Join to apply for the Employment Lawyer role at Careers at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ
Careers at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ provided pay range
This range is provided by Careers at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range
£86,779 or £96,097 (dependent on experience)
Location(s): London. Although some aspects of the role might require travel around the country or internationally, this is infrequent and not an expected aspect of the job.
Flexible working: Due to the sensitive nature of the work remote working or home working will not be possible as a matter of course. However, other flexible working options such as part‑time (minimum four days per week), compressed hours and job shares would all be considered.
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
At MI5 the threats to our national security are constantly evolving. In our small, specialist team of employment lawyers you will work on unique and challenging cases, supporting vital work at the heart of our organisation providing expert advice on a variety of employment and people‑related matters.
Their diverse portfolio ranges from advising on staff policies and contracts, HR strategy and litigation, through to more sensitive aspects specific to the work we do, which involves mitigating risks to national security. This is an opportunity to use your skills and experience in ways you would expect, in a context you wouldn’t.
About you
If you are curious about how national security shapes an organisation’s response to employment law issues, this is the role for you. We need people who will thrive in a team environment but are also comfortable working independently. You will have strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex employment law matters clearly and simply to those without a legal background. With a pragmatic approach to problems, you will be able to think creatively to find solutions, both independently and as part of our small collaborative team. Proactive and conscientious, you will be adept at handling complex and sensitive queries with credibility.
You will be a qualified solicitor or barrister, with sound PQE experience, qualified to practice in England and Wales. Employment law experience is essential. Ideally you will also have experience of working in‑house in the commercial and/or public sectors, but this is not essential.
Training and development
You’ll receive an initial induction, on the job training, access to courses in our internal training academy, the chance to build on professional development and wider support in a collegiate environment. However, you will also be expected to take responsibility for your own training and development, and you’ll seek to identify and take advantage of opportunities appropriate to your own development goals and needs.
Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £86,779 or £96,097 (dependent on experience), plus other benefits including:
* 25 days’ of annual leave, automatically rising 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
* 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: https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/diversity
We’re Disability Confident
MI5 is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pension’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 the Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:
1. Meeting the eligibility criteria.
2. Meeting the qualification criteria.
3. Demonstrating the skills referenced for the role at the CV and covering letter sift.
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. Application sift, looking at your evidence against the essential criteria above and motivation for the role and the organisation.
2. If successful, you will receive an invitation to attend an in‑person competency‑based interview.
3. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting.
4. Successful completion of vetting.
5. Final job offer.
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 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. Read our full 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 Central London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.
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 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.
Seniority level
Not Applicable
Employment type
Full‑time
Job function
Legal
Industries
Government Relations Services
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