About Us
We're MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
About the role
As an Intelligence Officer (IO), you'll be central to our mission. Our IOs gather secret intelligence from around the globe to protect the UK and its interests overseas. It's a fascinating and diverse role where you'll use everyday skills, including communication, influencing and empathy to tackle extraordinary challenges. It's genuinely interesting and rewarding work.
We don't expect you to be a fully trained IO when you join; it's your skills and potential that we're interested in. Your initial training course will help prepare you, exploring all four of the IO roles (more on that below) and building a range of strengths. Then, you'll join one of our operational teams to continue your development.
IOs work across four main business areas:
Operational Managers : plan operations, while identifying and managing risks.
Targeters : turn information, such as data, into operations alongside our partner agencies.
Reporting Officers : link us with Whitehall (UK Government) and our intelligence customers and are responsible for validating and testing the intelligence, as well as briefing ministers.
Case Officers : build and manage relationships with agents - the people who pass us the intelligence we need.
This is critical work that keeps the UK safe. Depending on the business area you're in, you might meet a contact for a chat in a café to brief them on an intelligence requirement or debrief them if they have intelligence for you. You could be discussing the intelligence with a customer in Whitehall, or you could be gathering intelligence online at our offices using a range of data tools to build an intelligence picture. And, like any other job, you'll be contactable if your family and friends need you.
You can find out more about what it's like to work as an IO by listening to some employee profiles.
The Intelligence Officer Training Pathway
You'll begin by completing the three-year Intelligence Officer Training Pathway,
where you'll learn the language and methodology of intelligence. You'll benefit from 8 weeks of initial classroom-based training where you'll be allocated a role within one of the four business areas (see above). With continuous support and a personal mentor, you'll enjoy on-the-job learning. As you become more experienced and your confidence grows, you'll be given a portfolio of work to own and manage with support.You'll then complete additional training at a higher level, before continuing in your role for the remainder of the Pathway.
Once you graduate from the Pathway, you'll be able to apply for roles in the areas best suited to your skills and interests such as Counter Terrorism, Counter Proliferation or maybe a geographical area such as Russia or China. At some stage early in your career, you might consider applying for an overseas posting and learning a language. Either way, you'll have developed the skills and experience you need to start your career as a fully trained IO.
For the remainder of your career, you'll benefit from moving into a different role approximately every three years, increasing your knowledge and skills across our core work. So, it's important that you demonstrate aptitude and interest in at least two of the four business areas during the recruitment process. (However, if you specialise in a particularly niche area, there may be an opportunity to stay within this area of work for longer than three years.) The breadth of opportunity, as well as learning, really does make this a role like no other.
About you
We're looking for people with a keen interest in foreign affairs, technology and travel - open to new experiences, cultures and languages. We need people who can take a wealth of information and enjoy making sense of it. These people will come from a variety of backgrounds and bring diverse life experiences and deep intellectual curiosity.
At the same time, we're looking for people who can build good relationships with those around them, are curious about what makes people 'tick' and are able to connect and be empathetic with others by understanding how they feel.
You'll need a minimum of a 2:2 degree or higher in any subject, and if you're an undergraduate, you'll be expecting your final degree result within 12 months of your application date. Unfortunately, we cannot accept an application earlier than that. This role is open to all eligible candidates including those applying from HM Government departments/agencies (military/police included).
As well as demonstrating a strong motivation for joining the organisation and doing the IO role, you'll also be able to demonstrate key competencies, further details of which can be found here.
Ultimately, the skills we're looking for are the ones you use every day - and not just at work. Maybe your people skills come from volunteering. Your love of learning from a hobby. Maybe you can coach your friends through a tricky escape room, or you know just how to calm your kids down. Those are just a few examples of the diverse range of people skills we are looking for.
Salary
Between £39,709 - £50,160, based on skills assessment and professional experience:
If you have 3 or more years of professional experience, you may be eligible for a starting salary of £46,666If you have a language qualification or are proficient in Mandarin, Russian, Persian or Arabic you might be eligible for an additional language allowance. Other languages may be considered on a case by case basis depending on operational demand.
Flexible working
A good work/life balance is important. On completion of the three-year training pathway we offer part-time, compressed hours, and job shares, subject to business need.
