Demo
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Flexible Working: Due to the nature of the role, you’ll be required to work full time hours from the office five days per week. However, we do offer compressed hours with flexibility around start and finish times. Full time hours are up to 37 hours, depending on location.
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.
Join us as a Trainee Finance Officer to take the first steps in your career, embarking on a structured learning pathway to become a valued finance professional. Over three years, you’ll achieve a recognised Finance qualification while contributing to the Finance functions of MI5. Your work will play a crucial role in delivering our organisational strategies and ensuring that public money is spent efficiently and effectively.
During the scheme you’ll receive substantial support in achieving your Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) levels 2-4, while also rotating through various exciting roles within the Finance Function.
Success in your AAT exams and meeting your performance goals could allow you to progress in both grade and salary each year. Potential pay increases are as follows: Year 1 – £27,780 /£30,719, Year 2 – £31,793/£34,301, and Year 3 – £36,534/£39,152 (salaries are subject to an annual pay review).
Progression in grade is subject to passing internal assessment.
You won’t be alone on this journey. You’ll join a cohort of other trainees, forming a supportive network. You’ll have opportunities to travel around our UK offices to collaborate with teams and build relationships with fellow Trainee Finance Officers.
In addition to your studies, you’ll gain hands-on experience in financial monthly and year-end processes, processing payments and employee claims, resolving queries, and reviewing accounting documents. You’ll also produce routine reports and summaries for management teams. This practical experience will help you develop your analytical skills and become a valuable part of our team.
Once you’ve completed your qualification, we’ll support you in taking the next steps in your career. You’ll have opportunities for promotion and the option to become a Chartered Accountant. With plenty of training and further development opportunities available, this role offers a pathway to a long-term and exciting career in finance.
A naturally inquisitive problem solver, you’ve got a head for figures. You’ll bring a passion for developing a career in Finance and a real enthusiasm for learning. And you’re someone who thrives in a team and who loves working with, and learning from others.
You’ll share our values of integrity, respect and creativity, and our mission to have a positive impact on the UK. You don’t need to be a certain ‘type’ of person to work here – we need all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds to protect the UK.
You’ll already have GCSEs in English and maths at A-C/9-4 (or equivalent), and some experience with Microsoft Word and Excel.
Please note that if you’ve started or already completed the AAT qualification, you won’t be eligible.
Benefits
At MI5, we’re proud to offer an inclusive and supportive working environment. We value and nurture talent, so we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential.
No matter your experience or background, you’ll get lots of dedicated support. Upon joining, you will receive an initial induction to learn more about MI5, followed by an induction to your dedicated team which will provide you with an understanding of your work. In addition to this, you will have your own study mentor, who will help you get to grips with the role and offer guidance whenever you need it.
We’re invested in your professional development and recognise the importance in your studies, so we offer 36 days of paid study leave per year for you to fully prepare for your AAT exams and get the results you want.
Besides the AAT, there are also opportunities to attend internal/external workshops that will further your learning. You’ll be a part of a community dedicated to your development.
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £27,780 - £30,719 depending on location, plus other benefits including:
Things you need to know
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order 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.
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, long-term health conditions 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.
MI5 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 fair and proportionate number o person-to-person interviews 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:
A minimum of 2 GCSEs at Grade 4/C in mathematics and English (or an equivalent O-Level, BTEC or Level 2 qualification)
Demonstrate a strong motivation for applying to work for MI5 as a Trainee Finance Officer – assessed at application sift
Demonstrate a minimum level of experience working with Microsoft Word and Excel – assessed at application sift
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.
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.
There are roles based in London or Cheltenham, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance of the location to which you are applying. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.
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.
Apply and further information
Job contact :
Recruitment team