Job Description
Flexible working: Due to the nature of the work, home working is notavailable. However, we recognise the importance of a healthy work-lifebalance and offer a variety of flexible working arrangements, includingfull-time, part-time and compressed hours. We also support flexiblestart and finish times to help you balance your personal andprofessional commitments.About usMI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats such as terrorism andattempts by states to harm the UK, its people and its way of life. Wecarry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessingintelligence, and then work with a range of partners including MI6 andGCHQ, to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, weprovide advice and guidance to government, businesses and otherorganisations on how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you will do unique and challenging work in asupportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference toUK national security.The role
As a vital member of our HR department, you will help ensure colleaguesin the UK and abroad are paid accurately and on time. You will respond topolicy queries, processing HR requests and offering general guidance aspart of a supportive team dedicated to delivering a great experience forour colleagues.Day-to-day, the work involves speaking with colleagues across theorganisation who need advice, support and timely action on theirrequests. This includes managing and prioritising a range of tasks,processing HR requests, responding to policy queries and providingclear guidance, while ensuring all actions are completed promptly and inline with compliance standards. There is also a clear focus on improvingour processes and working closely with teams across HR, includingPensions and Finance, as well as Payroll teams at GCHQ, MI6, andHMRC.A period of four years within the HR department is required for thispost. During this time, you will have opportunities to move into differentroles across the department, allowing you to develop new skills andgain broader experience. After this period, further progression, eitherwithin HR or across the wider organisation, will be shaped by yourinterests and the direction in which you’d like your career to grow. For the Cheltenham position, the post is based in GCHQ’s offices inCheltenham, while employment is with MI5. About youYou will need a minimum of one year experience in payroll or financeand be confident in the fundamentals of the role, including using onlinesystems (with training) and working in line with compliancerequirements. As many of our queries involve working with numbers,
such as calculating payments, you will also need to be comfortablehandling basic data and machine intelligence.Your written communication skills will be key, as a large part of the roleinvolves responding to colleague queries, explaining specialist termsand providing clear, helpful answers via our online ticketing system.Effective verbal communication skills will also support collaborationwith HR colleagues, both within Payroll and across the wider team.Since our colleagues are our customers, you will be motivated to providean excellent service, using your initiative to identify and implementsolutions. Adaptability is also important, as the role requires movingbetween tasks and prioritising effectively, while working collaborativelyand supporting teammates. Training and developmentWe are passionate about your development and provide a range ofopportunities to help you grow. You will get a full induction and training toensure you feel confident carrying out your day-to-day responsibilities,along with opportunities to gain experience across different HRdisciplines. There is also the option to complete internal and externaltraining courses relevant to your role, and access to a mentor who willsupport and encourage your ongoing development.During your time in the team, there may be opportunities to study for aCIPP or CIPD qualification, depending on available funding. You will alsohave the freedom to shape the direction of your career and apply forroles across the organisation, including within wider Corporate Services,Vetting and more.