About the job

Job summary

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 27%, to help make work work for you.

Nationality, visas, and vetting: We’re unable to offer visa sponsorship.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you’ve been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.

Job description

Are you a seasoned Health & Safety Manager who thrives in high-risk environments? Are you seeking a challenging yet rewarding role that contributes to the UK’s Defence Industry?

If so, we have a fantastic opportunity here at DE&S for you to join our Defence Munition (DM) team.

As our Health & Safety Manager at DM Gosport you will be ensuring that the arrangements onsite serve to adequately protect people and the environment whilst meeting legislative and departmental requirements. You will continually develop and strengthen the site Safety & Environmental Management Systems and shall lead, motivate, and manage a team dedicated to these pursuits.

You will provide timely, professional, and effective safety advice and assurance on all site activities and initiatives, including explosives storage, processing, and movements.

Please note, this role involves travel to other locations across the UK and, occasionally, overseas.

Attendance is 100% site based with compressed working hours (Monday-Thursday - 8 hrs, Friday - 5 hrs and Flexible Working Hours).

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the Occupational Health Safety and Environment (OSHE) team, fostering a strong safety culture and continuous improvement.
• Provide safety assurance and advice to senior management, enabling Delegated Safety responsibilities to be upheld.
• Implement audits and assurance reviews, identifying key learning points and communicating outcomes to stakeholders.
• Oversee health, safety, environmental, radiation, fire, and dangerous goods management to ensure compliance with all regulatory standards.
• Manage explosive safety matters, including facility licensing and work safety approvals.
• Lead accident prevention, reporting, analysis, and investigation. Ensure implementation of lessons learned and best practices.
• Coordinate Major Accident Control Regulation (MACR), liaising with relevant authorities and emergency services. Note: MACR is the MOD equivalent of Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH),
• Foster collaboration with the Head of Establishment, business unit managers, trade union, staff representatives, and other key personnel. Collaborate with key personnel within your specialism within wider DM and DE&S.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Hold a relevant Safety Qualification (min Level 3) for the role and be willing to complete a Level 5/6 professional qualification in your first two years of employment.
• Relevant work experience across a similar role in a high hazard industry.
• Evidence of strong Leadership and communication skills as well as managing a team in a fast-paced working environment.
• Clear demonstrable experience in changing and improving processes.
• Evidence of effective decision making.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Conducting OHS Audit and Assurance Activities - (Practitioner)
• Conducting OHS Risk Assessments - (Practitioner)
• Communicating & Influencing - CSBC3
• Leadership - CSBC3

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,600, Ministry of Defence contributes £11,502 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

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift - We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift - Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills

Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.

1. Interview - If you're invited to interview, you'll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Offering at a lower level
If you’re not successful at interview, we may offer you a role at a lower level if this is a match for your skills and experience. If this applies to your application, you’ll be scored against criteria for the lower-level role and offers will be made in merit order. If you accept this position, you’ll be able to take advantage of opportunities to develop your career as part of our team.

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

Security

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.