Shh, don’t tell anyone but Mi5 is currently recruiting for a number of roles in Manchester and it could be the perfect chance for a 2020 career change.
Are you looking for your next career opportunity? Fancy switching paths? Can you keep a secret?
Mi5 has recently published a number of job specifications for a varied range of roles online, which can be worked from either the central London or Manchester office, and are listed are within in the IT, Science & Technical department.
Salary is also reflected depending on the location of the role.
According to the gov.uk website, the UK’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency – which also includes MI6 and GCHQ – is “responsible for protecting the UK from threats to our National Security” and is dedicated to “keeping our country safe”.
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It’s the responsibility of the Mi5 to “ensure the safety and prosperity of our country” by “countering threats from terrorism and espionage” and anyone who applies for a role within the service must hold these values in the highest regard.
Day in day out our people help to keep the country safe.
Our Director Jeremy Fleming outlines the role we play.
Want to play your part in our mission? Explore the wide range of careers available at GCHQ
Are you intrigued then? Here’s a few of the Manchester-applicable roles on offer.
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Software Engineer
Mi5 is looking for experienced Software Engineers who can take more of a senior role in their team.
The successful candidate will be providing technical direction to their products and mentoring more junior colleagues, as well as sharing collective responsibility to keep the country safe and striving to develop your team.
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The job description states that “it’s important that you’re able to communicate and share your knowledge”.
As a more senior engineer, the successful candidate will be expected to:
Take ownership of large problems, break them down and work with the team to deliver new features through the whole engineering lifecycle.
Support products owned by the team, providing on-call if necessary, working with users to identify and fix defects.
Build automated tests to maintain the assurance of our continuous integration pipelines.
Support and mentor junior colleagues, helping them to understand what great software engineering looks like.
Participate in guilds and cross-organisation initiatives to build our community of engineers.
The salary for this role is: Manchester – £48,932 – £54,232 or London – £53,140 – £58,314.
The closing date for applications is 31/12/2020 at 11pm, and you can find out more or to apply here.
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Senior Software Engineer
Similar to the above, successful applicants to the Senior Software Engineer role will need to “share our collective responsibility to keep the country safe and be keen to constantly improve yourself and your team”. The job description states that “our teams work closely with each other and with mission customers, so it’s important that you’re prepared to communicate and share your knowledge”.
As a Lead Engineer, you’ll be expected to:
Lead the development across a small number of teams or take responsibility for a particular technical specialism where you will act as a subject matter expert.
Support decision making and risk taking within teams using your experience and technical knowledge.
Coach and mentor junior colleagues to help develop their skills, bringing on their engineering thinking.
Promote best practice and help to set standards across the organisation.
Participate in guilds and cross-organisation initiatives to build our community of engineers.
As a technical role, Mi5 is looking for a software engineers who have experience of working with a broad range of technologies, leading engineering teams and taking responsibility for making technical decisions.
The salary for this role is: Manchester – £59,824 – £64,558 or London – £63,097 – £69,630.
The closing date for applications is 31/12/2020 at 11pm and you can find out more or apply here.
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Application Architect
If strategy is your thing, then how about the role of Application Architect? This role is about gathering and interpreting requirements from the business and technical teams.
The job description states that as an application architect, you’ll be expected to:
Work with Dev Ops teams and fellow architects to identify and design end to end architectural solutions, advising on and contributing to the implementation of application architecture and system/component interfaces.
Contribute to system roadmaps and future visions to help stakeholders understand where and how technology benefits them.
Use your experience, as well as industry best practice and emerging trends, to initiate new ideas and conduct options analysis to recommend optimum solutions.
Design interface specifications, writing high level design and detailed design for chosen solutions.
Be involved in the implementation of new technologies and methods.
Successful candidates for this role should be “passionate leaders in the technology world who are excited to take the initiative, be creative and drive engineering change across the intelligence agencies.” and you should also have experience of successful application design and integration in large scale enterprise organisations.
The salary for this role is: Manchester – £63,091 – £67,677 or London – £66,276 – £71,081.
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The closing date for applications is 31/08/2020 at 11pm, and you can apply or find out more here.
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Didn’t really find a path that suits you?
For alternative roles and more information, you can visit the Mi5 – The Security Service website here.
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Local artist Michael J. Browne’s latest exhibition is complete and free to view in town
Danny Jones
Celebrated local artist Michael J. Browne (MJB) has finally assembled his latest exhibition, and it’s now on display for free right in the middle of Manchester.
