MI6 and GCHQ are part of the UK’s Intelligence Services. We work together to safeguard Britain’s people, interests, and businesses from various threats at home, overseas and online. This includes cyber-attacks, espionage, terrorism, and organised crime. As a Russian Language Specialist, you’ll deliver impact right at the heart of national security – within a supportive, inclusive environment that allows you to thrive.
Whether you’re based at MI6 or GCHQ, your Russian language proficiency (at least C1 level) and in-depth understanding of Russian culture, ideology and politics will support real operations as you carry out translations, produce reports, and support our teams with mission-critical requirements.
At MI6, you’ll be part of a multi-disciplinary team, actively directing projects and driving forward investigations. It’s rewarding work, which draws on your judgement and people skills, as well as your linguistic and cultural know-how. With confidence in reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Russian, you’ll do everything from translation and interpretation to operational work that includes planning, casework, and training.
At GCHQ, you’ll combine your language and technical skills to piece together snippets of information, collected from a variety of digital communication sources. Working with a diverse team of experts, you’ll apply your analytical skills and understanding of communication technologies to build up the intelligence picture. Here, your language skills and cultural knowledge will help identify reportable intelligence and progress operations, as well as help shape government policy.
In return, you’ll receive a competitive salary and great benefits, as well as plenty of dedicated support to help you build a truly rewarding career. From an assigned buddy and comprehensive training to opportunities to gain professional qualifications, you’ll continuously develop your skills and undoubtedly gain from our strong emphasis on learning. Depending on the role, some overseas travel may be required; but we’ll make every effort to make sure personal circumstances are taken into consideration should this happen.
Ours is a friendly, open environment where we encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. As well as several social clubs and societies that help colleagues meet new people, we have a wide range of support networks promoting awareness of gender equality, LGBTQ+, Race, faith, neurodivergence, disability, and more – all to ensure you feel supported, valued, and included. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, in particular those from groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce, such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
To find out more and apply, visit our website.
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. Full eligibility details can be found on our website.
