Uptree

Placement details

Overview

Location: London (Please note that the location shown below is for illustrative purposes only. The location will be shared if you are successful in your application). 

Start Date: to be confirmed and subject to necessary security clearance 

Application Criteria: 

• You don’t need experience to apply, but you will have at least five GCSEs at grade 9–4 (A–C), including Maths and English Language (or equivalent).

• Applicants must be British Citizens or dual Nationals as long as one component is British. 

Key Skills: 

• Resilient problem-solver with innate curiosity
• Adaptability and ability to plan and prioritise your workload
• Strong communicatiion with people at all levels of the organisation, anticipating their needs and using your natural curiosity to look for efficiencies to help you, and your team, work better.
• Motivated
• Collaborative

Some BSOs come straight from full-time education, others might have extensive work experience, but all are attracted by the unique working environment. Whatever your background you will share MI6's values of Integrity, Courage, Respect and Creativity and our mission to have a positive impact on UK security. 

Application deadine: Friday 10 July 2026. Applications could close early depending on the number of applications received we advise applying as soon as possible!

How to apply: click 'Apply' at the top of this page! Make sure to select Uptree as your 'application source' when applying!

 

About the Business Support Officer role

This role is with the MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Their mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, they help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

As a Business Support Officer (BSO), your role will be administration-based:

• supporting the smooth running of your team to deliver their mission
• assisting a busy operational, technical or corporate team e.g, HR department
• working alongside senior staff and managing their diary
• you will be the go-to person within your team and your contribution will keep critical activity on track

You will start on a three-year development pathway and over the course of this time, you will be allocated to 2 placements in different teams as a BSO, benefiting from practical learning, within a supportive environment. 

On completing the pathway, you will have a variety of opportunities open to you. You may want to specialise in a corporate profession and gain industry-recognised qualifications, we are particularly interested in those who want to apply for roles in one of our many locations overseas (opportunities to work overseas after 3 years).

Salary: £36,377 

 

About the UK’s Intelligence Agencies

The UK Intelligence Agencies, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, work together to keep the country safe. Their highly trained staff use cutting edge techniques to uncover and stop plans to harm our people, buildings and computer systems, both in the UK and around the world.

Whilst all three Agencies have the same mission, each Agency has a different set of tools they can use and each one focuses on a slightly different area. MI5 stops threats from inside the UK, MI6 protects our people overseas and GCHQ looks after our Cyber security. It’s incredibly important work, although most people will never know what they do.

You can find out more about the UK's Intelligence Agencies by visiting their Company Profile page.

 

Next Steps

Click ‘Apply’ at the top of this page! Make sure to select Uptree as your 'application source' when applying!