Job Description

Department

Finance, Audit and Procurement

Location(s)

Cheltenham, London

Salary

London: 46,172, Cheltenham 43,900. Dependant on your qualification level, you may be eligible for specialist pay - London 47,500, Cheltenham 45,310.

Job description

Flexible Working:

Due to the sensitive nature of the role, you'll 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 flexitime, part-time (minimum 4 days) and compressed hours. And you won't take your work home with you. 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. 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.

The Role

Critical to our work, our finance teams keep our internal spending on-track. Now, we're looking for Financial Accountants to lead small teams working in various finance functions. If you're looking to progress, we offer plenty of opportunities to grow your skills and build a long-term career with us.


We'll match you with a team that aligns with your strengths and the areas where your impact will be most valuable at the time you join. Some examples of the work you may undertake are detailed next.


If you join the Financial Analysis team, you'll be responsible for key month-end activities, providing valuable insight and high-quality, accurate reports for senior managers and decision makers. You'll also:



Manage controls and complete checks to ensure transactions are accurate, ensuring the integrity of our financial systems are maintained Use management reports to provide meaningful and insightful analysis Provide explanations when there are significant changes in forecasts and actuals Undertake all month-end activities, including approving journals, budget profiling and accurate forecasting
You might join our Financial Accounting and Reporting team, where you'll perform analysis and interpret data to provide assurance to senior managers, ensuring the right information is shared with the right people. You'll also:

Gather supporting information and query data in line with accounting standards Suggest solutions to decision makers and ensure data is clear so it can be used as evidence for audit purposes Analyse monthly balance sheet reconciliations and challenge transactions where necessary Review, analyse and interpret financial data for use in the annual report and in accounts and estimates processes Complete the NAO (National Audit Office) disclosure checklist, challenging where necessary and escalating potential issues Check the integrity of data, keeping controls in place to maintain accuracy

Or perhaps you'll join our Financial Operations team. Here, you'll develop a detailed understanding of objectives, financial transactions, and business areas. Accountable for the integrity of data in the finance system, you'll ensure the department can continue operational delivery. You'll also:



Support transaction processing services, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Cash Management Ensure that operations can respond to different needs, while maintaining a commonality through standard guidelines, frameworks, processes, and tools Monitor performance against service level agreements and targets Providing expert advice to business units on financial processes Oversee audit requests and work closely with clients to spot opportunities for improvements
There are many more teams in the function that you could join or explore during your career with us - details of which can be found on our Finance careers page.

About You

You'll be Level 4 AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) qualified, or have an equivalent qualification. You'll have an aptitude for figures and spreadsheets, and a keen interest in finance. With demonstrable experience in a similar role, you'll have managed budgets, know forecasting accountancy standards and be confident building relationships.


Ideally, you'll also be working towards a CCAB (Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies) or CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualification, and have line management experience, but this isn't essential.


We value qualities such as teamwork, professionalism, innovation, and the desire to use your skills to have impact on our vital mission. You'll enjoy working with others to solve problems, and you'll be able to develop collaborative relationships and negotiate effectively with key stakeholders. What's more, you'll be keen to develop your skills and always approach work with positivity.

Training and Development

When you start, you'll get an organisation induction to help you settle in. We offer an inclusive and supportive working environment, and we're committed to nurturing our colleagues both professionally and personally. From day one, you'll be assigned a dedicated buddy, receive guidance from your line manager, and have access to mentors.


If you're passionate about professional development and skill building, we'll fund your training and support you in gaining qualifications with ACCA or CIMA. And while you study, you'll benefit from a generous paid leave package (which varies depending on the qualification you're studying for). You'll also have access to a number of friendly sports, social, and interest clubs as well as a thriving number of affinity networks championing equity, diversity and inclusion across our organisations.

Rewards and Benefits

You'll receive a starting salary from 46,172 (London) or 43,900 (Cheltenham), 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 Interest-free season ticket loan Excellent pension scheme Cycle to work scheme Facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (depending on your location) 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.


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 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. 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 Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (assessed at application sift) are:

Level 4 AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), or equivalent Experience of managing budgets, working with forecasting accountancy standards and building effective working relationships A strong motivation for applying to work for MI5 as a Financial Accountant

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.

What to Expect

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

Completion of our pre-screening questions to find out if you meet our criteria. On-line application form. Interview - including competency and technical 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. Read about our eligibility criteria.


This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process.


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 securely.


For the roles based in London, you'll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. An interest-free loan is available to assist with relocating into privately rented accommodation to take up the offer of employment.


For the roles based in Cheltenham, you'll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.

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.