Student Scheme for Technologists Ref. 303

GCHQ offers a unique and exciting opportunity for students considering a career in intelligence who are keen to contribute to our nation’s security by utilising their innate inquisitiveness for technology. We are an innovative and constantly evolving organisation looking to recruit talented young adults with strong intellectual curiosity and technical creativity.

The work at GCHQ covers a full range of IT, internet and telecommunications technologies. Your work experience will be in one of GCHQ’s technical areas (Software Development, Network Security, Advanced Technology Research (ATR), Information Assurance and Systems Engineering).

We are offering you a number of opportunities while you are studying for your degree:

•    Summer Placements

An 11- week placement for the summer-before-last of your degree; OR, if you are interested in the idea of TWO summers in succession with us, why not apply for the summer prior to your pen-ultimate year and impress us so much that we invite you to return for a second summer!

•    Your Industry Year

We have limited places available for applicants, who wish to have a period of 51 week industry placement as part of their degree.

With programmes covering many of our technical disciplines you will be required to choose one of the following disciplines, but please indicate other areas of interest in order of preference, as some areas may become oversubscribed.

Software Development – You could work on a wide variety of projects across all areas of our business, developing products including high performance near real time data processing systems, large complex databases, plus rapid reaction prototypes and highly optimised embedded systems. We apply cutting edge technologies and processes to a wide range of problems in communications, computer security, data visualisation and data analysis. Working on your own or as part of a team, the work is always interesting and there is plenty of scope for innovation and responsibility.

Advanced Technology Research (ATR) – Aims to understand new technologies of interest to GCHQ and develop new techniques and proof-of-concept systems to deal with them.

ATRs researchers come from a variety of numerate/technical backgrounds and work on a variety of problems including:

•    High speed processing (hardware/software)
•    Understanding protocols, developing algorithms
•    Hardware design
•    Mobile technology
•    Understanding technologies, service and applications
•    Natural language processing – getting information from content (speech, text, image)
•    Network exploration – understanding the network/data flow aspects of the internet
•    Stream analysis
•    Doing analysis in near real time on data in motion
•    Data mining – looking for information in large volumes of date (database/statistical skills needed)

You will need an appetite for software (any of C, C++, Perl and Java), good mathematical ability, and an aptitude for research, being able to pursue problems yourself, but also as part of a team.

Information Assurance – You will be engaged in a wide variety of roles where your problem solving skills will be key. The placements are in a number of areas within GCHQ’s Security mission. This is due to the wide remit we have to assist in the protection and defence of HMG and the Critical National Infrastructure. You could be using your technical expertise to pioneer solutions to complex problems, combining your technical skills with an enquiring mind. As a student you will gain insights into preserving the security of major Government systems and have an opportunity to solve complex problems contributing to GCHQ’s mission.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our world-class experts and help us maintain our status as the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance.

List of areas where we would be hoping to place students are:

•    Capability development
•    Network and Security Systems
•    Incident Response
•    Vulnerabilities Research
•    Biometrics
•    IA Standards and Good Practice development
•    Identity Management
•    Information Security Systems Engineering
•    Intrusion Detection and Assessment
•    Risk Management
•    Security Architectures

Computer Network Operations Specialist – Computer Network Operations Specialists work in both cyber security and cyber intelligence roles to keep the UK safe.

In cyber security roles, our operations specialists may find themselves working in a team detecting and preventing attempts to attack the critical national infrastructure, or seeking to defend government systems against criminals seeking to steal information, identities or money.  

Cyber intelligence specialists might need to develop software to access the computers of a terrorist group, or carry out operations to retrieve vital online clues about the location and identity of members of an organised crime ring.

So, for your time with us, if this is the discipline you’re interested in pursuing after university (and for the summer or your industry year with us), we would hope that you have the following skills:

•    A thorough understanding of internet communications protocols, including knowledge of how these protocols are commonly secured.
•    Understanding of operating systems and their programming interfaces.
•    Ability to undertake complex coding tasks and evidence of having done so either professionally or as a hobby.
•    Excellent problem-solving skills.

Systems Engineering – Home to one of the world's largest communities of Systems Engineers, our capability is something we are hugely proud of. Many of our programmes are rated complex, and we employ Systems Engineering practitioners and leaders at all levels to contribute to our work at the leading edge of technology.

We are looking for bright individuals who are ‘big picture’ thinkers to apply your knowledge to solve real-world problems, and grow your experience in ways that you'd never imagined. You'll have the opportunity to work with - and develop - the very latest technology and technological solutions. And, whichever role you're in, you'll help us to protect our nation's security.

You should have a good balanced view of technology and business/business processes. We need students who are able to consider different ways of addressing problems, rather than jumping to a specific outcome. Your degree should provide you with an understanding of the techniques, tools and models to help address systems engineering problems.

REQUIREMENTS for these roles

Candidates must be graduating in either 2017 or 2018 and must be current undergraduates studying for their first degree in: Computer Forensics, Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Information Technology, Information Assurance, Information Security, Physics, Software Engineering, Telecommunications or other related disciplines with a significant computing component.

At the end of your placement you may be eligible to apply for permanent employment. You will need to obtain a minimum of a 2:2 degree or equivalent to be considered.

For all ATR placements, as part of the essential requirements above you should also have the following ‘A’ Levels:
Grade B or above in Mathematics (or Further, Pure, Advanced, Applied Maths or Statistics)
Grade B or above in Physics or another science based subject
Grade B or above in any other subject (this does not include General Studies)

For Systems Engineering, a degree in one of the following areas: Systems Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Microelectronics Engineering, IT Infrastructure and Network Engineering, and Software Engineering.

RESPONSIBILITIES

If you elect to work during summer vacations, you will be expected to complete 11 weeks of paid employment during each vacation.

Candidates wishing to spend an industrial placement year with GCHQ will be offered a period of employment of 51 weeks.  Any accrued leave should be taken by the end of the placement but must not be taken at the end of the placement if results in a leaving date after the 51 week period of contracted employment.

•    Candidates’ taking summer placements will be expected to start on 27th June 2016.
•    Industrial year students will be expected to start on 12th September 2016.

SALARY

The starting salary for a GC12 Technologist Student is currently £19,519 pro rata.

INTERVIEW and SELECTION PROCESS (including TESTS)

As part of this campaign you will be required to undergo a staged selection process including:

•    A minimum eligibility sift to include course & graduation details
•    An online test
•    Interview

Candidates successful at the sift stage will then be invited to complete further testing to determine selection for interview and, if successful at the test stage, you will then be invited to attend an interview held in Cheltenham.

FAMILIARISATION VISIT

Successful candidates will be invited to attend a familiarisation visit held at GCHQ on 31st March 2016, where you will have the opportunity to meet the scheme managers and representatives from the business, as well as each other. You will be able to find out more about GCHQ and the type of work you will be undertaking during your placements.

At this stage you will need to provide a letter from your professor, senior tutor or head of department to support your application

Please note the closing date for applications is Monday 19th October 2015.

Key dates:

Campaign closes for application: 23:00 on Monday 19th October 2015

Interview dates: 2nd - 20th November 2015