You will have the ability to find creative solutions to complex legal problems, drawing on your experience and judgement. Whether your background is in criminal, public, human rights, immigration, data and information, family, corporate and commercial, litigation or any other area of law, you will bring a perspective that can add something new to our work.

You will be persuasive and diplomatic, with excellent written and verbal communication skills, and able to handle complex and sensitive casework with credibility. You will be capable of making sound risk-based judgements and have the ability to operate independently. You will have the insight to know when to seek support and assistance and a desire to work as part of a supportive and collaborative team. You will be seeking a career with real purpose and will want to make a positive difference.

Training and development

You will have the potential to develop into an effective all-round national security lawyer but you do not need to know everything when you join us. From day one, you'll have a comprehensive induction, both into the specific legal team you join and into the wider legal department and national security legal community. This will be followed by on-the-job training and a personal development plan tailored to you. You will also have access to courses through our internal training academy, alongside wider professional development support in a close-knit environment where lawyers are encouraged to keep learning, however experienced they already are.

Alongside your line manager, you'll be allocated a mentor and a buddy within your team, giving you both immediate, practical support as you settle in and an ongoing source of guidance as you grow. Beyond the development support we offer, you will also have ownership of the way you would like to grow, including identifying and pursuing the opportunities that match your own goals. Training here works across different timeframes: in the short term, it is about getting you up to speed as quickly as possible; over the longer term, it is about building deep expertise in your field of specialism while still having room to branch into new areas as your interests evolve.

Rewards and benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £86,779 or £96,097 (depending 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
• 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

What to expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

• Initial online application.
• Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) in which you rate the appropriateness of responses to a series of short scenarios.
• Full online application.
• Application sift which looks at your evidence against the essential criteria above and motivation for the role and the organisation.
• If successful, you will receive an invitation to attend an online assessment and, then if successful, an invitation to attend a final round in-person exercise and competency-based interview.
• If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment subject to vetting.

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 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 about our 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 manage your application with us more discretely.

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.

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 hardcopy receipts for reimbursement.

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 close applications early

Please be aware that we reserve the right to close applications once a certain number have been received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out. If you have a disability (as defined under the Equality Act 2010) and need additional time to complete your application, please submit your initial application. Then, contact us via the email provided as soon as possible, using the subject line "Reasonable adjustments extension" and briefly outline the support you require.