Finance Officer

Finance Officer Ref. 3391

Department: Finance, Audit and Procurement

Location(s): Central Manchester, Cheltenham, London

Salary: London: £37,281 or £38,602 (specialist pay band), Cheltenham and Central Manchester: £34,777 or £36,178 (specialist pay band)

Job description

Flexible Working: Due to the sensitive nature of the role, you will be based in the office five days per week. However, we know how important a good work/life balance is, which is why we offer part-time (minimum 4 days) and compressed hours, with flexibility around start and finish times. Full-time hours are up to 37 hours, depending on location.

About Us

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. A role in MI5 means you will do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.

The Role

Our finance teams keep our internal spending on track, which makes them critical to our work. Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to progress, our team offers numerous opportunities to grow your skills and build a long-term career in finance. We currently have roles across a variety of teams, including Financial Analysis, Financial Accounting and Reporting, and Financial Operations.

As one of our Finance Officers, you will be a key part of managing our annual expenditure. Depending on where you join, your work will have a slightly different focus. In Financial Analysis, you will provide vital insights that help us make decisions across the agencies. In Financial Accounting and Reporting, you will summarise, analyse and detail the UK Intelligence Services financial transactions. In Financial Operations, you will ensure we are able to respond to ever-evolving business needs.

Whichever team you join, you will be involved in the overall running of our finance function. You will build and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders, both internal and external, working closely with them to ensure a consistent approach to financial advice and processes. You will use your communication skills to help explain finance requirements to colleagues and customers who might not be familiar with financial concepts.

You might be producing reports and completing analysis on them, offering financial advice, or ensuring purchase orders are actioned and requisitions are raised correctly. You will be involved in month and year-end processes, helping your colleagues across mission teams, enabling functions and beyond to get their finances in order and meet requirements.

And you will do it all as part of a welcoming, supportive workplace that is committed to helping you fulfil your potential. We offer and fund a generous study package to support you in gaining your professional qualifications, so you can develop your finance career in the long term.

About You

To apply, you need to either have experience in a similar role, have achieved or be actively studying AAT or higher, or hold or be expecting a 2:2 or higher in a Finance/Accounting/Maths/Economics/Business degree.

You will enjoy solving problems and working with others, and you will have the skills to develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders and negotiate effectively with them. Inclusivity and teamwork will be important to you, as will learning new things and developing your skills. You will also have a passion for what you do, attention to detail, and a drive to contribute to our overall mission of keeping the UK safe.

Training and Development

If you are passionate about professional development and skill building, we will fund your training and support you in gaining qualifications with AAT, ACCA, or CIMA.

While you study, you will benefit from a generous paid leave package, which varies depending on the qualification you are studying for. Additionally, you will be assigned a dedicated buddy, receive guidance from your line manager, and have access to internal communities, support networks, and mentors.

Rewards and Benefits

Along with your starting salary, you will also have access to other benefits including:

1. 25 days annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
2. Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
3. Interest-free season ticket loan
4. Excellent pension scheme
5. Cycle to work scheme
6. Facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (depending on your location)
7. Paid parental and adoption leave

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.

We are Disability Confident and 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 of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role.

What to Expect

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

1. Initially, we will ask you to complete our pre-screening questions to find out if you meet our criteria. If you do, we will invite you to begin an application.
2. You will need to create an account and provide your full name, email address and memorable password.
3. You will then be invited to complete an online application form.
4. If successful at this stage, you may then be invited to a final interview, which will include competency-based questions and further exploration of your motivation to work for the UK’s Intelligence Services.

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process 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.

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 cannot take any recreational drugs and you will 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. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more discretely.

The roles are based in London, Cheltenham or Manchester so you will need to live within a commutable distance of the location you choose. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.