Finance Manager
Location: London or Cheltenham
Salary: Cheltenham: £56,962 or £60,998 (dependent on experience)
Flexible working: due to its sensitive nature this role is office-based and home-working will not be possible. We value a good work-life balance and offer part-time (minimum 4 days), compressed hours, and flexibility around start and finish times. Full time hours are 36 or 37 hours, depending on location.
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.
Our finance teams are vital to this mission. They help keep our internal spending on track and make sure everyone has the financial insight needed to do their best work.
The Finance Manager role is diverse, with opportunities across several office-based teams. As part of the recruitment process, we’ll get to know you and assess which area best reflects your strengths and interests.
Financial Analysis
One area you could join is our Financial Analysis team. They provide key insights that guide decision making across the organisation. As a Finance Manager here, you’ll lead a team and produce monthly financial reports that meet the needs of budget holders. You’ll prepare, interpret and present in-year financial information and hold regular review meetings with business areas so they feel fully informed.
Because you care about getting things right, you’ll ensure our financial information is always accurate. You’ll keep strong data controls, advise on the correct treatment of complex transactions and make sure assets and leases are properly accounted for. You’ll provide thoughtful financial analysis, helping colleagues understand variances, risks and mitigation, and you’ll conduct deep dives and financial modelling when issues need more attention. At year-end, you’ll bring everything together, leading the provision of evidence for the National Audit Office and supporting the breakdown of budgets for the new financial year.
Your leadership will shape the team’s experience and performance. You’ll motivate people to bring their best, ensure month-end activity runs smoothly and balance workloads in a way that supports both wellbeing and excellent service. Using your coaching skills, you’ll help the team grow in confidence and capability.
Strategic Finance
You might instead join our Strategic Finance team. They support the agencies through major financial decisions and governance. In this role, you’ll lead the processes and products that
support planning for fiscal events, working closely with your counterpart in the His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) Spending Team and building a strong understanding of the bigger delivery landscape. You’ll regularly work with senior stakeholders, helping them complete key tasks with quick turnarounds and keeping the wider programme running smoothly.
In Strategic Finance, you’ll bring together contributions from across the organisation, help resolve issues and ensure everything is ready for major financial milestones. You’ll build relationships across MI5 and with HMT, prepare and deliver products for the Spending Review and other fiscal events, and represent your area where needed. You’ll take ownership of key strategic work, translate financial data into clear, meaningful insights, and guide other finance functions on HMT priorities. You’ll also prepare briefings for senior civil servants and ministers, provide timely analysis and presentations, respond to ad-hoc enquiries, and support your team through warm, confident leadership.
To apply, you’ll need to be a fully qualified chartered accountant with experience of managing a team. You’ll also bring proven finance experience from a public sector environment. You’ll be organised, positive and eager to keep growing your skills. You’ll enjoy working with others, value collaboration and innovation, and you’ll be comfortable building relationships and negotiating with key stakeholders. Above all, you’ll have a real interest in finance, and you’ll be in your element when working with numbers and spreadsheets.
From the moment you join us, you’ll be fully supported. If you’re committed to growing your skills, we’ll support your training and development. You’ll also have access to internal communities, support networks and mentors. If you’re successful in your application, we’ll ask that you remain within the Finance Capability for at least five years so we can continue to invest in your development.
We recognise that the end of the financial year is an extremely busy time and for this reason we will not commence interviews until mid-April.
If you’re interested in joining MI5 but feel this position isn’t for you, there are plenty of other finance opportunities throughout the year. You can sign up for job alerts to hear about upcoming opportunities on our website.
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.
To find out more about this role, and to apply, please visit our website