Infrastructure Engineer

Closing Date - 23:00 on Wednesday 14th May 2025

£36,408, plus a recruitment bonus of £2,000, dependent on skills assessed during the interview. Additionally, there is an opportunity to obtain a skills bonus of £4,513, based on a skills review during your first year in the role.

Flexible Working: This role is primarily office-based, with most work undertaken in the office and some time outside. We offer flexible hours, including compressed and part-time shifts. While working from home isn't guaranteed, it may be possible occasionally, depending on needs. Once fully trained, you may also join an on-call rota.

About Us

GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber, and security agency dedicated to keeping the UK safe. We use advanced technology, ingenuity, and partnerships to identify, analyse, and disrupt threats. Working with MI5 and MI6, we protect against terrorism, cyber-attacks, and espionage. At GCHQ, you'll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive, inclusive environment emphasizing teamwork.

The Role

As an Infrastructure Engineer, you'll join a friendly, skilled team focused on creating solutions to optimise systems supporting our mission. You'll be assigned a specialism-either at recruitment or after an assessment-including:

• Tailored Acquisitions
• Web Technology SMEs

You'll influence and impact your projects, developing infrastructure solutions or innovative operational approaches, while honing your technical skills. Your responsibilities include troubleshooting infrastructure issues, supporting operational tasks, and engaging with a range of customers and analysts to develop customer-driven infrastructure.

About You

If you're passionate about IT and technology, thrive in vibrant environments, and love learning, this opportunity is for you! You only need a GCSE grade 4/C or equivalent Level 2 qualification in Maths. No other specific qualifications are required. Experience in STEM, working in small companies, or a passion for IT is beneficial. Enthusiastic, motivated, and eager to learn, you'll succeed in this role.

You are organized, adaptable, and capable of prioritizing tasks under pressure. You analyze problems and communicate solutions clearly. Regardless of your career stage, a passion for learning, collaboration, and innovation will help you thrive here.

Training and Development

New starters will be assigned a buddy and mentor. You'll undergo formal and on-the-job training, taking ownership of tasks early on. You'll rotate through three areas of our large team, spending six months in each, to gain comprehensive experience. After 18 months, you'll be placed in the team matching your skills. Note: this rotation program is specific to our Samlesbury location; Manchester has a tailored program.

Depending on your specialism, you can develop skills in:

• Technical risk management
• Operational security
• Domain services (Windows/Linux)
• Operating system administration and security
• Web technologies (Tor/VPNs/Proxies/CDNs/Cloud)
• Scripting languages (Python/PowerShell/Bash)
• Virtualisation (vSphere, Hyper-V)
• Networking (Cisco, Juniper, NSX)
• Automation tools (Terraform, Ansible, Docker)
• Monitoring and analysis (ELK, Splunk)
• Storage solutions (3PAR & Primera)

We support your growth through exposure, technology use, and applications for specialist skill payments. External training and funded qualifications are encouraged to enhance your knowledge.

Rewards and Benefits

You'll start on £36,408, with potential skills payments and benefits including:

• 25 days' annual leave, rising to 30 after 5 years, plus 10.5 days of public holidays
• Recognition through our performance scheme
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Excellent pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities like gym, restaurant, and coffee bars (at some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave

GCHQ values diversity and inclusion, reflecting society in our workforce. We encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including women, ethnic minorities, disabled, neurodivergent, and socio-economically disadvantaged individuals. We are a Disability Confident employer, offering fair interview opportunities for disabled applicants who meet the role's essential criteria.

Our recruitment process is merit-based and transparent:

• Application Sift: Review motivation, skills, and essential criteria.
• Interview: Includes a skills assessment, with potential skills payment.

Successful candidates receive a conditional offer. The process can take 6-9 months, including vetting. Continue current employment until final offer.

We have a strict drugs policy and require declaration of previous drug use. Prepare a separate email for application contacts, avoiding identifiable info, for security.

The role is based in Samlesbury or Manchester; applicants should live within commuting distance. No relocation costs are provided.

Please only apply from within the UK. Overseas applications should wait until visiting the UK. Discussing your application outside close contacts is discouraged.

Right to Withdraw: We may close the application early if enough applications are received. Submit early to avoid missing out.

Our technologists and engineers use advanced systems to support operations and respond to world events. If you're curious about tech, you'll fit in well.