A listing for an applicant with prior experience of sniper rifles and suited to those "who like their martinis shaken and not stirred" has appeared on a government job site.

A call for candidates for the "Target Elimination Specialist" post, with a job reference code of 007, remained on the DirectGov website for at least an hour after Twitter users began to post links to it.

The job description had all the hallmarks of a James Bond-style position, requiring "particularly skilled professionals who are prepared to work on a non-attributable basis" to deal with "people whose continued existence poses a risk to the effective conduct of public order."

International travel to seek out the individuals who "need to be removed" was part of the package, and a candidate with few distinguishing features preferred to blend in with new identities where appropriate.

Other desirable attributes included jobseekers with prior military experience, "particularly in the use of sniper rifles," and a £50-60,000 salary would be complemented by free equipment including passports, special watches, jet packs, mini-submarines and guns.

If candidates were still hoping their dream job had finally arrived, the note that the role was "particularly appropriate for those who like their martinis shaken and not stirred" confirmed that MI6 are unlikely to have radically altered their recruitment process.

The Cabinet Office was contacted for comment this afternoon.