London (region)
Job Summary
Do you want to join Defence and play your part in supporting the leadership, development, engagement and attraction of our workforce so can Defence achieve its purpose? Do you enjoy working collaboratively across a range of portfolios and projects? Then this role may be for you!
We are seeking a highly organised, proactive and motivated individual to join the Leadership, Engagement, Attraction & Development (LEAD) team, within Civil Service HR. LEAD is a centre of excellence and we have collective priorities linked to the strategic objectives in Defence’s people strategy. We work together using agile project approaches to deliver them. This means this role profile is not exhaustive, and you will have the opportunity or may be asked to undertake other responsibilities, considering the changing needs of the organisation.
This role is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to the HR profession and start a career path to becoming an HR professional. In return for your commitment to providing high quality support and having a growth mindset, we offer a safe, supportive environment where we will help you develop and grow your career.
The post holder will support administration across LEAD’s leadership team (the Deputy Director and Heads of each pillar) to help make sure everything we do is well managed. We have just launched an exciting development scheme called Keystone for our middle senior leaders (Grade 6 and 7s) and have a range of events, cohorts and project activities to deliver, so this project will take some focus from the role. However, it will be a varied role, providing exposure to a range of HR expert service activities. It will likely include tasks like helping organise management meetings, keeping track of management actions, booking in talent and development scheme participant events, participant sign-up for ad-hoc talks and ensuring invoices are paid.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
The more detailed responsibilities include:
- Providing day to day support to the Deputy Director in managing LEAD and stakeholders, such as by working with a range of stakeholders to find a suitable time for meetings and workshops.
- Supporting, facilitating and coordinating the delivery of broader LEAD projects (such as Keystone), getting involved in delivery of events and programmes. This will include management of administrative processes and logistical activity associated with delivery e.g. booking venues, managing suppliers and support execution of events.
- Keeping project tracking tools up to date and provide updates where necessary.
- Liaising with stakeholders across Defence, government, external suppliers, responding to enquiries and identifying the right colleagues able to provide information.
- Providing office management services which includes room bookings, visitor management (booking and escorting), reprographics and logistics requests.
- Providing secretariat duties required for the Deputy Director and Heads of teams for a range of stakeholder meetings.
- Supporting on finance, commercial and contracting process, tracking data, arrange meetings, follow up on actions to ensure compliance to Defence processes and policies in a timely way.
- Contributing to making the HR Directorate a great place to work and support the wider team to achieve success against our Defence people objectives.
The More Detailed Responsibilities Include
- Providing day to day support to the Deputy Director in managing LEAD and stakeholders, such as by working with a range of stakeholders to find a suitable time for meetings and workshops.
- Supporting, facilitating and coordinating the delivery of broader LEAD projects (such as Keystone), getting involved in delivery of events and programmes. This will include management of administrative processes and logistical activity associated with delivery e.g. booking venues, managing suppliers and support execution of events.
- Keeping project tracking tools up to date and provide updates where necessary.
- Liaising with stakeholders across Defence, government, external suppliers, responding to enquiries and identifying the right colleagues able to provide information.
- Providing office management services which includes room bookings, visitor management (booking and escorting), reprographics and logistics requests.
- Providing secretariat duties required for the Deputy Director and Heads of teams for a range of stakeholder meetings.
- Supporting on finance, commercial and contracting process, tracking data, arrange meetings, follow up on actions to ensure compliance to Defence processes and policies in a timely way.
- Contributing to making the HR Directorate a great place to work and support the wider team to achieve success against our Defence people objectives.
Person specification
It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:
Essential Criteria
- Kind and courteous professional manner, with the ability to work autonomously without the need for supervisory support and able to manage setbacks.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a varied portfolio, using judgment and initiative to effectively prioritise to meet tight deadlines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, being responsive, helpful and clear in all correspondence, and able to adapt when needed.
- Proactive and flexible approach to administer and support delivery of projects with the willingness to learn new tools such as project management methods and digital tools (like co-pilot and Microsoft project).
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
Alongside your salary of £29,580, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,569 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
You Will Need To First Complete One Online Test On Verbal Reasoning. Should You Pass, Then You May Continue With The Application
Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.
Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability in no more than 750 words explaining your motivation for applying and how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role.
At sift, you will be assessed against your Experience and it is essential that through the CV and statement of suitability, you evidence how you meet each essential criteria.
Applications will be sifted on all essential criteria, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on your CV. If you meet the required benchmark for the initial sift you will be subject to a full sift assessing CV and statement of suitability.
At interview, you will be assessed against your Experience and the following Behaviours:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
The interview will also further explore your experience and ability to meet the essential criteria of the role. Contact details for any queries will be on the Civil Service Jobs Portal.
If your application is successful in the sift stage, you will be invited to the second stage and to select an interview slot. Interviews will be held on Microsoft Teams (virtually). Full details will be provided to those who are invited to select an interview slot.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.
The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.
Candidates will be required to complete an Verbal test.
The Civil Service Judgement Test is not bankable and therefore must be taken on every vacancy where it is applied.
Should you be invited to complete the online tests, please allow sufficient time to complete the tests and the remainder of the full application form; only candidates who are successful at the test stage will be invited to complete the remainder of the application by clicking ‘Submit Application’. Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted. The tests are not timed, as they work by giving you harder questions if you answer the previous question correctly, and easier if you get it wrong. You should allow up to an hour for each test, and each test must be completed before you will be invited to complete the second part of your application. Internet access will be required for the duration of the test. Please refer to the attached Candidate Guidance for further information.
Required
Candidates that reach the minimum required pass mark will have their results saved as a banked score against the following tests:
- New Civil Service Verbal Test
- New Civil Service Numerical Test
When a candidate has a banked score they’re not asked to re-take the same test providing it is set at the same level. Scores will be banked for a 6 month period from the date of test completion. If a candidate is invited to take the same test against multiple vacancies, the banked score will be recognised against all vacancies and all active applications will progress.
CSJT scores cannot be banked as each test is generated from the behaviours required for a specific role which will vary between recruitment campaigns.
If you require any particular arrangements (for example due to a disability or health problem) to be made in order for you to complete the online test you MUST contact the DBS Enquiry Centre on 0800 345 7772 BEFORE accessing the online test.
Opening times Mon -Friday 0800- 1600 hrs.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
- Name : Isabelle Young
- Email : Isabelle.Young113@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk
Online test instructions
Please be advised the online test in use is not timed.
Further information
Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.
