About the job

Job summary

Do you have an interest in Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) and Helicopters? Are you an airworthiness or air-safety professional who can confidently liaise with all stakeholders, both Defence and Industry, to assure the safety of aircraft? Are you a problem solver with strong communication skills who is keen to effect change? Aviation technology, especially UAS, is developing apace and is at the forefront of Defence plans for the future. How to deliver this exciting new capability safely yet quickly is one of the key challenges for the Release to Service Authority (RTSA) over the next 5 years. Military Aviation Authority (MAA) regulations require that the RTSA shall authorise, issue, and maintain the integrity through-life of the Release to Service (RTS) in order to provide the Aviation Duty Holder chain with independent Air Safety assurance of the Air Systems for which CGS is responsible. On behalf of CGS, the RTSA assures an Air System’s RTS Recommendations, ensuring that all Risks to Life have been identified and brought to the attention of the Operating Duty Holder (ODH), before issuing the RTS. You will be responsible for providing the detail for ensuring this process is successful.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Working in a mixed military and civilian team of 7 people, this role supports regulation and delivers assurance through the following areas of responsibility:

• Provide independent airworthiness assurance to Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS).
• Manage the introduction of new RTS Recommendations.
• Maintain the integrity of the RTS for all Army Air Systems.
• Provide technical airworthiness and critical safety advice to the chain of command in support of the DCGS in their role as the RTSA.
• Provide advice to stakeholders with reference to the RTS.

The role will suit a candidate with initiative, one with an eye for detail who can work independently under the umbrella of a small team, and who is comfortable making decisions using their knowledge and experience of airworthiness and the air-safety environment.

This is an exciting opportunity, allowing applicants to draw on many soft skills and experience to satisfy the requirements of the role.

Personal development opportunities and role specific training will also be available for the right candidate.

Person specification

The key responsibilities for this role are:

• Preparation, attendance and contribution of vital technical input at stakeholder meetings, and provision of back briefs to the team.
• Provision of technical RTS advice to stakeholders.
• Review of RTSR evidence and liaison with stakeholders to correct any omissions and obtain stakeholder endorsements.
• Compilation of evidence pack and generation of draft RTS document.
• Generation of DRTSA brief and coordination of evidence through the Branch signatory loop.
• Publication of RTS and notification to stakeholders.

Essential Skills and experience:

• • Experience working within an airworthiness/air-safety environment – this could be as an experienced aircraft engineer, a MOD Civil Servant from DE&S, or a background in military airworthiness, or suitable equivalent.
  • Experience working with MS Office products.
  • Experience reviewing detailed technical documents and identifying potential Risks to Life (RtL).
  • Experience producing clear and compelling technical briefing packs.
  • Experience working with stakeholders and other Subject Matter Experts (SME).
  • Able to demonstrate competence/qualification to Engineering Technician level.
  • Experience and awareness of Human Factors in the airworthiness environment. This is an understanding of human abilities, limitations, behaviours, and processes that pertain to the maintenance and operation of aircraft.

Desirable:

• MAA03 Airworthiness of Military Aircraft Course (AMAC) Practitioner
• Awareness of the Release to Service (RTS) process
• Awareness of Military Aviation Authority Regulatory Articles (MAA RAs)
• Safety Assessment of Aircraft Systems
• Safety Management Systems in Aviation
• CAA Mini Airworthiness Course
• Platform Managers’ Course (where available)
• Hazard Identification and Risk
• Military Aerospace and Airworthiness (MSc/PgDip/PgCert)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,290, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,528 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Applications will be sifted on CV and aviation / air-safety experience.

Please note that it is essential that your personal statement is aligned to provide evidence that you have the knowledge and recent practical experience for each of the following elements of the Airworthiness Competence Set to Practitioner level and above:

ACS 001/01 – Promote Safety Awareness

ACS 001/03 – Knowledge of Airworthiness

ACS 001/05 – Regulatory and Legal Requirements

ACS 001/06 – Feedback of Airworthiness Concerns

ACS 101/01 – Develop Safety Management Strategy

ACS 201/01 – Establish Project Safety Management Strategy

ACS 201/11 – Address Safety Releases

ACS 301/01 – MAR/RTS Review

ACS 301/02 – Prepare Review and Evaluate RTS

ACS 301/03 – RTS Acceptance

ACS 301/04 – RTS Document Management

ACS 301/05 – Provision of Advice

At interview you will be assessed against the above along with the following:

Behaviours:

• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership

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 into 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.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and 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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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.