Job Description
Arabic Language Specialist
Location: Cheltenham or Central London (with potential for short term travel or roles overseas)
Working pattern: Full time, Part time and compressed hours are feasible. Remote and homeworking not available in London. Limited opportunities for homeworking at Cheltenham, but mainly office based.
Salary: Cheltenham: £32,092 (rising to £35,092 after successfully completing a 6-month probationary period), London: £39,951
MI6 and GCHQ are part of the UK’s Intelligence Services. We work together to protect Britain’s people, interests and businesses from threats including cyber-attacks, espionage, terrorism, and organised crime. As an Arabic Language Specialist, you’ll deliver impact at the heart of national security – within a supportive, inclusive environment that allows everyone to thrive.
Whether you’re based at MI6 or GCHQ, you’ll bring your linguistic expertise to real operations. You’ll carry out translations, produce reports, and support our operational teams with mission-critical requirements.
At MI6, you’ll be integral to operational and delivery cycles. As an expert in applied language use (with knowledge of Arabic to at least C1 level), you’ll translate a range of materials, carry out research and deliver clear, accurate intelligence to operational teams. Working as part of a community of linguists, you’ll manage your own workload as you combine translation with operational tasks such as casework, training, or operational planning and management. So, you’ll enjoy working with others and be comfortable sharing your findings with colleagues at all levels.
At GCHQ, you’ll be responsible for vital language work on high priority missions. Working with our analysts, you’ll deliver against requirements as you provide fast-paced, detailed language outputs. You could be meeting with internal and external customers, carrying out analysis, or collaborating with senior linguists – you’ll add value to our operations with your expertise and broad understanding of the Arabic-speaking region. That means you’ll need a high level of Arabic knowledge, either to C1 or degree level, or be a heritage or native speaker.
In return, you’ll receive a competitive salary and great benefits, as well as plenty of dedicated support to help you build a rewarding career at the heart of national security. From an assigned buddy and comprehensive training, through to opportunities to gain professional qualifications, you’ll continuously develop your skills in our strong learning culture. Depending on the role, some overseas travel may be required; we’ll make every effort to ensure personal circumstances are taken into consideration when this happens.
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.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent
Salary: £39,951.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company pension
- Employee mentoring programme
- Flexitime
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Flexitime
- Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Maidstone, Kent: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Work Location: In person
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