Thompson joined the Civil Service in 2004, as OFSTED’s first finance director. He moved to Department for Education and Skills as their Director-General for Corporate Services in 2006, leaving the then Department for Children, Schools and Families to join the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as Director General of Finance in 2009. Thompson became Permanent Secretary of the MOD in 2012 succeeding Ursula Brennan who moved to the Ministry of Justice. In 2015, he was paid a salary of between £165,000 and £169,999 by the MOD, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time. He then became Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary of HM Revenue and Customs. Thompson is currently the Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council. Thompson is also a non-executive director on the board of HS2 Ltd.
