About the job

Job summary

Devonport Naval Base is the largest Naval Base in Europe. It is a 650 acre site with 15,000 acres of water space, employing 12,000 people. The Base is focused on delivering timely deep maintenance to the UK’s submarine fleet. It is the operating port for many frigates, amphibious Ships, Royal Marines, and International Warships. It employs more than 10% of Plymouth’s workforce, and contributes to 14% of Plymouth’s economy. 

The site consists of a MoD owned and operated Naval Base (Devonport) and the Devonport Royal Dockyard Limited site, owned and operated for defence by Babcock. It is a busy mix of activity within a highly complex environment where a myriad of output demands, commercial and financial arrangements combine in the delivery of Defence outputs. The main thrust of all this activity is to deliver operationally ready ships, submarines and Royal Marines to enable the MoD intent. Central to that is that all these military activities are appropriately equipped and enabled with the correct levels of defensive and offensive systems. In broad terms all of the explosive loading, unloading and movement activities require to be compliant, regulated and assured and delivered in a flexible way to meet the operational demand.

The Devonport Explosives Safety & Advisory Group (DESAG) is responsible to NBC(D) for the management of risk associated with Explosives in all areas covered by the Site Safety Case (Warships In Harbour) and Explosives Licences by the development, implementation, assurance, advice, auditing and maintenance of appropriate Safety Management Arrangements and System. DESAG also monitors the explosives / nuclear interface and provides berthing advice and explosives quantity berthing limit information to the Nuclear Safety Co-ordinating Committee. 

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Devonport Explosives Risk Officer (Nuclear) (DERO(N) supports the Devonport Explosives Risk Advisor (Nuclear) (DERA(N) in the provision of assurance relating to nuclear implicated conventional weapon blast issues and berthing arrangements within HMNB Devonport and maintaining the Devonport’s Warship in Harbour (WIH) Safety Certification. DERO(N) is authorised to take such action as is necessary to execute their responsibilities and carry out defined tasks within specified areas and financial constraints and strictly i.a.w. DESAG procedures and professional policies and practices.

Conduct audits and inspections in accordance with Audit, Inspections and Assessments Plan. Maintains the Naval Base Building Register (Review and update periodically). Attends weekly Movements Meeting – monitor weekly vessel movements and foreign vessel berthing. Maintains foreign vessel database (update data, and state board etc) ensuring compliance with WIH and NB limits. Attend Nuclear Safety Coordinating Committee (NSCC) when the Devonport Explosives Safety Manager (DESM) and DERA(N) are not available. Maintains DESAG Risk Assessments (RA), monitor and review to ensure compliance with JSP375. Undertake RAs to cover group activities as directed.

Monitor and approve all risk assessments and advise where necessary. Assess foreign warships, internet sources and service experience to calculate Net Explosives Quantity (NEQ), Effective Net Explosives Quantity (ENEQ) values and update database. Manage a system of Non-Conformances in accordance with Desk Instruction. Conduct regular rounds of the wharves and jetties compiling information for the timely and accurate Harbour Environment Assessment Statement (HEAS).

To assist DERA(N) in the delivery of the WIH Berthing Matrix and all associated functions. Assist in conducting new developments and population moves (Scrutiny of Planning Applications for WIH purposes). To assist in maintaining the WIH Datum Organization.

To review the Berthing Matrix periodically. To assist in conducting assessments of new berths. To assist in providing support to KHM in order to ensure compliance with WIH berthing requirements and ensuring long term explosives safety certification. Assist in the submission for the renewal of Devonport`s Certificate of Safety Explosives Naval Bases (CSENB (WIH)). Deputise for DERA(N) when required. Conduct accurate and timely investigations relating to OME within the Naval Base.

Person specification

The role requires commitment, flexibility, an assured approach and a sense of responsibility. The post holder primarily works from site and flexible working arrangements are available. 

The successful candidate will need to be comfortable within a risk based environment, effective decision making, thirst for continuous improvement and effectively implemented change would be advantageous. You will have the option of being a member of the Explosive Safety team's on-call system, once suitably qualified and experienced. The applicant will need to evidence their, Working Together, Changing and Improving and Making Effective Decisions and Delivering at Pace behavioural credentials, this can come from any work based or personal experience.

Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) is essential. Experience of Health and Safety or auditing would be advantageous. An understanding of DSA OME Regulation, Warships In Harbour and JSP 375 will be essential post joining.

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.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours:

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

At interview, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours:

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

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

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.