About the job

Job summary

Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?

Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence? 

Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement. 
 
•    Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.

•    Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability. 

DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society. 

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working.

Phase 1 of the DBS Workplace Programme (WPP) is now complete, and all Northwest based in-scope posts have now relocated to Tomlinson House (Norcross). WPP phase 2, which will result in all posts based in Tomlinson House (Norcross) relocating to a new Government Hub at Talbot Gateway in Blackpool, is scheduled to take place in 2026. 

For all current DBS employees who relocated, from either Liverpool or Cheadle Hulme, agreed terms of transfer will remain extant as long as individuals continue to work in Tomlinson House (Norcross). For any new individuals applying for DBS posts in the Northwest, relocation and/or paid transfer costs will NOT apply – the only exception will be successful individuals who are currently identified as surplus (i.e., those in the Redeployment pool). To note, any DBS staff member, who has relocated to Tomlinson House (Norcross), who is successful in a subsequent DBS job application will be expected to comply with the in-office requirements of their new post – this will be a minimum of 60% in-office attendance, or, if required, 100% office attendance.   

DBS continues to support flexible working; however, 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 employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity. Please note that some DBS posts require 100% in-office working. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another MOD workplace, 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). DBS cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements. 

Come and join the DBS community today!

Job description

The post holder will lead in the running of all Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) requirements at the Defence Business Services (DBS) Abbey Wood North (ABW(N)) site.

The post requires excellent stakeholder management and communication skills to ensure positive HS&EP culture is maintained across the Estate and provide assurance of objectives to the Head of Establishment (HoE)

Key Responsibilities:

• Produce and issue the HoE’s HS&EP Policy and Site Safety Health Environmental Management System (SHEMS) to managers, staff, occupiers and other interested parties.

• Produce & issue the Site HS&EP Action Plan including objectives and agreed targets • Produce Site HS&EP performance reports and statistics as required, against set targets and objectives.

• Liaise with the Site ‘4Cs’ Duty Holder acting as the HoE’s Site HS&EP Representative, in maintaining and operating the site HS&EP ‘4Cs’ (Cooperation, Coordination, Control, & Communication) system in accordance with MOD JSP 375;

• Creation, negotiation and implementation of site Lodger HS&EP Agreements on behalf of the HoE and acting as conduit between the two parties to monitor and facilitate HS&EP arrangements on site;

• Production of the Annual Site HS&EP Report for HoE and following its approval, submission of the report to the DBS SA, for incorporation into the DBS Annual HS&EP Report;

• Log, investigate and monitor all reported Accidents, Incidents & Near Misses on site, raising any applicable Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) Reports as appropriate to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE);

• Secretarial duties to site HS&EP Committee chaired by HoE: Raise and issue Committee TORs, Minutes, and briefing packs, arrange meetings and progress actions;

• Attend DBS HS&EP management boards providing a conduit for communication between site, DBS SA and other high level posts managing and distributing actions as required;

• Promote HS&EP culture, training and awareness to all DBS managers and staff on site including DBS Health and Safety Days and the conception and implementation of other HS&EP awareness campaigns;

• Deliver Site HS&EP Induction and fire evacuation briefings to new and returning staff, visitors, and contractors (where not inducted by the site ‘MOD 4Cs System’ Duty Holder);

• Provide support in providing Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)-compliant facilities and arrangements, including for ‘Access to Work’ and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs);

• Undertake site wide hazard surveys and resulting risk assessments ensuring requisite mitigating practices and actions are implemented. Conducting formal timely reviews of all Risk Assessments with DBS OPS-Estates ABW(N) Mgr;

• Maintain Safe Systems of Work (SSOW) and Safety Management Plans

• Maintain site first aid facilities, equipment and manage first aider cover to the site Risk Profile and in accordance with statutory requirements and MOD procedures; • Maintain, exercise and issue site Fire, Bomb and Building Emergency Procedures’ and provide input to the site Business Continuity/Recovery Plan in liaison with the Incident Response Team;

• Organise and conduct site workplace inspections in accordance with MOD JSP 375 ensuring appropriate follow up action plans are produced implemented and monitored;

• Providing cover to the ABW(N) Estates team for periods of leave or unavailability (approx 10%).

Person specification

The post holder will lead in the running of all Health, Safety and Environmental (HS&EP) requirements at the Defence Business Services (DBS) Abbey Wood North (ABW(N)) site. The post requires excellent stakeholder management and communication skills to ensure positive HS&EP culture is maintained across the Estate and provide assurance of objectives to the Head of Establishment (HoE).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £28,300, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,641 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.

Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.

Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on the following success profile elements:

Primary: Experience - Personal statement

In this instance the remaining elements will be tested at interview.

At the application stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Experience - CV
• Experience - Personal statement - A 500 word (max) personal statement detailing your knowledge & experience of the following: Health & Safety Ability & Aptitude
• Behaviour - Leadership
• Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
• Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
• Behaviour - Working Together

At the interview stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Behaviour - Leadership
• Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
• Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
• Behaviour - Working Together

In the rare case where individuals have exact matching scores, the order of merit will be determined based on the behaviour scores at interview in the following order:

• 1 - Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
• 2 - Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
• 3 - Behaviour - Working Together
• 4 - Behaviour - Leadership

If candidate scores are still exact, the merit order will then be determined on the sift score in the below order or priority:

• 1 - Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
• 2 - Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
• 3 - Experience - Personal statement
• 4 - Behaviour - Working Together
• 5 - Behaviour - Leadership
• 6 - Experience - CV

We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn’t always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months. 

Application sifting to take place late January.

Interviews are currently taking place via the following method: Face to Face

Interviews will be conducted early February.

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

To assist with your application please find attached below: 

1.     DBS Candidate Information Guide - Working for Defence Business Services - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Disability Confident Scheme 

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: DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk  

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 Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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.