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This range is provided by GCHQ. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range
About Us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage. At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The Role
As an Infrastructure Engineering Specialist, you’ll play a key role in supporting, maintaining, and developing capabilities that drive our critical operations. You’ll work alongside colleagues who share your passion for technology, building strong relationships with internal teams, industry networks, and our intelligence partners. Whether you’re tackling complex challenges or discovering new innovations, you’ll enjoy a vibrant environment filled with variety, impact and collaborative teamwork.
You could find yourself working in exciting areas such as Networks, Operating Systems, Applications, Data Transfer, or Cyber Security. Depending on the team, you might be developing cloud-native technologies, deploying innovative applications, automating processes through Infrastructure as Code, or shaping new and efficient workflows. Whatever the task, you’ll be contributing to unique infrastructure projects that make a meaningful difference, driving substantial progress and creating lasting change.
Please note that while this role does not involve shift work, you may be required to join our on-call rota to ensure continuous support. Additionally, in most cases, this role includes line management responsibilities, providing you with the opportunity to lead and mentor team members.
Salary: £44,044. Dependent on your skills, you may also qualify for a recruitment bonus of £3,500. During the interview, your skills will be assessed to determine eligibility for a further Specialist Role Payment ranging from £4,513 to £9,812.
Flexible Working: This role is primarily office-based, with most of the work undertaken in the office. We offer flexible working hours, including options for compressed and part-time shifts. While working from home isn’t guaranteed, it might be possible on occasion, based on personal and business needs. Once you are established in the role, you may also be required to join an on-call rota.
Locations: We have opportunities in Central Manchester and Salmesbury, as well as further afield in London and Cheltenham.
About You
You’ll have experience working with and knowledge of various technologies. While you don’t need to be familiar with all of them, some of the key areas include:
• Infrastructure: Physical, virtual, cloud, container-based e.g., VMWare, AWS
You have a solid background in IT, having worked as part of a collaborative team or been involved in end-to-end product development. Your enthusiasm and motivation drive you to stay ahead of technology trends, ensuring you bring the latest innovations to your work. You thrive in a fast-paced, Agile environment, where collaboration and adaptability are key. Your creative problem-solving skills shine through as you navigate changes and challenges. Under pressure, you remain focused and prioritise tasks effectively, delivering high-quality results consistently.
As you work with a range of colleagues and customers, you’ll take the time to understand their requirements, share your knowledge, and translate technical information for non-technical people. In addition, you’ll have a desire to learn new skills and further your knowledge in an environment that encourages fresh thinking and innovation.
Training and Development
When you start, you’ll receive a 3-day departmental induction, followed by a comprehensive business induction to help you meet the team and settle into life at GCHQ. You’ll have a dedicated line manager who will act as your “buddy” offering advice and guidance whenever you need it.
From day one, you’ll be encouraged to pursue training tailored to your needs and role. You might attend relevant supplier conferences, be paired with mentors for both technical and personal development, or join an internal, friendly group that shares your passion and enjoys knowledge sharing. Additionally, you’ll have opportunities to engage in bespoke, in-house training designed to develop the specific skills and experience valued by the organisation. You may also have opportunities to apply for professional registration with esteemed bodies such as the institution of Engineering and Technology or the British Computer Society, with funding provided for these registrations. The specific learning opportunities may vary based on the skills needed to undertake your role.
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £44,044 plus other benefits including:
• 25 days annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years of service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays.
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loan (travel and parking).
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations).
• Paid parental and adoption leave.
At GCHQ 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 underrepresented 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.gchq-careers.co.uk/life-at gchq/diversity-inclusion.html
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’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 employer, we aim to offer a fair and proportionate number of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
• Show experience and knowledge in various technologies relevant to the role. Assessed during application sift.
• Demonstrate a strong motivation for applying to work at GCHQ as an Infrastructure Specialist. This will be assessed during the application sift.
• Exhibit analytical and problem-solving skills to resolve technical issues. This will be assessed during the application sift.
• Show an awareness of up-coming-technologies and commitment to learning. This will be assessed during the application sift.
There is a wide range of extra support available through the recruitment process to enable you to do your best. See our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer: https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/how-to-apply.html
Seniority level
* Seniority level
Mid-Senior level
Employment type
* Employment type
Full-time
Job function
* Job function
Information Technology, Management, and Engineering
* Industries
Government Administration, Defense and Space Manufacturing, and Technology, Information and Media
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