To join us, you must:
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Be qualified to practise as a solicitor or barrister/advocate in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
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Have experience of contracts work, along with commercial knowledge, sound legal judgement and an appreciation of how to assess and convey legal risk.
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Have expertise in at least one of the following areas: procurement law including on major programmes; commercial and contract law; data protection law; commercial litigation, arbitration and ADR; intellectual property law.
Whatever your background, you’ll have the ability to pick up new areas of law quickly, drawing on your powers of analysis and excellent legal professional skills.
We’re also looking for the ability to explain legal points clearly and give practical, risk-based advice. With strong communication skills, you’ll be a great team player who can build solid relationships, especially with clients.
Able to prioritise your workload, you’ll work well under pressure. If you can also think creatively about legal problems, we’d like to hear from you.
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.
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