About Us
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.
The Role
We are looking for a senior lawyer to join our Operations Team, part of GCHQ's wider Legal Directorate. The Directorate also includes the International team, the Commercial, Regulatory, and Intellectual Property team and the NCSC Legal team, and is currently split roughly 50/50 between London and Cheltenham.
GCHQ operational lawyers advise on many of the highest profile and most sensitive matters across the organisation. The work can be fast-paced and is often at the cutting edge of developments in law and technology.
The Operational Team leads on intelligence gathering, data, artificial intelligence, compliance and litigation. These issues involve multiple areas of law including investigatory powers, human rights, data, criminal, civil and public law. The team is made up of lawyers, some of whom focus predominantly on litigation, as well as several non-legal colleagues who help GCHQ to meet its litigation-related disclosure obligations. Although some lawyers in the team advise on employment law, you won’t need expertise in this field.
At this level, you will be one of the team’s senior lawyers, supporting colleagues in GCHQ intelligence, effects and mission directorates. You will deliver user-friendly, risk-based advice to guide current and future operations, leading on thematic areas within your portfolio of work.
It’s a role that calls for visibility, relationship building and close collaboration with partners across the UK Intelligence Community and the wider national security legal community. Together, you’ll support wider government foreign policy, security and operational objectives.
Whether you’re based in London, Cheltenham or Manchester, you will occasionally need to travel to other GCHQ sites to advise colleagues. Travel will be arranged in a way that accommodates business needs as well as your work/life balance. Overseas travel is likely to be rare.
About You
To join us, you must:
- Be qualified to practice as a solicitor or barrister/advocate in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
- Bring in-depth knowledge and experience in at least two of the following: investigatory powers law; data law; international law; human rights law; criminal law; public law.
Ideally, you’ll also have some knowledge of the UK’s national security framework and GCHQ's legal framework.
Whatever your specialisms, you’ll be used to taking the lead in your specialist areas.
We’re also looking for good organisation skills, a creative approach to solving legal problems and strong communication skills. It’s essential that you can explain legal points clearly, forge client relationships and give practical, risk-based advice.
Self-motivated, with excellent legal professional skills, you’ll be quick to pick up new areas of law and able to build connections with a wide range of people.
Training and Development
We offer access to learning and development that’s tailored to your role –formal and informal, internal and external. As part of the Government Legal Profession, we have access to a Legal Information Online Network that offers Government training packages and contacts, together with bespoke training from external legal firms. With the chance to apply for training and briefing opportunities throughout the Department (both GCHQ & NCSC), you’ll be free to learn and excel in our fast-paced world.
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £75,691 plus other benefits including:
- 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays.
- Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme.
- Interest-free season ticket loan.
- Excellent pension scheme.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations).
- Paid parental and adoption leave.
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 neurodivergent 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 on our website:
https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/life-at-gchq/diversity-inclusion.html
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. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
- You must be qualified to practice as a solicitor or barrister/advocate in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
- You’ll bring in-depth knowledge and experience in at least two of the following: investigatory powers law; data law; international law; human rights law; criminal law; public law. Ideally, you’ll also have some knowledge of the UK’s national security framework and GCHQ’s legal framework.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
- Application sift, including eligibility sift.
- Application sift on your motivation for the role and the organisation.
- Interview with presentation.
- If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before You Apply
To work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
The role is based in Cheltenham, London or Manchester, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.
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 the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to Withdraw Statement:
Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward 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.