Deputy Head of Internal Audit & Consultancy

MI5 - The Security Service

London, UK

On-Site

Expires: Expiring in less than 4 weeks

Finance

Flexible

£80,996 per year

Job summary

MI5 safeguards the UK against threats such as terrorism, espionage, cyber and sabotage. We investigate suspect individuals and organisations in the UK to obtain, collate, analyse and assess secret intelligence relating to these threats. Alongside our British Intelligence partners MI6 and GCHQ, we provide the UK government with the information they need to protect national security. At MI5, you’ll enjoy varied and rewarding work in a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

Job description

Our Internal Audit and Consultancy (IAC) function is a diverse team that works as a trusted business partner with the agencies: protecting value, delivering insight, and developing talent and future leaders. We have privileged exposure to the work of the community as a whole and take pride in delivering high quality and impactful services, while continuously seeking opportunities to innovate. It’s challenging, varied and meaningful work that you simply won’t find anywhere else. Find out more about our internal audit team here.

We’re looking for an experienced leader to become a member of the IAC Senior Leadership team. In this role you’ll lead the MI5 and MI6 audit teams and the delivery of the audit programmes. You’ll manage and oversee the delivery of internal audit assurance and advisory work at pace, covering a wide range of topics. This will include topics that are truly unique to the intelligence community, such as reviews of mission-focused capabilities and adherence to the legal framework underpinning our mission work.

You’ll develop and maintain key stakeholder relationships to understand their needs. You’ll develop and maintain a deep understanding of the organisation’s strategic objectives, key risks and opportunities to know where and how IAC can add value on an ongoing basis. You’ll work closely with other assurance providers, including second line of defence functions, and work with them to develop integrated assurance. You’ll manage the MI5 and MI6 teams by supporting their capability development and career aspirations.

Your contribution will make a real difference. You’ll provide customers with high quality assurance and advisory services that help strengthen and enhance our risk management, governance, and internal control arrangements.

Person specification

You’ll be an experienced audit professional who has experience in developing and leading teams. You’ll be able to understand and evaluate business arrangements quickly and be a credible communicator who can interact with staff at all levels across the organisation - taking a lead role when communicating to senior stakeholders. You’ll be motivated by making a difference and be passionate about driving improvement.

You will bring a solid and demonstrable audit and risk management background in the public and/or private sector. You’ll also hold a relevant qualification, such as IIA, CCAB or equivalent.

As this is a leadership role, you will have experience in managing and leading teams to deliver complex, risk based internal audit programmes as well as leading on the broader audit lifecycle activities, including developing the annual audit plan and opinion. Your experience will demonstrate leadership and people management skills with the ability to adapt oversight and coaching approaches to support and empower your team.

You will be a strong communicator, able to influence stakeholders and deliver difficult messages with impact. You will build networks and work collaboratively with business areas to support change. Additionally, you will have a high standard of written communication skills with experience of writing reports for senior management.

As a strategic thinker, you’ll be able to apply your analytical skills in complex and uncertain environments to deliver organisational value through audit and advisory services. You’ll also be able to manage competing priorities, having oversight of a portfolio of work and providing clear direction to your team to deliver timely and high-quality results.

Training and Development

No matter your experience or background, you’ll receive dedicated support when you join. You’ll have access to resources to support your career growth and get all the help and guidance you need to grow a rewarding career at the heart of national security.

You’ll be working in a culture committed to your development. You’ll have an induction into the function when you start and regular check-ins with your manager throughout the year, as well as help to identify the skills and experience you need to excel. You won’t be on your own – throughout your career, you’ll be surrounded by colleagues who want you to succeed.

Benefits

Rewards and Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £80,996 plus other benefits including:

25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 public and privilege holidays.
Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
Personal Learning Budget.
Interest-free season ticket loan.
Excellent pension scheme.
Cycle to work scheme.
Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations).
Paid parental and adoption leave.

Location

Although you’ll be based in London, travel within the UK is essential, with a possibility of occasional overseas travel. You will also need to live within a commutable distance of your work location. We do not cover relocation costs.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

What to Expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
• Pre-screening questions, which will ensure you meet our initial eligibility to apply.
• Application sift, which will assess your motivation for the role, the organisation and your relevant skills.
• Online interview, which will include motivational questions and competency questions.
• If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting.

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

Equal Opportunities

At MI5, MI6 & GCHQ 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, 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

MI5, MI6 & GCHQ 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 offer a person-to-person interview to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:

Pre-screening questions, which will ensure you meet our initial eligibility to apply.
Application sift, which will assess your motivation for the role, the organisation and your relevant experience. You will be required to meet the minimum pass mark set to be invited to an interview.

Before You Apply

To work at MI5, 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 everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.

Please note 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.

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. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more discretely.

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. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£80,996 per year