About the job

Job summary

Do you want to work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and care for the Defence Estate? DIO enables Defence to live, work, train and deploy, all with sustainability in mind. From net carbon zero accommodations to runways for the F35 fighter jets; our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe!

About DIO

View our YouTube video to see more about our work

https://www.youtube.com/embed/I9tLu3UdiGY  How the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Supports Defence

This is a Fixed-term Appointment for 36 Months and the reason why it’s for a fixed period is because an apprenticeship role is not guaranteed a permanent role. This post will therefore begin from 01/04/2024 and end on 31/03/2027.

Therefore, you should be aware that when your Fixed-term Appointment at MOD comes to an end, you may (if you are an existing civil servant) become at Risk of Redundancy and be given Priority Mover Status, unless:  

• the contract end date is met and honoured, for external employees who are not existing civil servants.  
• an extension to your Fixed-term Appointment has been agreed.  
• a conversion of the Fixed-term Appointment to a permanent role has been agreed.  
• you return to your home department  
• you are successfully redeployed into a suitable alternative post.  
• you secure another Civil Service post through a recruitment process.  

Permanent Civil Servants joining the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on a Fixed-term Appointment: 

If you accept a Fixed-term Appointment with MOD, the preferred option is for you to transfer from your home department on a loan basis to ensure you can return to your home department at the end of the Fixed-term Appointment. Exceptionally, if a transfer on a loan basis cannot be agreed by your home department, you would transfer and become a permanent employee at MOD but on a Fixed-term basis. This will not affect your continuity of employment. If you face a redundancy situation at the end of the Fixed-term Appointment you will be treated as a permanent civil servant for redundancy and priority mover purposes only. You must have two years’ service to be eligible for redundancy benefits under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. 

Job description

Security Services Group (SSG) provides specialist security advice, compliance and assurance to areas of the public sector that require the highest levels of security protection. SSG is the Government’s expert provider specialising in design, installation and maintenance of both custom in-house security systems and highly accredited commercial products on the government estate. 

Working as part of a 230-person team, we provide full life support services to UK Defence and Government sites throughout the UK and overseas. 

The DIO Apprenticeship Academy offers a wide range of apprenticeships that combine practical work and training to gain valuable experience. SSG sits within the DIO, and through our apprenticeship you will gain professional knowledge, a recognised qualification and the wider skills required to upskill you and pave the way for your future career. 

Person specification

The role of SSG Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Apprentice is to build, develop and apply their knowledge of electronics and embedded software to design circuits or devices that provide a useful function, that are capable of being manufactured at a competitive cost, and that are reliable and safe in use. This involves enhancing your knowledge of electronics and electronic principles whilst gaining an in-depth understanding around SSG’s electronic security products.

Tasks include:    

• Software Development, i.e. Embedded C, Javascript and HTML
• Circuit schematic and PCB layout design.
• Technical writing.
• Agile project delivery.
• Building technical knowledge.
• Collaboration.

The work in the development team is hugely varied, and our project time scales range from a couple of weeks to a few years. You’ll be working across a variety of technology stacks, so we need adaptable and passionate people with problem-solving skills to tackle challenges as we continue to push technology forward.  

You will work with all areas of the team, including hardware engineers, firmware and embedded developers, system developers, production staff and support engineers. 

You will complete a degree that will support the fundamental technical, scientific, and mathematical principles to equip you with the understanding required to operate effectively and efficiently at a high level within the embedded development world.

You will undertake placements across our production, development and support teams experiencing everything from design and test of simple circuits right the way through to the development of software defined security systems. 

You will write documents that describe how the systems you have designed work and develop training material for SSG engineers implement the products in the field. 

At SSG you’ll see how your work can really make a difference. 

SSG will invest in your career development through mentoring and on-the-job training, formal technical training, and support to professional accreditation. 

We will link you up with other Apprentices who you can meet and connect with, give you the opportunity to participate in bi-annual apprenticeship events and get involved with our many networks such as Race, Gender, LBGT+, Faith and Mental Health to really give you that all-round feeling of the culture in our business.

Other benefits include:
•    Access to Defence Discount Service 
•    Specsavers eye test vouchers  
•    Access to the Civil Service Sports Club (CSSC) (fees apply)  
•    Access to the Civil Service Club in London (fees apply)
•    Continuous professional development within the embedded development field
•    Laptop and mobile phone 

You will be required to attend university periodically, and complete mandatory training activities in line with your job role.

Further information can be obtained on enquiry.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £23,310, Ministry of Defence contributes £6,293 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.

At application you will be assessed against the following:

Experience:

• Personal Statement

At interview you will be assessed against the above PLUS the following:

Behaviours :

• Developing Self and Others
• Working Together

               
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. It is also possible that we may offer similar lower graded role/s to reserve candidates or, if no reserves are appointed, candidates that meet the lower grade criteria in merit order.

Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing 08/01/2024.

Interviews are currently taking place remotely and will be conducted week commencing 15/01/2024. 

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews.

To assist with your application please find attached below:

1. DIO Candidate Information Guide
2. DIO Candidate Information Guide Accessible Version

For help and support with your application check out our https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/Civil Service Careers Homepage and the https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/How to apply section

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.