Business Support Officer Ref. 2711

Based in London with opportunities to work overseas

SIS are an inclusive employer. Our staff can work a range of working patterns, including part-time hours. If this interests you, this can be discussed during the recruitment process.

About us

We’re SIS, also known as the UK's Secret Intelligence Service. 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

The work of Business Support Officers is diverse. You could be working in a team supporting intelligence gathering, or part of a team that ensures the smooth running of the organisation. You’ll spend two years in each post, with the opportunity to apply for an overseas post after four years in the organisation. No matter the department you support, your perspective will always be valued. And you’ll have the opportunity to develop and be encouraged to think of new ways of doing things.

About you

Business Support Officers come from diverse backgrounds. Some come straight from full-time education, others have extensive work experience but are attracted our unique working environment. But you don’t need any previous administrative experience. Instead, you’ll need the willingness and capability to do this kind of work.

So we’ll look for a high level of professionalism, as well as sound judgement and strong organisational skills. We need people who are adaptable with a broad range of skills. This means you’ll be able to perform well in any of our wide-ranging jobs.  As a real team-player, you’ll go out of your way to help others. And, importantly, you’ll understand the importance of discretion. If that sounds like you, you’re perfect for SIS.

Training and development
We’re hugely committed to staff development. As a Business Support Officer, you’ll attend a short induction course when you join. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend a wide range of personal development and job specific courses throughout your career. Whether it’s through courses run by our own academy, or through knowledge sharing, you’ll never stop learning. Our strong community of Business Support Officers have created a peer network, where you can learn from each other, share ideas, organise events and build connections that’ll last throughout your career.

You’ll be placed into your first two roles by HR. These will be in different teams so that you can gain a broad range of skills and experience. You’ll be expected to stay in these two roles for around two years each, but after this, you can shape your own career. If you’re ready, you might apply for a promotion or experience other areas of the organisation.

Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £31,393 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
• Opportunities to work flexibly, subject to business needs
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Excellent pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a 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 have a range of affinity groups, including:  

• 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, activities 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 and will have at least 5 GCSEs Grades 9-4 (A to E) including Maths and English Language Grades A to C or equivalent (original certificates will need to be provided during the recruitment process).

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 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) are:

• Five GCSEs at grade 9-4 (A*-E, including Maths and English at grade A*-C (or equivalent)
• Successfully passing a question about your motivation for applying for the role
• On  completion of the application form, you will be invited to an online interview.  This is your offer of interview.

(If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process please let us know)

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. 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, SIS 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:

• You’ll complete an online application form and online test.
• You’ll be invited to attend an online interview.
• If you’re successful at this stage, you will be made a conditional offer of employment while you undergo the Developed Vetting process (details below). You will only be made a final offer of employment once you have obtained the necessary security clearance.

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process 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.