Finance Officer

MI5 - The Security Service

On-Site

Expires: Expiring in less than 4 weeks

Finance

Full time

£37,723 - £40,428 per year

Job summary

MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners, including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you’ll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.

Job description

As one of our Finance Officers, you’ll play a key part in managing annual expenditure, with your work shaped by the team you join. In Financial Analysis, you’ll offer vital insights that help colleagues across the agencies make better decisions. In Financial Accounting and Reporting, you’ll summarise, analyse and detail financial transactions within the UK Intelligence Services. And in Financial Operations, you’ll help us respond and adapt to ever-evolving business needs. Whichever team you’re part of, you’ll be supporting the wider finance function – overseeing budgets, reviewing spend, and bringing careful judgment to forecast assumptions, challenging and support them where needed. You’ll also carry out the accounting adjustments that keep everything accurate from accruals and prepayments, ensuring the accounts always reflect the true position.

But numbers only tell part of the story. Working closely with colleagues, stakeholders and business partners, you'll help others understand how to produce forecasts, interpret financial information, and manage their budgets with confidence. Translating finance for people who didn't study it is a genuine skill, and it's one you'll have plenty of opportunity to develop and put to good use with us.

In this role, there may be opportunities to take on line management responsibilities. If you join us, you'll be expected to stay within the Finance Capability for a minimum of five years – long enough to really grow into the work and make it your own.

Person specification

You’ll have either demonstrable experience in a similar role and be actively working towards a Level 4 AAT qualification; or you could hold or be predicted a 2:1 degree (or above) in Finance, Accounting, Business or Economics.

You’re someone who enjoys solving problems and working with others to find solutions. Your collaborative skills will also be key in how you build strong relationships and negotiate with key stakeholders. Inclusivity and teamwork are important to you, as is learning new things to develop your skills. You’ll have a passion for what you do, an interest in a career in finance, an eye for detail and the drive to contribute to a mission that keeps the UK safe.

Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £40,428 (for London) or £37,723 (for Cheltenham/ Manchester), 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
dedicated Development 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

Training and development

We want you to keep growing, and we'll put real support behind that. If you’re working towards recognised financial qualifications such as AAT, ACCA, or CIMA, we’ll fund your studies. Once qualified, we'll cover your professional membership fees and make sure you stay sharp with ongoing technical development.

To help you manage your studies alongside your work, you'll receive a generous paid study leave package tailored to your qualification. You'll also have a dedicated study buddy, regular support from your line manager, and access to a wide range of internal communities, mentoring programmes and peer networks. To explore the kinds of roles and pathways you could grow into, visit our finance careers page.

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

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

An initial online application form including pre-screening questions to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria.
Completion of online registration and application forms.
Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) rating the appropriateness of your response to a series of short scenarios. The SJT tests criteria important for all roles in our organisation.
If successful, you may be invited to an interview, which will include competency questions and further exploration of your motivation to work for the intelligence services.

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 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 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 is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions' 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. As a Disability Confident Leader, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. (This is known as the Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of the application process) are:

application form – you will be asked a series of questions relating to this vacancy and are required to meet the minimum pass mark set
you'll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which assesses your ability to problem-solve
you must be able to demonstrate either experience in a similar role and evidence you are actively working towards Level 4 AAT, or hold or be predicted a 2:1 degree (or above) in Finance, Accounting, Business or Economics
on successful completion of these stages, you will be invited to attend a telephone interview

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).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

£37,723 - £40,428 per year