Please note: part-time/flexible working applications during the three-year pathway will be considered on an exceptional case-by-case basis.
Rewards and Benefits
Along with a starting salary of £39,709, you will receive other benefits including:25 days' annual leave (rising to 30 days after 5 years' service) and 10.5 public and privilege holidaysThose who relocate to London for the role will have access to an interest free loan of £2,500 for 3 yearsFinancial support for learning and developmentInterest-free season ticket loanExcellent pension schemeCycle to work schemePaid parental and adoption leaveOn-site gym, restaurant and coffee bar
Equal Opportunities
At MI6, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society that we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, 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 such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.
We're Disability Confident
MI6 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 support people with disabilities. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a virtual interview to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. T his is our 'Offer of Interview' (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
Eligibility Questions : You will be asked a series of questions relating to this vacancy. If you meet the criteria here, you will be invited to complete an initial application.
Online Assessments : You will be required to reach the pass mark set for the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) and our Computer Analysis Test (CAT) which looks at your ability to problem-solve and analyse a number of documents.
If you successfully pass these tests and an application form sift, you will be invited to a virtual interview session. This is our Offer of Interview.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process with a brief overview of each stage, in order:
Initial questions:
These check you meet the criteria (your nationality, time lived in UK, qualifications). If you do, we'll invite you to begin an application. The first step will require you to create a login or log into an existing account.
Initial application:
This will ask you about MI6 and contain some basic eligibility questions.
Online Situational Judgement Test:
During this online test, you will be presented with various scenarios that reflect working life at MI6 and for each one you are asked about different ways of responding to those scenarios, to give us some insight into how you might behave in relevant situations.
Full Application:
Here, we'll ask you for details around your academic achievements, employment and life experiences, languages spoken, IT skills and, of course, your motivation for joining MI6. Please ensure the details are as accurate as possible. It can be time-consuming to provide all the information we need, but it is important for this stage of the process. It's important to know though that we don't expect you to come with every skill: as long as you've got intellectual curiosity and people skills, you've got potential, and we can train you in what we need.
Online assessment:
After a successful application, you'll be invited to complete an online Computer Analysis Test (CAT) which looks at your ability to problem-solve and analyse a number of documents.
Virtual interview:
The virtual interview gives you the chance to demonstrate your motivation and some of the key competencies, attributes and aptitudes essential to this role. If you are unfamiliar with our key competencies, you can familiarise yourself with them by visiting the link to our webpage as referenced above.
Assessment Centre:
The Assessment Centre is held over two days in London. During the Assessment Centre, you'll try out various scenarios and roleplays where we'll evaluate your skills in working collaboratively, empathy and building relationships, communicating and influencing, and continuous development. If you live outside of the M25, you can claim for the cost of your travel and one night's hotel if required. Please ask for further details before booking.
Conditional Offer:
If you're successful in your Assessment Centre, we'll give you a conditional offer - which means you'll join us if you successfully complete vetting, which you can read more about below.
IMPORTANT:
You must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next.
Before You Apply
To work at MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV).It's something that everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.
Please note that we 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.
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. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.
Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth.
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. Similarly, logging onto the portal or completion of any assessments should also only be done from within the UK. Applying, or any other activity on the portal, from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Use of Artificial Intelligence software:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) software is increasingly used by many job applicants and MI6 is looking for candidates keen to embrace new technologies. Such software can be used to allow you to improve your full application forms provided that it still gives an accurate presentation of you and that there is no explicit reference to MI6, MI5 or intelligence. This software cannot, however, be used during the online tests which need to be undertaken without any third-party assistance. The final stages of selection are in-person and so we need to assess you without the benefit conferred by the use of AI prior to those stages. You will be asked to declare that you understand that AI software cannot be used during the online stages of selection.
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.
Alternative entry:
If you are unsuccessful at interview or the assessment centre, you will be considered for Business Support Officer (BSO) entry if you wish and reach the standard required for the BSO role. This will be discussed at the relevant time. IO applicants will incur no disadvantage for BSO entry - candidates meeting the IO eligibility criteria are therefore encouraged to apply for IO entry rather than BSO.
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