Protective Monitoring Engineer Ref. 2594

We are SIS, also known as MI6. We work with the UK’s foreign partners to support global stability by combating international terrorism and the spread of weapons. We work secretly around the world gathering intelligence to promote and protect the UK’s interests and help stay ahead of our adversaries.

The Role                                             

Protective Monitoring (PM) is essential for maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of our information to keep the country safe. It also provides assurance to external oversight and internal management that our data assets are being used appropriately.

You’ll work closely with our PM analyst teams who are responsible for monitoring activity across our networks identifying, detecting, and responding to threats to our critical assets. This covers cyber security, user monitoring and compliance audit. PM analyst teams also work alongside our colleagues and stakeholders across the intelligence community to understand new and emerging threats. 

The PM Engineering team supports this work by developing and maintaining world class protective monitoring analytics through both innovative bespoke solutions and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, including Splunk. Your role will be to on-board data and work with the PM analysts to get the most from that data. You will also design and implement applications to meet their specific needs. Overall, you’ll have a vital role in ensuring the success of our PM capabilities.

More widely, using your knowledge and skills you will work in a multi-functional Agile team to play a part in the wider Software Engineering community in SIS and across the intelligence community. This will include:

• Coaching and mentoring colleagues, helping less experienced colleagues develop their skills
• Developing software in a team
• Following (and helping to shape) best practice standards in software engineering
• Building, deploying, operating and supporting systems

Our PM Engineers also have responsibilities to their organisation, the wider community and to our innovation activities. They will:

• Build relationships with equivalents in our partner organisations and use this as an opportunity to develop and learn
• Participate in relevant standards committees and innovation activities to ensure our work is compliant and relevant

About You

Alongside your technical skills, you’re inquisitive and good at finding practical solutions to problems and can work well under pressure. You’ll be taking ownership of problems and seeing them through to their conclusion as well as working at the strategic level with a view to creating long-term solutions.

This role also requires engagement with a wide and varied customer base, so you’ll have good communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to explain complex technical information clearly and in simple terms. You’ll build relationships and collaborate well with a diverse range of colleagues and contacts, enjoying working in a team environment, but also being confident and self-motivated to pursue tasks individually.

We’re interested in people who have:

• A background in Engineering
• Linux experience
• A good understanding of monitoring technologies, in particular, experience of Splunk system administration and Splunk development (Apps, dashboards, searches and other knowledge objects)
• Scripting experience (Python, shell, JavaScript, CSS, html, xslt)
• Experience within an Enterprise level Engineering role

In addition, the following skills are desirable, but not essential:

• Experience of Splunk deployment and architecture
• Certificated to Splunk Architect or Splunk System Admin level
• Experience of Agile Development methodology
• Knowledge of common Enterprise level technologies (Networks, storage, AD, virtualisation)

Training and Development

Learning and development is central to our engineering ethos, and we invest heavily in our staff. As technologies change over time, we adapt and explore new technologies when they offer value and opportunity to us. Your ability to adapt and learn throughout your time in role is just as important as the skills you have in specific technologies.

As part of your SIS career, we’ll support you in broadening and deepening your technical and non-technical skills. The Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) capability framework is our Software Engineering profession capability framework, we use it as a compass to provide guidance, tools and support to enable you to progress your career further whether this is growing as a leader or an individual with deep technical knowledge and ability. 

SIS is committed to the development of our staff and as a PM Engineer, you’ll spend around 20% of your time on innovation and self-development. We have access to a wide variety of classroom and online learning, as well as certifications and our own development programmes.

Rewards and Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £46,225 plus RRA of £7,500 and 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
• Opportunities to work flexibly, subject to business needs
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Excellent pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a subsidised gym and 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’ve got 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 SIS, 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 SIS. 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 Central 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 SIS 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, 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

SIS 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) is:

• Passing a sift of your application, demonstrating your understanding of protective monitoring technologies

• Achieving a pass mark in the Codility test

To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. One of your parents must be a British Citizen or must have the nationality or citizenship from our approved list of countries, for more info click here. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. 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. You can apply at the age of 17, 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:

• You will be invited to upload your CV and complete an online application form, along with a Codility test
• If you pass, you’ll be invited to interview, which will include motivation, technical and competency questions
• If you pass, you’ll start our vetting process

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.

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.

The closing date for this role is 23:55 Friday 2nd September 2022