The Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) is currently recruiting for a number of roles in Manchester.
Whether it’s something you’re aware of, or it’s rather fittingly been kept under wraps, the country’s intelligence and security organisation actually has an office base right here in Manchester city centre.
GCHQ is responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and the UK’s armed forces.
In a nutshell, the main goal is to “keep our country safe”.
We're not always looking for qualifications – we're also looking for potential.
A career with us opens the door to our excellent training and development programmes to allow you to flourish.
While the main hub of the over 100-year old organisation is actually based down in Cheltenham, other office locations include London, Scarborough, Lincolnshire, Cornwall, and of course, Manchester.
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Working alongside MI5 and MI6, the organisation combines technology and intelligence to counter sophisticated threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and more – and you can now apply to be a part of the action at “the heart of the nation’s security” as GCHQ is recruiting for roles in our region.
Here’s some of the jobs currently up for grabs.
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Specialist Technical Analyst
Salary – £28 642 + the opportunity to qualify for specialist skills payments ranging from £5,000 to £23,000+ per annum in the role.
Role – According to the job description on the GCHQ website, this position is an operational role within GCHQ that is responsible for analysis of industrial systems data and making recommendations.
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This post is part an analytical team, and the successful candidate will play a role in informing and shaping HM government outcomes.
“This is a unique and exciting opportunity to work at the centre of intelligence.”
You can find more information about the role of Specialist Technical Analyst, and stick an application in here.
The main hub of the over 100-year old security and intelligence organisation is based in Cheltenham / Credit: GCHQ
Senior and Lead Software Engineer
Salary – £37,639 – £59,210 (depending on skills, experience and job role – package includes basic salary and concessionary payment).
Role – According to the job description on the GCHQ website, successful candidates will be passionate about developing software, have a curiosity for new technology and new ways of solving problems, thrive working in diverse teams with other highly capable software engineers, have potential to be a future leader on technology, design, feature development or teams, and be interested in a role that gives them space to innovate and learn new skills.
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“You’ll be central to our work to keep the country safe.”
You can find more information about the role of Senior and Lead Software Engineer, and stick an application in here.
European Language Graduate
Salary – £30,831 (which includes a concessionary payment).
Role: According to the job description on the GCHQ website, successful applicants will be talented, flexible, and committed individuals from all backgrounds with a 2:1 degree in at least two languages – French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish – and a linguistic ability of a very high order to carry out the duties of transcription, translation, analysis and research.
The role is available to graduates who are “keen to use their existing language skills and for those interested in learning a new language.”
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You can find more information about the role, and stick an application in here.
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Haven’t found a role suitable for you?
GCHQ is offering Mancunians the chance to register interest for a variety of roles that will become available in our region over the upcoming months, with the organisation’s website stating that “it doesn’t matter where you are in your career, as long as you’re interested in learning or have experience of working in a more technical role.”
We employ people with a variety of experience, skills and qualifications in a wide range of roles, from project management and finance to HR and procurement.
The roles that GCHQ will be hiring for in upcoming months are:
Infrastructure Engineer
Network Engineer
Information Assurance
Software Developer and Engineers
You can keep your eye out and register your interest via the GCHQ website here.
Featured Image – GCHQ
UK News
Greater Manchester stadiums included in the bid to host the Women’s World Cup confirmed
Danny Jones
The locations for the official UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been revealed, along with the Greater Manchester football stadiums chosen for the honour.
Not exactly a ground-breaking spoiler, but the FA did make a somewhat curious choice when they shared the news.
In case you hadn’t heard the news earlier this year, our nation has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2035, with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all set to offer up their arenas as part of the record-breaking proposal.
Naturally, a region as footy-obsessed as ours and with two of the biggest stadiums in the country was always going to be included, but as mentioned, there was a particular detail that lots of people quickly noticed following the announcement.
Yes, in a slightly bizarre but ultimately innocuous turn of events, Etihad Stadium – home of Manchester City FC – has been selected, as was the world-famous ‘Theatre of Dreams‘, the only difference being that it was listed separately from the city itself.
Instead, Man United’s iconic home turf, Old Trafford, has been listed as just that: in Trafford, specifically, as opposed to simply being listed in the same section as its sky blue counterpart.
Now, while it’s true that all 10 boroughs have their own identity, culture (not to mention some subscribing to still being part of Lancashire or even Cheshire), it did strike us and others as a bit odd to put that rather iconic and equally historic venue down as almost separate from the city.
Many would argue that one of the things Manchester is best known for around the globe is the team of Red Devils that play at that ground.
Naturally, ‘Cityzens‘ have had their fair share of fun with the post and, conversely, there’s been plenty of retorts regarding ‘supporters from Stockport’, as you would expect…
Nevertheless, we’re just glad to see the Etihad and Old Trafford continuing to cater to some of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar.
Some have actually argued that the region should have been given opportunities to host more stadiums and/or games as part of the market pitch, as the likes of both Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic’s stadiums were floated as viable or even better alternatives, capacity-wise.
Either way, with the 22 venues that have been selected for the UK’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup and us Brits currently unopposed in the race to secure the tournament, the FA are going all-in for the 48-team competition, which would be “the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.”
You can read more down below.
Our shared ambition: to host the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK, and the first FIFA World Cup in this country since 1966.#AllTogetherpic.twitter.com/y6GOPEPDdG
Wolf Alice at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
London-formed rock band Wolf Alice are now on the road for their UK tour, and they’re visiting AO Arena in Manchester to put a ‘Smile’ on our faces.
We’re trying our best to be ‘Formidable Cool’, but when Wolf Alice come to town, we think everyone is allowed to lose it a little bit.
Known for bangers like ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’, ‘Silk’ and ‘Lipstick On The Glass’, just to name a few, this band have built a cult following thanks to their always-impressive discography.
15 years since forming and just over 10 years since their debut album My Love Is Cool hit airwaves, with their lead singles ‘Fluffy’ and ‘Bros’, just three months later, they’ve been on a roll since. Now, Wolf Alice are playing their biggest Manc gigs to date at none other than our iconic 21,000-seater venue, AO Arena.
Gig guide | Wolf Alice at AO Arena Manchester
Wolf Alice’s upcoming gig is taking place at AO Arena in Manchester on Friday 28 November / Credit: Press Shots (via Supplied)
Wolf Alice UK tour dates
Fri 28 November – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Sat 29 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 1 December – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
Tue 2 December – London, UK – The O2
Wed 3 December – London, UK – The O2
Fri 5 December – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Sun 7 December – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Mon 8 December – Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena
Wolf Alice tickets for AO Arena gig
This band might be bigger than any ‘Giant Peach’ you could possibly think, but you might just be able to get your hand on a ticket or two for the last Wolf Alice gig in Manchester on their final night this Friday, 28 November.
Stop ‘Leaning Against the Wall’ and get onto your favourite ticket site as there are still a handful of tickets for Wolf Alice’s upcoming Manchester show available right HERE.
What are the stage times for Wolf Alice in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can get home in time for some ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ before the early hours.
There’s not one but two incredible acts set to support Wolf Alice, and it’s none other than former-FRIGS lead singer, Bria Salmena, as well as American rock trio, Sunflower Bean.
Doors for this event are opening from 6pm, and Wolf Alice are expected to take the stage from around 7:30pm onwards before combining into a supergroup in time for closing time.
Thank u Europe and thank u @Florence_Road Touring in Europe is magic. We don’t take it for granted, so grateful for you all turning up. 🥹 Lots of love xxx
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
The Manc -
30th June 2021 
