Lead Researcher

Job title: Lead Researcher

Are you the right applicant for this opportunity Find out by reading through the role overview below.
Location: Central London
Salary: £54,554
Flexible working: We recognise the importance of a good work-life balance, and while this
is an office-based role, part-time, compressed hours, and job-sharing options are all
possible. You can find out more about flexible working at MI5 on our website.
About us
MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and from 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 Lead Researcher, you’ll bring your specialist STEM knowledge and experience in
conducting Scientific research that is both rigorous and ethical to MI5 and MI6, helping to
address mission-critical priorities. You’ll join a joint MI5–MI6 science team made up of
researchers, scientists, leaders, and strategists. Working together, you’ll explore
opportunities created by scientific and technical advancements and share your findings to
benefit the wider intelligence community.
Managing the end-to-end delivery of scientific research projects will be a key part of your
role. The work is highly varied; you’ll be shaping ideas and securing agreement from
stakeholders, carrying out detailed analysis of your findings, and ensuring your research
delivers value for money. Through a mix of individual and cross-team projects, your ideas
will help unlock innovative scientific solutions that meet unique customer and stakeholder
needs. This includes advancing our understanding of AI, machine learning, and data
science, and developing solutions that strengthen our capabilities in these areas.
Communication is central to the role. You’ll share research with a broad range of technical
and non-technical audiences, collaborate with other researchers, and help build an inclusive
scientific community. You might deliver a research briefing to senior leaders, take part in a
poster session to explain your latest scientific advancements to colleagues across the
community, as well as oversee the work of junior researchers. A significant portion of your
time will involve working with your immediate team, the wider organisation, customers,
stakeholders and industry partners to understand their needs.
Please note, formal line management responsibilities aren’t expected in your first year, but
we welcome candidates interested in developing into leadership roles in the future.
About you
If you’re a STEM researcher nearing the completion of your PhD (viva scheduled to take
place within the next 6 months), we’d love to hear from you. This role is designed for
someone with a background in a broad range of STEM disciplines. This includes but is not
limited to AI, machine learning, natural sciences engineering, or mathematics. Please don’t
rule yourself out. In addition to your ability to independently deliver research, if you have
programming skills we’d love to hear from you.
Working closely with colleagues and teams across our organisation requires excellent
collaboration and interpersonal skills. Equally important is the ability to explain complex
concepts clearly to those unfamiliar with scientific details, whether through group
presentations or one-to-one conversations, ensuring ideas are understood and valued. You’ll

share your expertise with clarity, foster an inclusive environment, and represent your
research area confidently across the organisation.
And of course, an analytical approach underpins every task, along with the confidence to
choose the most effective methods for achieving results. You’ll deliver solutions on time and
with impact, drawing on robust problem-solving skills and sound judgement to ensure
projects are firmly grounded in evidence.

Training and development
When you join, you’ll have a ‘buddy’ to help you settle in and ongoing support from your line
manager. You’ll also receive an organisation-wide induction as well as an introduction to the
Science Directorate, which includes new joiner packs and meetings with our director, Chief
Scientific Adviser and deputy directors. Plus, there’ll be opportunities to join science
community events and shadow other teams.
You’ll also have a personal development programme tailored to your needs, identifying any
on-the-job and formal training you may require to continue growing your skills.
In addition to your tailored development programme, you’re surrounded by fellow scientists
and researchers who share your enthusiasm for STEM. We place significant value on
knowledge sharing, ideas, and insights. You can expect to deepen your understanding of
your specialist area and gain exposure to other scientific fields within the UK Intelligence
Services.
Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £54,554, plus other benefits, including:
 25 days 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
 Interest-free season ticket loan
 Dedicated development budget
 Excellent pension scheme
 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 individuals 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 commitment to 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 initiative 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 criteria for this position, will be offered an
interview, if it is practical for us to do so (this is known as the Offer of an interview). To be
considered for an interview, you must meet the essential criterion outlined below. This will be
assessed during the application sift stage:
 Candidates with a PhD in a relevant STEM field (e.g., computer science,
mathematics, physics, engineering) or a related discipline with significant quantitative
training.
There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to
enable you to 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. Here is a brief overview of
each stage, in order:
1. Application sift: looking at your motivation for the role and the organisation.
2. Telephone interview: your application will be sifted by our recruitment team and if
successful, the next stage is a telephone interview.
3. Assessment centre: which will include situational role-plays, a tasking exercise and
an interview.
4. 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 must 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 a
process, undertaken by everyone in the UK Intelligence Community. Find out more about
the vetting process.
Please note: we have a strict drugs policy. Once you start your application, you must not
take any recreational drugs, and you’ll need to declare your previous drug use at the
relevant stage.
Before you apply, we advise setting up a separate email address for your contact with us to
ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid
including identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname or
date of birth. This is good practice and will help you manage your application more securely.
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.
A loan is available to support people relocating to London.
Please note: you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are
based overseas, wait until you visit the UK to start your application. Applying from
outside the UK will affect our ability to progress your application. You should not
discuss your application with anyone other than your partner or a close family
member.
Right to withdraw statement:

Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from
the original date once a certain number of applications have been received. xkybehq Please keep this
in mind and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.