About the job

Job summary

The Community Development Officer (CDO) is responsible to the Station Commander for the development of Community Support provision, services and facilities for the RAF Community (serving personnel, families, children and young people). As part of these duties, you will liaise with external agencies and organisations to engage support for and understanding of the needs of the Service Community.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. 

If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com 

Job description

• Provide advice and support to the Stn Management and Community Support Team (CST) on the development, management and quality monitoring of Community Support (CS) provision, services and facilities.
• Compile and maintain a Community Profile of the Stn and wider community of which the Stn is part.
• Conduct an initial Community Needs Assessment (CNA), produce a Community Support Action Plan (CSAP) including CS performance targets; update annually.
• Initiate, plan, develop and review Community projects and activities; engage with Stn groups, initiatives and clubs, encourage participation, motivate and support individuals and groups to address their own needs.
• Identify funding opportunities both internal and external in support of CS provision, services and facilities; advise Stn Management (Exec) and write applications to secure funding as appropriate.
• Engage with external agencies and organisations both statutory and voluntary; local authority government departments; heads of educational establishments; managers of local children and young people’s services; other community support agencies; and through consultation, liaison, monitoring of partnership agreements, maintenance of local networks and working relationships secure support to the RAF Community.
• Promote, develop, manage and support delivery of provision for children and young people aged 5-19 yrs as appropriate for the Stn and wider community.
• Monitor the accessibility, sufficiency, affordability and quality of childcare provision and services for children; childcare, local agency delivery, community led groups, initiatives and activities for children and parents.
• Promote, develop, manage and support delivery of CS services, initiatives, projects and activities in support of families of deployed personal.
• Provide leadership, guidance and advice to the Community Support Team; promote maintenance of effective, CS Team and individual CS specialist, delivery of the CSAP iaw with identified need in CNA.
• Participate and contribute to Stn Management, meetings and briefings as required; research, prepare and present CS reports as required.
• Line manage, develop and supervise CS staffs, both paid and unpaid;
  • Work with any specialist advisers to specific CS staff for which you are responsible.
  • Monitor the administration of DBS checks of paid and unpaid staff working with children and young people within Stn provision, services and projects.
  • Provide day-to-day support for the Airplay Station Youth Worker and Ben Play Worker and attend quarterly 3-way meetings with the Regional Co-ordinator.
  • Support access to and/or engage in the delivery of training for groups and individuals working with children and young people or community projects and not for profit groups.
• Establish and maintain the Station Children and Young People’s Board to ensure that all 0-19 yrs delivery on Station is compliant with safeguarding and best practice.
• Manage the coordination of groups operating in community support facilities.
• You are required to be on duty for 10 sessions per week (37hrs) of which no more than 8 per fortnight will be evenings or weekends, in accordance with the JNC T&C for Youth & Community work.
• Work in accordance with the appropriate MOD policies and procedures, RAF policies and the Civil Service code of conduct.
• Perform any other duties within the terms and conditions appropriate to the grade and role as agreed by the Line Manager and RCDA, or as directed by higher authority.
• Act as Safeguarding Advisor to the Station Commander and other Airbase/Airwing Execs, as required.

Person specification

• JNC qualified in youth and community work
• Motivated and able to work on their own initiative
• Accessible and approachable
• A visible leader with strong, clear and effective communication skills (verbal and written)
• Flexible and willing to apply their skills to a range of tasks across the team; utilising their previous experience to bring new ideas and approaches to the team
• Able to meet challenging deadlines and manage conflicting priorities concurrently
• A proactive member of the Community Support Team

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• 30 days paid annual leave rising (1 day annually) to 35 days after five years’ service
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Opportunity to join more than one of many MOD networks (Race, LGBT+, Gender, Disability and Faith & Belief)
• Access to Employee Wellbeing Services
• Special Paid Leave for community volunteering up to 6 days a year

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package.  

Pensions: Superannuation will be in accordance with the Teachers' Pension Scheme. 
 
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. 

Discover My Benefits 

Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD. 

https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/ 

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.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Candidates will be required to complete a Statement of Suitability.

Candidates will be asked to do a short presentation at the start of the interview.

Interviews for this vacancy will take place on a date and time to be confirmed at RAF Wittering. 

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

This vacancy will be assessed at HEO grade. 

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

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.