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Department
Operational and Surveillance
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Location(s)
London
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Job description
Salary: £44,190, with the opportunity for a technical specialist pay increase upon completion of your probation period and demonstration of the requisite behaviours and skills. You may also claim overtime for any out-of-hours or weekend work.
Flexible working: This is a full-time role, and we’re open to discussing flexible working arrangements where possible, such as adjusted start and finish times or compressed hours. As the role is workshop-based, you’ll be required to be on-site for a minimum of four days per week. Please note that remote or home working isn’t possible.
About us
MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats such 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 on 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
As a Vehicle Technician, you’ll provide diagnostic, maintenance, and repair services across a diverse fleet of organisational vehicles. This includes everything from motorcycles to HGVs, generators, and trailers, representing more than 30 manufacturers and offering plenty of variety. Day-to-day activity takes place alongside a friendly, close-knit team of skilled technicians working together in one of two well-equipped London workshops.
Tasks may range from changing tyres or replacing lamp filaments, diagnosing electrical glitches, or stripping down and re-building an entire transmission system. State-of-the-art tools and equipment are used to ensure reliability of the fleet. Strict health and safety practices are followed at all times, alongside maintaining a clean and safe workshop.
Please note you’ll be expected to spend a minimum of five years in the role. Some flexibility around working hours may be required, and you’ll receive paid overtime for any out-of-hours or weekend on-call work. There may also be occasional travel outside of London.
About you
To join us, you’ll bring a City & Guilds, BTEC, or NVQ Level 3 qualification in Motor Vehicle Technology, supported by relevant practical experience. If you’re currently working towards your Level 3 after completing Level 2, we’d still be pleased to hear from you. A full UK driving licence is essential, as the role involves road testing vehicles to make sure they meet safety and performance standards.
You’ll enjoy getting to the root of problems, using on-board vehicle diagnostics to identify and fix faults across a range of manufacturers. This might mean tackling anything from minor electrical issues to more complex mechanical repairs, using both Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket systems. You’ll also be comfortable using everyday IT tools such as l Outlook, Word, and Excel.
We’re looking for someone who enjoys working collaboratively, takes pride in doing things well, and pays close attention to detail. Building positive relationships, planning ahead, and keeping others informed will come naturally. Equally important is a willingness to learn and develop your skills through on-the-job training opportunities.
Training and development
From day one, an induction at MI5, will introduce the organisation, followed by an overview of the processes and procedures used within the team. You’ll shadow an experienced colleague and be assigned a mentor to help you settle into life at MI5. All job-related training is provided, including MOT training, vehicle recovery, and HGV training (such as learning to navigate the internal fleet system). Further opportunities to upskill are available as capability framework levels are achieved. Professional registration is encouraged through a combination of internal and external development programmes, alongside the options to explore other areas of engineering, such as communications and electric vehicles.
Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £44,190, plus a range of 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
an excellent pension scheme
a cycle-to-work scheme
facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
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: people 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, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.
We’re Disability Confident
MI5 is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. This scheme encourages 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 are offered an interview, where practical. (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:
You’ll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which assesses criteria important for all roles in our organisation
Meeting the minimum pass mark on how you have demonstrated your motivation for the role and the organisation. This is assessed through questions on the application form
A wide range of additional support is available throughout the recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Please see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.
What to expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Below is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) in which you rate the appropriateness of responses to a series of short scenarios
Application sift, looking at your motivation for the role and the organisation
Telephone interview, which will assess your relevant experience for the role
Assessment Centre, comprised of a competency and a technical interview
If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment subject to vetting
You will also need to undergo and pass a medical assessment prior to receiving a final offer of employment
Please note you must successfully pass each stage to progress to the next. The application process may take around 6 to 9 months, including vetting, so we recommend continuing any current employment until a final job offer is received
Before you apply
To work at MI5, you must be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Please read about our eligibility criteria.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). Which is undertaken by everyone in the UK Intelligence Community. Find out more about the vetting process.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy. Once an application is started, recreational drugs must not be taken, and previous drug usage must be declared at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we recommend setting up a separate email address for contact with us to keep personal and application correspondence separate. Avoid including identifying features such as you’re your name or date of birth, as this helps manage your application more securely.
The role is based in Greater London, so candidates must live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before applying. An interest-free loan is available to assist with relocation into privately rented accommodation to take up the offer of employment.
We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.
Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hard copy receipts for reimbursement.
Please note, that you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you’re based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK before launching an application. Applying from outside the UK may affect our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application with anyone other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to withdraw statement:
We reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
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