Job Description

Department

Operational and Surveillance

Location(s)

London

Salary

44,393

Job description

Work Pattern:

shift work, including working two weekends in five. We will discuss your shift pattern with you towards the end of the recruitment process. It will always be organised well in advance, and you'll be able to book your leave around it. Travel is common in this role. Homeworking isn't available due to the nature of the work.

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

Surveillance is a key investigative resource that we use to protect against threats to the UK. It involves blending into the environment, observing people and places, and reporting back to Intelligence Officers. It's interesting, varied work where you'll travel and complete surveillance out and about, on foot or in the car. With your key objective being to follow subjects who've been identified as potential threats to national security, you'll be able to feel your impact on MI5's mission work every day.


As this is a unique, one-of-a-kind role, we don't expect you to have all the skills when you join. In fact, our Mobile Surveillance Officers come from all sorts of backgrounds including nursing, teaching and customer service. Some are recent graduates, and some have spent years working in another industry.


To begin with, you'll attend an intensive 20-week training programme, where you'll learn how to turn your existing skills to surveillance. We'll teach you how to safely observe and blend into your surroundings - and keeping you safe is our priority. Plus, you'll get the chance to bond with your fellow officers, which will be important as you'll be working closely with and always looking out for one another.


Due to the nature of the role, you'll work on a shift pattern and spend time travelling away from home. Your shift hours will be organised in advance on a five-week pattern, which will include working two weekends in five. We'll always give you as much notice as possible when travel is needed. But on rare occasions, subject to mission requirements, you may need to travel on short notice or spend up to seven nights away. There may be the option for flexible working after completion of the 20-week training programme, and we'll discuss this with you as part of the recruitment process.

About You

The UK has a highly diverse population so it's vital that we too have a diverse team who can operate in a range of environments without attracting attention. That's why we're particularly keen to recruit women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds, to ensure we have balanced teams that reflect the society we protect. All applications will be considered on their own merits.


So, is it for you? Our Mobile Surveillance Officers really can come from any background. Whether you're a recent graduate or have years of work experience - what matters is your communication skills, ability to develop relationships, and willingness to learn.


You don't need any qualifications to join us, but you will need a full UK manual driving licence and should have no more than three points on your licence. You'll also use maps in your role, so you should be willing to learn how to navigate yourself between two points using an 'A-Z' map and be comfortable communicating directions to others.


Since you'll be working closely with a partner, you'll need to have a strong sense of camaraderie, with teamwork and people skills that you might have learned from working in a team, playing sports, travelling, or coaching. Being there for your fellow officers will be important, just as they'll be there to support you. So, you'll be energised by working with others and able to build good, lasting relationships.


You'll also be observant, someone who's able to accurately remember details of what you've seen and heard. You'll be a skilled multi-tasker - able to learn how to watch, plan and think ahead, drive and communicate with your team, all while making risk assessments and decisions on the go.


Aside from your skills, there are some physical requirements for this role. These are to ensure you can complete surveillance safely and effectively. Along with a hearing and eyesight test, the following physical requirements will be tested during the recruitment process:

Any distinguishing features such as tattoos on your face, neck or hands would make you more recognisable to someone who is under surveillance and would therefore make you unsuitable for this role. If you identify as a man you will need to be 6'2" or under and if you identify as a woman, you must be 5'10" or under. You'll need to have good vision in both eyes, either naturally or corrected with glasses or contact lenses, including full colour and peripheral vision to DVLA group 2 sight. Good hearing, referred to as HSE category 1 without hearing aids, is essential. You should be comfortable both walking and sitting for substantial periods of time. Good manual dexterity in both hands will be needed so you can operate surveillance equipment. You'll need to undertake and pass a Fitness for Role medical which includes having a body mass index of 30 or less and blood pressure within NICE guidelines of less than 140/90.

Training and Development

We take your training really seriously - it's how we'll make sure you stay safe and are able to complete your role effectively. Our training programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to become an effective surveillance officer. On joining, you will commence a 20-week pass/fail program which is based in London and non-residential. The course consists of 6 non-assessed and 14 assessed weeks. Training is on a 1:1 student instructor ratio and predominantly based in real-world, uncontrolled environments, with some classroom-based learning.


Upon completion of the course, you will then join one of our surveillance teams and be allocated a Development Partner for 6 months to coach and mentor you, helping you to apply your learning to operations and develop your skills to excel in the role.


Over time you'll get opportunities to build specialist skills within the surveillance discipline as well as learning more about the department and what we do. Due to the investment in your learning there is an expected 5-year return of service within the surveillance role, although many officers stay for their entire careers. There will also be an expectation that after your first two years you will develop your wider surveillance knowledge by incorporating some internal office work, which can be non-operational in nature. Training and personal development is on-going throughout your career.

Rewards and Benefits

You'll receive a starting salary of 44,393 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 (travel and parking) 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.

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 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. 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 vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:

Eligibility Questions - you will be asked a series of questions relating to the role and working for this organisation. If you meet the criteria here, you will be directed to the initial application form. If you pass our initial application form you will then be invited to interview, which will be in the shape of an online assessment centre.

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 is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

Eligibility questions Application form: including motivation for the role and organisation, driving experience questions, Situational Judgement Test and rationale. Online Assessment Centre - consisting of an observations exercise, maps exercise and a strengths-based video interview. Two day - in person Assessment Centre - consisting of a driving assessment, 2x map assessments, working with others exercise, competency-based interview and surveillance foot assessments. Vetting Fit-for-role medical

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 9 to 18 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.


The role is based in London, so you'll need to live, or be willing to live, within a 70-mile radius from central London. 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.