is key to the success of our operations. If you think you know what sort of person works in data, think again. On our Intelligence and Data Analyst Development Programme (I&DADP), you’ll see you don’t need to be a data expert to help protect the UK - just yourself.

The Role

The programme begins with a 3-month training period, where you’ll learn more about the organisation and our processes. Then, you’ll do 3 different analyst postings right in the heart of MI5. Over the course of 5 years and beyond, you’ll develop your technical skills, work with tools that can’t be found anywhere else, and gain experience to support a fulfilling and rewarding career in analysis.

In every role, you’ll be seeing important data from all kinds of sources. You could be working in areas that help build our capability or training others to develop their analytical skills.  You could also be working in close partnership with Intelligence Officers passing on your newly-found intelligence, drawing on each other’s expertise and directly impact investigations. Whether you’re experienced in tech or not, you’ll learn everything you need to know on the programme – and discover your potential in the process.


About You

There’s no ‘type’ of person who works in data. It’s a job, not a label. We’re looking for people who are naturally curious, determined, and have a genuine passion for data. You’ll spot things others don’t and communicate your ideas with the team. Whatever your background, we’ll value your insights and perspectives because they will help us make those vital connections.

You don’t need to have coding or programming skills, but you’ll have some experience analysing data and will be keen to develop your abilities further with our support and training.  You’ll have (or be expecting) a 2:2 degree in any subject by Summer 2022, or have relevant work experience.


Training and Development

After your initial induction, you’ll complete three-months of training where you’ll learn about the role and become familiar with our processes.  You’ll all start at the same level and it’s a great chance to meet people who share your interest in analysis. You’ll then take on three different analyst postings over the next five years, giving you a chance to experience a wide breadth of our unique data.  In your first analysis posting, you’ll be given a development partner to advise you and ensure you continue to develop your skills.  You’ll also be part of a supportive team who can help you develop your ideas.

Rewards and Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £33,350 plus other benefits including:
 
•    25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays.
•    Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
•    Personal Learning Budget.  
•    Opportunities to work flexibly post-training and subject to business needs
•    Interest-free season ticket loan
•    Excellent pension scheme
•    Cycle to work scheme
•    Facilities such as a subsidised gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars
•    Paid parental and adoption leave  

Culture and Working Environment 
 
As part of our team, you’ll discover an inclusive workplace that’s welcoming, supportive and encouraging. You’ll be part of an organisation where people want to support one another and make a difference. Aside from fostering an open culture, we have a range of growing affinity groups. For example:   
 
•    Ethnic Minority and gender equality networks
•    Groups supporting wellbeing, mental health, neurodiversity and disability 
•    Faith/No Faith communities for staff to come together 
•    LGBTQ+ support networks
 
You’ll also find a variety of sports, activity, interest and social groups to help you settle in and connect with people with similar interests. 
 
Before You Apply
 
To work at MI5, you need to be a British citizen. We do 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.
 
Honesty and integrity are really important if you want to work at MI5. Take some time to read about the vetting process and make sure you meet the criteria in the vetting pages of the ‘How to Apply’ section. The process can take some time, but this is just because it’s thorough. Giving misleading information and omitting or concealing information during the recruitment and vetting process is viewed very seriously.
 
The role is based in London, 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.
 
Equal Opportunities
 
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, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, 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.
 
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 ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview where practicable; this is known as ‘Offer of an Interview’. To secure an interview for this vacancy, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:  
    
•    Online Cognitive Ability test – You will be required to reach the minimum pass mark for this test (More details on the Online Cognitive Ability test can be found under ‘What to Expect’ below)
•    Application Sift – You will be required to meet the minimum pass mark for the application for the data analysis competency.
•    SOI (Subject Of Interest) – You will be required to meet the minimum pass mark for this test. (More details on the SOI can be found under ‘What to Expect’ below).

On successful completion of these stages, you will be invited to interview (this could be either a telephone, video or face to face interview).  This is our Offer of an Interview.
 

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. One of your parents must be a British Citizen or must have one of the nationalities or citizenships from one of the following: British Overseas Territory, British Subject, British National (Overseas), British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person, citizenship of a country in the Commonwealth, citizenship of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), or citizenship of the United States of America (USA). If deceased, they should have had such citizenship or nationality before death. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. If successful, you will not normally be required to give up your non-British citizenship but, as a condition of your employment or secondment, MI5 may impose restrictions on your postings, work travel and/or general use of that nationality. Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. Each case will be carefully considered on its own facts. 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. Discretion is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a 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 of the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. Further information on our eligibility criteria can be found on the Applying section. 
 
What to Expect

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

1.    Initial application form – You will be asked to provide your basic personal details and complete a number of yes/no questions to check if you are eligible to apple.
2.    Online Cognitive Ability test – Once you have submitted the initial application, you will be asked to complete a short online test which takes around 20 minutes to complete.
3.    Full application – You will be asked to provide more information on your background (e.g. education and employment history), answer a couple of questions about your motivation for applying for the role and two competency-based questions.
4.    SOI (Subject Of Interest) test - You’ll then be asked to complete a 90-minute online exercise, which has been designed to give you a better understanding of the Intelligence Analyst role as well us showing us your approach to problem solving.
5.    Telephone interview – You will be asked questions about your motivations for applying and some competency-based questions.
6.    Assessment Centre – You’ll then attend an online assessment centre involving an interview, two roleplay exercises and one written exercise.  This will give you a good idea of a day in the life of an Intelligence and Data Analyst.
7.    Final Selection Board Interview – You may be invited to attend a final selection board which will involve a short motivational and competency interview building on your performance at the previous stages.

You will be given more information about what to expect at each stage as you progress through the application process.

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order to progress to the next. Your application may take around 9 – 12 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
 
Our Vetting

To work in this role you will need the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community has to go through and it can take some time. As part of the DV process you will be asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire and attend an interview with a vetting officer. In your interview the vetting officer will have a thorough, compassionate and honest discussion with you about you as a person and your life experiences, to ensure holding a DV clearance is right for you. You don’t need to do any preparation for your vetting interview, just be honest and be yourself. All applicants for DV are treated impartially and consistently, irrespective of gender, race, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics.  
 
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.