About the job

Job summary

Join the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and have a future that matters: Be proud; Be challenged; Be unique.

DIO is passionate about ensuring that we are a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We host a diverse range of talent where everyone feels valued and supported enabling our people to thrive, bring greater creativity and innovation to achieve higher organisational performance. We are committed to be an equal opportunities employer and creating a culture where everyone can bring their whole self to work and individuality is truly appreciated.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our 6 staff networks covering Disability, Faith and Belief, Gender Equality, LGBTQI+, Race, Social Mobility and 3 networks dealing with employee wellbeing and support: Speak Safe Volunteers, Mental Health First Aiders and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisers.

Our staff, future and current will be guided by the 4 Cs and we encourage you to be curious and continuously strive for improvement, collaborative in an inclusive culture, ambitious and resilient and committedto Defence, empowered and able to challengeso you can play a key part in shaping the direction of our organisation.

DIO commits to offer its employees the following experience: 

• Meaningful, purposeful work
• The ability to learn and grow
• The right opportunities and resources
• To care about your wellbeing
• To feel valued and included

About DIO:

The Defebce Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is the estate expert for Defence, supporting the armed forces to enable military capability by planning, building, maintaining, and servicing infrastructure.

Our responsibilities include: 

• Plan and deliver major capital projects and lifecycle refurbishment
• Provide utilities services
• Manage soft facilities management (i.e. cleaning and catering)
• Provide a safe place to train
• Allocate Service Families Accommodation
• Procure and manage routine maintenance and reactive repair
• Provide a central register of asset information to advise infrastructure planning
• Act as steward of the Defence estate
• Provide the unarmed guarding service

Job description

Do you want to join the 2021 Government Security team of the year and be part of our Gold Standard security service?

The Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) provides high quality security services at over 140 MOD sites across Great Britain. The MGS has guarded the Defence Estate for over 25 years including high profile locations such as MOD Main Building in London and His Majesty’s Naval Bases at Portsmouth, Devonport and the Clyde. We provide access control, military working dogs, control room operations and other security services. We play a vital role supporting the Defence Mission and work to protect the defence estate and personnel from crime, terrorism, espionage and sabotage threats.

The MGS is part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and employs over 2,500 staff. MGS Officers are often the first point of contact with the MOD for employees, visitors and contractors and we pride ourselves on our professional, customer-focused culture.

All our Security Officers are required to have excellent customer service skills and must be willing to go above and beyond to support security operations across the defence estate. Due to the high profile and strategic locations of the sites we guard, it is essential our Security Officers have a strong work ethic, are able to work as part of a team, are observant to threats and are capable to challenge and de-escalate difficult situations if required. We also require our Security Officers to have good written and verbal communication skills. Our Officers must have resilience and remain positive and friendly in all weather conditions and on all occasions.

We provide our staff with a market leading salary, excellent sickness benefits, together with a defined benefit civil service pension. Free full uniform will be provided.

We are a growing organisation with opportunities for good quality staff to progress their security careers.

The MGS holds the Committed to Equality Gold Standard and we positively encourage applications from all under-represented communities and from all types of working backgrounds.

See more information about the MGS, please read the candidate pack and watch our Security Officer YouTube video https://youtu.be/nzSK9OPOoDI 

About MGS:

The Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) is a professionally qualified body of Civil Servants who provide unarmed guarding services at over 100 MOD sites across Great Britain. The MGS has guarded the Defence Estate for over 25 years including high profile locations such as MOD Main Building in London and Her Majesty’s Naval Bases at Portsmouth, Devonport and the Clyde. The MGS plays a vital role supporting the Defence Mission and works closely with its security partners

The MGS is part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and  employs over 2,500 operational and support staff. The MGS is managed by a Head Office team, dispersed strategically around the country.

MGS officers are very often the first point of contact with the MOD for employees, visitors and contractors and we pride ourselves on a customer-focused culture, working to DIO’s Values as well as our own core values of honesty, integrity, professionalism and efficiency.

We are passionate about the services we deliver and work hard to keep pace with developments in the security industry, as we seek to be the unarmed  guarding provider of choice. The MGS holds the Committed to Equality Gold Standard and we positively encourage applications from all under-represented communities.

We employ approximately 4,900 staff from a very diverse range of professions, and we work across the world; in Germany, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands, Norway, Poland, Kenya, Belize, Nepal and Oman.

Person specification

The key duties of an Operational Manager (OM) are as follows.

• To ensure the correct posture of physical and tactical resources to manage sites and maintain operational preparedness for security incidents, in line with local Joint Business Agreements/General Statement of Security Requirement (GSSOR’s).
• Oversee the management of resources, including people, and expenditure whilst ensuring a positive and inclusive working environment
• Lead Physical Security operations and set governance structures to appropriately meet the risk appetite, overseeing effective Physical Security to protect assets and people throughout the estate. Liaise with Unit Customers and Heads of Establishments on a regular basis about service delivery and any problems/issues arising. Following agreed prioritisation of tasks and risks
• Comply with relevant regulation and legislation
• Ensure all posts and tasks are risk assessed and Health and Safety policies and processes are followed at all times
• Liaise with Unit Customers and Heads of Establishments on a regular basis about service delivery and any problems/issues arising. Following agreed prioritisation of tasks and risks.
• Cooperating with other security providers at the Unit to provide a high-quality security service.
• Provide Head Office with returns when requested regarding staffing levels, personal case work, audits and weekly completion of PORT, recording achievement of tasks, overtime and other operational data.
• Ensuring National Security Inspectorate (NSI) compliance at all Units within your Area of Responsibility (AOR) auditing paperwork and processes and amending and updating local documents when required
• Reviewing rosters, Joint Business Agreements/ General Statement of Security Requirement (GSSOR’s) and Assignment instructions on an annual basis to
• Consulting with Trade Unions on local changes and building positive and effective relationships with all stakeholders.
• Carry out all MGS/MOD/Management training including Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) to ensure effective understanding and management of Health & Safety within their Area of Responsibility (AOR).

Travel Requirements:

Some Operational Manager roles may cover more than one site and require routine travel using official vehicles between Units. There will also be an expectation to travel in order to attend meetings, training courses or carry out Personnel case work at other locations throughout the UK.

Desirable Experience & Skills:

A background, qualification or demonstrable interest in the delivery of site security and/or customer service will be an advantage.

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 lead behaviour Leadership.

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

 

At application you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours: 

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating & Influencing

Experience:

• Career History
• Previous Skills

At interview you will be assessed against the above along with the following:

Behaviours:

• Developing Self and Others

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. MGS Brochure
2. How to complete a CV

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.