Human Resources Officer

Job Title : HR Officer 3479

London : £39,152, Cheltenham : £36,534

Flexible working : due to the sensitive nature of the role, you’ll be office based; however, we do offer part-time and compressed hours.

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

HR Services is a critical function supporting colleagues, both in the UK and abroad. In everything we do, we strive to deliver best practice and ensure compliance every time, enabling our colleagues to work efficiently and safely wherever they’re based. You’ll be an employee at MI5, but if you apply for a role in Cheltenham, you’ll work in our GCHQ building there. And as we support colleagues across all three agencies, you’ll get a unique insight to our operations at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

Joining one of our HR operations teams, you’ll enjoy varied days communicating with colleagues online and by phone. You’ll be answering policy queries and processing HR queries – such as pay, staff moves, and promotions – as well as providing general guidance and support. It’s all about delivering a great experience for our colleagues, prioritising workflow so that requests are dealt with swiftly and efficiently, while contributing to continuous improvement of our processes.

We have some roles that will require management responsibilities of one or two administrative team members. As we work across a number of locations there will be ad hoc opportunities to visit other sites throughout the course of your role.

About you

We’re looking for candidates that have a minimum of 1 year experience working in HR, or hold an Associate Level CIPD or CIPP qualification, with a desire to build a career in HR. You’ll be confident using online systems (with the relevant training). And, as some queries require, for example, working out annual leave allowance, you’ll need to be comfortable working with basic data and Machine Intelligence.

You’ll also have strong communication skills, both verbal and written. Most of our interactions take place via a ticketing system so you’ll need to be able to clearly explain specialist terms in writing. Within this role, our colleagues are your customers, so you’ll be keen to provide an excellent service with every query you handle. Plus, you’ll be an adaptable and supportive team player, ready to collaborate to meet business needs.

Training and development

We’re passionate about your personal development, so we have lots of ways to help grow. You’ll get a full induction and training so you’re confident carrying out your day-to-day responsibilities, as well as opportunities to gain experience across different HR disciplines. You’ll also have the option to complete internal and external training courses relevant to your role and have access to a mentor, who’ll support and encourage your continued development.

There is an expectation that you will stay within HR for a minimum of four years before applying for other roles at MI5. In London, other roles could include remaining within the corporate services function or moving to another area of the organisation. In Cheltenham you’ll be able to apply for other roles across MI5’s corporate services, such as vetting, finance, commercial or HR.

Rewards and Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £39,152 (London) or £36,534 (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
• dedicated development budget
• interest-free season ticket loan
• 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.