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SalaryAbout us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity, and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks, and espionage. At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
Our technical teams are central to this mission. And now, with a number of technical roles available, you’ve got an opportunity to do work that’s at the heart of our operations. Whichever role you apply for, you’ll need to be a problem solver who thinks creatively. Someone who thrives when collaborating with a diverse supportive team. And is keen to learn and develop new skills.
Join us, and you’ll enjoy work you won’t find anywhere else, explore cutting-edge technologies and find solutions that will provide support essential to the success of our mission.
Available Roles
Our engineering requirements are wide-ranging and often unique. We’re looking for engineers with skillsets across a wide spectrum of areas including Multi-skilled Software Engineering, Cloud Engineering & Security, UX, Site Reliability Engineering, Front-End design, Agile, Solution Architecture, RF Software Engineering, Data Engineering, and Machine Learning Operations.
Software Engineers
Using various methods, languages and frameworks, you’ll collaborate with a variety of teams to deliver solutions to real-world problems. And day-to-day, you’ll work on large-scale projects, using various approaches such as pairing/mobbing, and individual programming, while ensuring best practice and using your experience to contribute to the engineering community. Please view the full job details here.
Senior Software Engineers
Using your experience with a range of software engineering methods, you’ll work with and often lead a team working to solve mission problems. Whether reviewing pull requests or defining review, branching and deployment strategies, you’ll assist key projects, and in doing so, influence the wider engineer community. Plus, you’ll have the autonomy to undertake your role, with the support from those around you. Please view the full job details here.
Lead Software Engineers
As well as leading an Agile team, you’ll help shape our ways of working. Your fluency in a range of software engineering methods, languages and frameworks will help you influence tech adoption and direction beyond just your local team. Working with technical and non-technical customers, you’ll contribute to large scale projects to deploy into different environments including on-prem and Cloud. Above all you’ll support your team to develop and further their potential. Please view the full job details here.
What you’ll get
With comprehensive training, you’ll get all the support you need to thrive at work. From bespoke internal courses and mentoring schemes to getting the chance to gain a professional qualification, you’ll be developing your own knowledge and skills, while adding value to the business. And in addition to a competitive salary, you’ll also have access to benefits including 25 days’ annual leave (rising to 30 after 5 years’ service), an excellent pension scheme, interest-free season ticket loan, and paid parental and adoption leave.
Ours is a welcoming, friendly and inclusive workplace where people support each other – and want to make a real difference. We have a range of growing affinity groups supporting gender equality, ethnicity, mental health, neurodiversity and disability, LGBTQ+, faith and no faith communities. We also have sports, activities and social groups to help you connect with people who share similar interests. You can find out more about our drive for diversity and inclusion here.
For further information on the roles (including salaries and locations), and for a full list of responsibilities, skills and experience required, please click on the hyperlinks to each individual job description.
When you are ready to make your application, use the ‘Apply’ button located at the bottom of each Job Description page.
Equal Opportunities
At GCHQ, 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: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodiverse conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity here.
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP's Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a person-to-person interview to any candidate who self identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role.
To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. You can apply at the age of 17 years, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday.
Right to Withdraw Statement:
Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
