A day in the life of: internal audit at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ
It’s yours to audit.
At MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, we all have slightly different specialisms, but we all work towards the same goal. We keep the country safe. Together, we safeguard the UK against a range of threats - everything from terrorism and espionage, to cyber-attacks and organised crime.
The threats we face are constantly evolving, so we use lots of different techniques to gather intelligence and information. It’s always a careful balance of working within strict legal guidelines, while still being innovative and creative. It means we offer some incredibly varied, interesting and important careers.
As you’d expect, safety is always our top priority. To protect the country, we first need to protect our staff and our agencies. While most of what we do is completely safe, there’s always an element of risk. Especially when it comes to technology or roles that rely on gathering human intelligence. That’s why our Internal Audit and Consultancy team is so vital.
Within internal audit and consultancy there are varied roles that cater to all levels of experience and specialisms. Every role is about so much more than assessing financial controls. You’ll assess everything from covert surveillance and agent running, to emerging technologies and cyber threats. One week you might look at Agent Running Compliance, the other you might look at Digital Contagion risks.
But before you begin to analyse information, solve problems and focus on the riskiest parts of the business, you’ll get to know the different agencies. During your initial induction, you’ll find out what we do and how we do it. As part of reviews you might even shadow teams or spend time with real operatives on live projects. It’s important that we take the time to do this, as it’ll give you a great insight into the different areas and how they help us carry out our mission. Only then can you effectively assess them.
No matter the area of the business you’re working with, you won’t spend a huge amount of time at your desk. To do your job well, you’ll need to understand the bigger picture. So you’ll always be out and about meeting different colleagues. People will really appreciate you taking the time to talk to them face-to-face. Your work, opinion and advice will be valued across all three agencies. In fact, you’ll often be the first person invited to meetings as senior colleagues will genuinely be interested to hear what you’ve got to say.
We also believe that, to do your job well, you need a lot of autonomy and the freedom to manage your own workload and projects. This way, you can decide what you’re doing and when. And with the addition of ‘flexi-time’, you’ll quickly achieve a great work-life balance.
Even though you’ll manage your own work, you’ll still have a great team behind you. Everyone who works in Internal Audit and Consultancy asks each other for advice and trusts each other’s opinion. When things are challenging, we all pull together to help everyone out. There’s such a great team spirit, because we’re all motivated by protecting lives, and not money. Everyone’s dedicated to doing the best work we can and getting the best outcomes. That’s why we always follow up on our projects and see what impact we’ve had.
Learning is one of the biggest parts of our auditor roles. And it’s actually one of the biggest perks. Because some of what we do is unique, the training and development we offer is unlike anywhere else. To keep asking the right questions and challenge in the right places, we have to proactively keep up with advances and changes. So we’ll encourage you to develop yourself – whether that means working on your softer skills, working towards a professional qualification or taking the time to investigate new innovations. The learning never stops.
So, internal audit and consultancy at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ has a lot to offer – impactful work, huge scope and plenty of perks. We’re always looking for people with a range of skills and mindsets to join us. Whether you’ve got experience in a traditional area or an interest in tech, we’ll support you as you take on new challenges.
It’s time to develop your skills in a place that really values them. And protect the country.
To find out more about our audit roles, please visit our website.