Human Resources Officer Ref. 3713

Job Description

Flexible working: Full-time and part-time hours are available. This is an office-based role, and you will be able to benefit from flexitime and compressed hours, subject to business need. Due to the sensitive nature of the role, remote, hybrid, or home working is not possible.

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 on 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

HR Services is a critical function supporting colleagues across MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, both in the UK and abroad. In everything we do, we aim to deliver best practice and ensure compliance every time, enabling colleagues to work efficiently and safely wherever they are based. As you support teams across all three agencies, you’ll gain a unique insight into how HR operations underpin the mission of the wider organisation.

Joining one of our HR operations teams means stepping into a role that keeps the organisation moving. Every day brings something different: supporting someone newly posted into a high-pressure role, advising managers on sensitive staff matters, or ensuring essential changes are processed quickly and correctly. You’ll become part of the team that colleagues rely on, developing a deep understanding of how HR operations sustain the mission and how your work supports colleagues whose decisions have real-world impact.

Working closely with Payroll and Pension teams across the agencies, you’ll contribute to cross team and cross organisational collaboration. You will handle a wide range of HR queries and provide clear, accurate guidance on policy. It is all about delivering an excellent experience for our colleagues, prioritising workflow, resolving queries efficiently and continually contributing to improvements in how we operate.

Some roles will require line-management responsibilities for one or two administrative team members, which can be discussed at interview stage. There may also be opportunities to travel to other MI5 sites.

About you

You have experience working in HR, or you are working towards your CIPD with a desire to build a career in HR. What matters is that you’re ready to apply what you know and grow your capability in a role where accuracy, judgement and people focused problem-solving really matter.

Because much of your work will involve supporting colleagues through our online ticketing system, you’ll need to explain things clearly, simply and professionally in writing. Often, you’ll be helping someone who is under pressure, unsure what to do next, or in need of reassurance. That’s where emotional intelligence becomes essential: recognising when someone needs extra support and responding in a way that makes their job – and their day – a little easier.
You’ll also be working with basic data every day, such as calculating annual leave or checking information for accuracy, so you’ll need to be comfortable engaging with details responsibly and confidently. We don’t expect you to be a technical specialist; we do expect you to take pride in getting things right.

HR Services is collaborative by nature, so effective communication skills and the ability to work well with others help you thrive. Teamwork, curiosity, empathy, problem-solving and a willingness to learn are all qualities that will set you up for success.

And above all, you’ll enjoy working with people. Because in this role, every interaction helps colleagues across the organisation focus on the mission that matters.

Training and development

When you join HR Services, you’ll begin with a thorough induction to your team, our processes and the systems you’ll be using every day. This gives you a clear understanding of your role and how HR supports the wider mission across MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. You’ll meet colleagues from across the function, learn how our operations fit together, and start building the confidence you need to take on your responsibilities.

Your development will involve a mix of structured training, practical learning and ongoing development. As you grow in the role, you’ll gain experience across different areas of HR. Each opportunity helps build your judgement, your understanding of how HR shapes the employee experience, and your ability to navigate sensitive or complex scenarios with confidence.

You’ll have access to internal and external training relevant to your role, along with support from a mentor who will help guide your development and encourage you to stretch your skills. If you’re working towards your CIPD, support may be available (including study time) depending on business need and funding.

For your first four years, you’ll remain within HR Services so you can build solid foundations and develop a deep understanding of our work. After that, you’ll be able to explore roles across the wider organisation, including other areas of corporate services. Throughout your journey, you’ll be part of a supportive community where the people you work with are committed to supporting your development – so you’re never navigating challenges alone.

Rewards and benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £40,428 plus other benefits including:

• 25 days’ annual leave, rising automatically to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
• opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• a dedicated development budget
• an interest-free season ticket loan
• an excellent pension scheme
• a 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: people 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, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, 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. The scheme encourages 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 offer a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for this position an interview, where 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 application process) are

• A minimum of one year’s experience of working in HR or in an HR setting
• CIPD Associate Level (or equivalent)
• Reaching the minimum pass mark for the Organisational Situational Judgement Test (OSJT), which assesses your ability to problem-solve. If you meet this criterion, you’ll be directed to complete an application form
• Meeting the minimum pass mark for the motivation and competency questions

These criteria will be assessed at sift. On successful completion of these stages, you’ll be invited to attend an interview. This constitutes your Offer of Interview

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to perform at your best. Please see our website for information on the 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:

1. An initial online application form, including pre-screening questions to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria
2. Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), assessing the appropriateness of your responses to a series of short scenarios. The SJT tests criteria important for all roles in our organisation
3. An application sift, reviewing your motivation, skills and suitability for the role and the organisation. There will also be a competency question.
4. An interview, examining your responses to different situations typical to the role.
5. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment.

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.

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 level of security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process.

We also have a strict drugs policy. Once you start your application, you must not take any recreational drugs, and you’ll be required to declare previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

Before you apply, we recommend setting up a separate email address for your communication with us. This helps keep your personal and application correspondence separate. Avoid using identifying features in your email address, such as your first name, surname or date of birth. This is good practice and will help you manage your application with us more securely.

The role is based in London, so 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.

We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in person interviews or assessments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.

Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option and must provide original hard-copy receipts for reimbursement.

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 begin your application. Applying from outside the UK will affect 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 reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role once a certain number of applications have been received. Please bear this in mind and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.