About GCHQ

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is an intelligence and security organisation. A Civil Service department, we report to the Foreign Secretary and work closely with the UK’s other intelligence agencies (commonly known as MI5 and MI6). Our primary customers are the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and law enforcement authorities but we also serve a wide range of other Government departments.

GCHQ has two missions:

1. Signals Intelligence (Sigint): This work protects the vital interests of the nation: we provide information to support Government policy-making and operations in the fields of national security, military operations and law enforcement. The intelligence we provide is at the heart of the struggle against terrorism and also contributes to the prevention of serious crime.
   
2. Information Assurance (IA): helps protect the UK Government’s communication and information systems from hackers, interference and disruption. CESG, the IA arm of the business is the UK’s National Technical Authority for Information Assurance. It provides our customers with technical advice and guidance on good practice in keeping communications networks and information secure.

GCHQ is a forward-looking organisation employing staff with a diverse range of specialist skills who operate at the cutting edge of their professions. We work hard to create and encourage an environment of continuous learning, improvement and career opportunity. GCHQ offers family-friendly flexible working arrangements that are good for our business, popular with staff and help encourage a good work-life balance.

Locations: we have two headquarters sites in Cheltenham and two much smaller sites in Cornwall and North Yorkshire. Many of the Cheltenham based staff work at the award-winning building at Benhall – known locally as ‘the Doughnut’.