Trainee Finance Officer Ref. 3709

Job Description

Flexible working: due to the nature of the role there is no homeworking, so you’ll be required to work full time from the office. However, we do offer compressed hours and 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. 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
Join us as a Trainee Finance Officer and take the first step in building a well-rounded finance career through a structured, three-year development programme. You’ll rotate across three different teams within the Finance function, giving you hands-on experience in a variety of financial disciplines. This breadth of exposure will equip you with the practical insight and confidence to thrive as a finance professional.

Alongside your on-the-job experience, you’ll follow a supported learning pathway to become a professionally qualified accounting practitioner through the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT). We’ll sponsor and support you through Levels 2–4, blending study with real responsibility as you contribute to the effective and efficient use of public funds and play a part in delivering our organisational priorities.

When you pass your AAT exams and meet your performance goals, you will be eligible to interview for progression each year. Potential pay increases are as follows: Year 1 – Cheltenham £28,685/London £31,718, Year 2 – Cheltenham £32,827/London £35,417 and Year 3 – Cheltenham £37,723/London £40,428 (salaries are subject to annual review).

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, resolving queries, processing payments and employee claims 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.

About you

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 bring integrity, respect and creativity to your work, helping us deliver a positive impact across 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 have GCSEs in English and mathematics at A-C/9-4 (or equivalent), and some experience with Microsoft Word and Excel.

Please note that if you have already started or completed the AAT qualification, we think you'll be better suited to other roles within our Finance team. We therefore recommend applying for one of the upcoming opportunities listed below:

• Payments and Banking Officer (currently live): open to candidates with five GCSEs (grade 4/C or above, including English and Mathematics), or equivalent Level 2 qualifications
• Finance Officer: for candidates with proven financial experience or who are working towards Level 4 AAT, or who hold a 2:1 or higher in a finance/accounting degree that’s accredited by a financial body like ACCA or CIMA

To be notified of any upcoming opportunities in our Finance team, we recommend you sign up to job alerts on our website.

Please note: We are looking to recruit individuals who want to build a career in finance. If you are successful in your application, we expect staff to remain within the Finance Capability for a minimum of five years.

We expect this role to be popular so please start your application at your earliest convenience.

Training and development
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, you’ll receive dedicated support from your manager, the scheme coordinator, and colleagues across the finance community.

We’re committed to supporting your professional development and understand how important your studies are. That’s why we offer 36 days of paid study leave per year for the duration of the scheme, giving you the time you need to prepare fully for your AAT exams and achieve the results you’re aiming for.

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 £28,685 to £31,718 depending on location, 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
• 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
• 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: Diversity | MI5 - The Security Service

We’re Disability Confident
MI5 is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions' 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 the Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:
1. Meet the eligibility criteria: complete an initial application form, including pre-screening questions, to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria
2. You will be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) which looks at your ability to problem solve
3. Demonstrate experience working with Microsoft Word and Excel
4. Showing strong motivation for applying to work for MI5 as a Trainee Finance Officer

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:
1. An initial online application form including pre-screening questions to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria
2. Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) rating the appropriateness of your responses to a series of short scenarios. The SJT tests criteria important for all roles in our organisation
3. Full online application form
4. An online interview
5. A security interview
6. Conditional offer of employment
7. Obtain Developed Vetting.

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 to 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 on our website.
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 on our website.

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.

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. If successful, an interest-free loan is available to assist with relocating into privately rented accommodation to take up the offer of employment.

We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments 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 provide original hardcopy 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 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 reserve the right to close applications once a certain number have been received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out. If you have a disability (as defined under the Equality Act 2010) and need additional time to complete your application, please submit your initial application. Then, contact us via the email provided as soon as possible, using the subject line Reasonable adjustments extension and briefly outline the support you require.