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.
Trending
Co-creator of Manchester-Blackpool bike ride hoping to reunite with fellow founders for special anniversary
Danny Jones
One of the co-creators of the much-loved Manchester to Blackpool charity bike ride is looking to reunite with some of his fellow founding members for a very special anniversary of the heartwarming event.
Way back when, Tony O’Dwyer was one of just six original riders who embarked on the bike ride from Manchester – Media City in Salford Quays, more precisely – to the Blackpool seafront, which has gone on to become a beloved and regularly frequented fundraiser.
Fast forward four decades later and not only is the annual cycling event approaching its 40th anniversary, but O’Dwyer himself is looking to take it on yet again, just four days before his 70th birthday.
Oh yeah, it’s worth mentioning he’s done it every year since the beginning – including solo during the pandemic. Simply incredible.
Go on, Tony, lad! (Credit: The Christie Charity)
To make things even more memorable, the Wigan-born bike-riding legend is calling on his fellow Manchester-Blackpool bike ride founders to join him in a momentous reunion that is both a personal celebration and one that champions the famous fundraising endurance challenge.
It may have started out as little more than half a dozen blokes setting off from Albert Square in Manchester city centre on a pretty ambitious voyage, but it’s gone on to become a North West tradition and a powerful way to support vital causes, not least of all charities like The Christie Foundation.
This year, Tony will be riding once again to raise funds for The Christie in honour of his late father, Franco O’Dwyer, who was cared for by the specialist hospital and research centre after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Franco sadly died 10 years ago, and Tony has been a passionate supporter of the organisation ever since, taking various fundraising challenges even beyond his usual Manchester to Blackpool bike ride.
Speaking ahead of the anniversary edition, Tony said: “I can’t believe it’s been 40 years since we first did it. Back in 1985, it was just a group of mates, a few bikes, and the road to Blackpool – we didn’t have the gear, just grit and a bit of madness!
Credit: Supplied
“We passed through Leigh, Standish, Preston, and St Annes, stopping at pubs and windmills along the way, just enjoying the journey. I’d love to reconnect with the original group – Mike, Barry, Susan, John, Margaret and Christine – it would be brilliant to see where life has taken them.”
“The first time I did the bike ride, I was in fancy dress as a lion, and I’ve done it every year since. I even did it during COVID on my own when the event was postponed, and there were others on the way doing it themselves too, which was amazing to see!”
Crediting The Christie with prolonging his father’s life and giving his family that extra precious time, he’s now proud to fly the flag for the foundation, and they have just as much love for him.
Mass participation events officer Josh Hughff added: “Tony is an incredible ambassador for the Charity and for this event. His dedication over four decades is inspiring, and we’re honoured he continues to ride in support of The Christie Charity.
“His story is a reminder of the lasting power of community, memory, and giving back.”
For anyone who’d like to join Tony and be part of ‘Team Christie’ 2025 as they head towards the seaside town’s South Promenade, you can sign up HERE.
As for those pioneers who first took on the challenge all those years ago, if you were part of that original group or know someone who was, please contact Maggie Doyle at The Christie Charity on 07717 532195.
Fingers crossed we can get the gang back together.
Featured Images — The Chrisite (supplied)/Leo C. Owen (Pexels)
Trending
Jadon Sancho set for return to Manchester United after Chelsea pay to avoid permanent signing
Danny Jones
England winger Jadon Sancho looks like he’s coming back to Manchester United, at least for the time being, following his stint at Chelsea, with the Premier League club opting to pay a penalty in order to avoid signing him full-time.
Sancho was loaned out to the UEFA Conference League winners just over a year ago after falling out with the previous Man United head coach, Erik ten Hag, playing 42 games for the West Londoners.
The naturally gifted winger, who was considered one of the hottest prospects in Europe just a few short years ago, also pulled back on a Borussia Dortmund shirt for a six-month loan spell in January 2024, but his return was never made permanent either.
In the case of Chelsea, despite having an obligation to buy Sancho when they initially signed him last summer, the deal – worth a reported £25 million – included a £5m clause which would allow them to get out of said obligation: a clause that owner Todd Boehly’s club has seemingly to have activated.
BREAKING: Jadon Sancho will return to Manchester United after failing to agree to personal terms with Chelsea 🚨 pic.twitter.com/1F55sXWoT4
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 3, 2025
As per the likes of The Athletic, Sancho is set for a return to MUFC and Carrington as he waits to see what the INEOS administration and new manager Ruben Amorim (who is yet to have the 25-year-old among his options since arriving at Old Trafford) do with him.
It remains to be seen whether or not the former Man City youth star will make another appearance at the Theatre of Dreams itself, but with co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said to be strapped for cash and yet still looking to bring in new players, they’ll be hoping at least fetch a decent fee for the him.
Sancho registered five goals and 10 assists during his time at Stamford Bridge, and despite perhaps not lighting the world on fire, he proved to be a useful addition to the squad and contributed in some big moments – that recent European final being the standout this season.
Nevertheless, it is believed that Chelsea were unwilling to match the salary paid by his parent club, with the one-time national team starlet said to be on weekly wages of around £300,000, according to reports.
Born in the capital himself, Sancho grew to be favoured by a sizeable portion of the supporters, and while the Man United fan base is pretty divided when it comes to Sancho coming back, there are plenty of Blues that will miss him.
Meanwhile, regardless of his return to United, Sancho being moved on rather quickly looks the most likely outcome now that the summer transfer window is open.