The Moss Side native has completed a number of eye-catching works over the past year or so, which many of you may have noticed steadily cropping up along Deansgate.
Famed for working with the likes of Eric Cantona and the National Football Museum, as well as a viral piece picturing President Donald Trump pride of place in the city centre, he’s been making waves from a particular corner over the past few months.
That piece, along with multiple follow-ups in the collection, can be viewed in the flesh at no cost – and trust us, they’re worth examining up close and personal…
Entitled, ‘A Portrait of Power’, the new exhibit by Michael J. Browne is uneniably one of his most provocative yet, spotlighting figures like Trump, notable British politicians, the Royal Family and more in a big shop window over at Great Northern Warehouse.
Featuring everything from football-themed nods to the likes of Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo, to his monumental ‘Sovereign Servant’ oil painting, which sees recognisable Royals, Conservatives and other famous faces aboard HMS Victory in front of the Houses of Parliament, the intricacy is staggering.
You only have to glimpse one of these point-blank to see the sheer level of detail; collectively, the art amounts to thousands of hours of effort and weeks spent covering every inch of the large canvases.
Exhibiting a bold fusion of historical symbolism with contemporary commentary, drawing from key cultural characters that make up the current zeitgeist, Browne is all about capturing the shifting face of ‘British identity’, as ever amorphous and transient as it may be.
Put simply, this installation is “a portrait of power, legacy, and national reflection.”
Known for his incredibly precise and almost microscopic technique, MJB‘s work has been showcased all over the world, including at the National Portrait Gallery, and never fails to stir up a conversation.
The exhibition will be held for a limited time at his current venue within units 291-293 at Great Northern.
Situated right on the corner of the main Deansgate strip and the adjoining Great Bridgewater Street, it’s hard to miss once you’ve seen it.
Private viewings are also available by appointment for the likes of MPs, political party members and accredited media, as well as interested members of the public.
The Streets have just announced a massive outdoor gig in Manchester
Danny Jones
UK hip-hop, garage and grime icons The Streets have become the latest act confirmed for the Sounds of the City musical festival 2026, announcing a huge outdoor gig in Manchester as part of their shows next summer.
One of the most influential bands in the space, having inspired countless others in adjacent genres over the past couple of decades, The Streets are up there with some of the biggest names to ever book Castlefield Bowl.
Revealing a brand new UK tour in line with a special album anniversary, which features just a handful of domestic live dates, we’re counting ourselves very lucky to be on the list.
Big news! The Streets @mikeskinnerltd will perform 'A Grand Don’t Come For Free' in full for the first time at Manchester Castlefield Bowl & @Yourallypally Park in July 2026 🔥
Set to play the fan favourite amphitheatre for the second time, the 46-year-old frontman and legendary British producer is bringing vocalist Kevin Mark Trail, guitarist Rob Harvey, and a number of other regular session players along for the ride.
Other cities being treated to the experience include the likes of London, Bristol and our mates over in Leeds, too.
The tour itself is to mark 20 years since the release of their seminal second album, A Grand Don’t Come For Free, which remains arguably their most important work.
Skinner and his mates join the likes of The K’s in being the first to join the lineup for Sounds of the City 2026; safe to say it’s already off to a good start.
An incredibly well-received follow-up to their already impressive debut, Original Pirate Material, the much-loved 2004 LP is set to be played in full for the first time EVER.
Speaking on the milestone, Skinner said:“A Grand Don’t Come For Free was a moment in time — for me, and for everyone who grew up with it. I wrote it as a story from beginning to end, even studying screenwriting to shape it and without the faintest idea how people would react.
“We’ve been looking for something bold to do with the live show, and we landed here: some tracks have never been played live, others haven’t surfaced in years.
“It’s a new challenge to bring the whole journey to life on stage, but I have an incredible band, and we always give everything every night. So I’m certain we’ll make finding out what happened to that thousand quid a party every night.”
You can see the full list of shows down below.
The Streets live UK tour dates 2026
Friday, June 26, 2026 – Dreamland – Margate
Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Bristol Sounds – Bristol
Saturday, July 18, 2026 – Alexandra Palace Park – London
Thursday, July 23, 2026 – Ludlow Castle – Ludlow
Friday, July 24, 2026 – Kirkstall Abbey – Leeds
Friday, August 7, 2026 – Audley End Estate – Essex
Friday, August 21, 2026 – Rock n Roll Circus – Norwich
You can get ready to grab your tickets for The Streets live for Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl by signing up for exclusive artist pre-sale access, or you can just go for general admission when they go live next Friday, 17 October HERE.