First Line IT Support

Job content

At GCHQ, we unlock the complex world of data and communications to keep the UK and its citizens safe, both in the real world and online. Working closely with our British Intelligence partners in MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from threats including serious organised crime, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. A role in GCHQ means you’ll have varied and fascinating work in a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.y

The Role

As part of GCHQ’s first line IT support, you’ll work in teams providing a critical service to the organisation. Our IT Service Desk is different to others – whilst still focussed on getting colleagues up-and-running when their IT has gone wrong, we’re unique in offering the opportunity to support a wide range of tools and applications that just don’t exist anywhere else. We’re on a journey to move away from traditional telephone-based support, so you’re just as likely to be helping our people through a range a digital services, or face-to-face.

Outside of the Service Desk are a wealth of other equally critical teams which support our people in their day-to-day work, which we are also recruiting for. These include teams which manage their IT accounts and accesses; purchase and manage software licensing; enable us to speak to our partners around the world; support the suite of services people can request in our ticketing system; and look for opportunities to automate our work to make us more efficient. Specifically in London, there are opportunities to support cryptography, keeping track of our hardware assets and enabling the transfer of media between our systems.

When it comes to flexible working we consider all options, including part-time (3+ days), compressed hours, and working from either of the locations above. Some roles may support hybrid working (minimum of four days in the office) but others will require you to be office-based.

About You

You will have a minimum of 2 GCSEs at Grade 4 / A-C / O Level Pass equivalent or above in Maths and English Language. In order to support others, you will be a competent user of IT but you don’t need to be an expert - you’re likely to be the person that friends and family call to fix their computer or set up their new phone, and you’ll be confident using common applications such as Microsoft Word and Outlook. As this will be your first step in a career with us, we want you to be interested to learn more about technology, too.

It’s important that you can communicate with others well and have a strong customer-focussed mindset. Customer service skills from any previous role are desirable, but not essential – as long as you can demonstrate the desire to learn and develop.

Training and Development

We’ll provide comprehensive training on a variety of IT applications and administration tools relevant to your role. That might be our main ticketing system, our own in-house software, or tools created by our teams to track and manage the service they provide. You’ll find that we’re different to other organisations, in that so much of our technology is unique and bespoke to us.

We offer a unique opportunity to learn more about the work of the intelligence services and our technology, as well as develop the wider skills and competencies that you’ll need to further your career within GCHQ. Your next career step could be to specialise in a particular part of IT Service Management, seek promotion and start your leadership journey, or perhaps explore the opportunities across wider GCHQ.

An organisation induction will be provided to new entrants to welcome them to GCHQ and support some of the unique elements of working for an intelligence agency.

Following this, a more specific induction to working for the IT section of GCHQ to help new entrants understand more closely how their work is vital to supporting the wider mission. And, upon arriving with their team, new entrants can expect to be supported in becoming familiar with the building they are working in and their day-to-day role.

New entrants can expect to have an individual in their team training and supporting them. Formal buddy and mentor programmes exist, too. Peer support is provided for all new entrants across GCHQ.

There will be opportunities to gain formal qualifications such as from the Service Desk Institute and the IT Information Library.

Eligibility Criteria

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 (for more infomation, please click here).

If successful, you will not normally be required to give up your non-British citizenship but, as a condition of your employment or secondment, MI5, SIS and GCHQ may impose restrictions on your postings, work travel and/or general use of that nationality. 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. Each case will be carefully considered on its own facts. You can apply at the age of 17 years and 6 months, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday. Discretion is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member. Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside of the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. Further information on our eligibility criteria can be found on the Applying section.