About the job

Job summary

An exciting opportunity offered within the Education Department of the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC). The Education Clerk role is both varied and gratifying. Responsible for routine office administration such as responding to enquiries on the telephone and email as well as coordinating and booking external agency appointments. Attending meetings and taking minutes and general filing of both hardcopy and electronic documents. You will be joining a fun and friendly team of dedicated military and civilian support staff. We look forward to welcoming you.

MCTC is an establishment that provides corrective training for service personnel sentenced to periods of detention; it is not a prison. The Education Department predominantly provides resettlement opportunities including trade training and civilian life preparation for those of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force who are to be discharged after their sentence.

The position offers 37 hours per week.

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 office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, 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). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements. 

Job description

We will encourage you to efficiently provide supportive functions for the department, to be proficient in the use of IT and Microsoft Office. We need someone with validated administrative skills, knowledge and experience combined with strong verbal and written communication skills! These are key to success in this role.

The nature of the job ensures variety, MCTC is a Tri-Service establishment that requires Civil Service support to deliver key objectives, Education being a main valued goal. We receive individuals who have been awarded a detention period from 14 days to 2 years. We are here to support those individuals throughout their sentence within a custodial and educational environment.

Versatility will be required to work in a collaborative working environment, the ideal candidate will need to possess external liaison communication ability underpinned by a desire to deliver an effective and efficient level of customer care. The clerk is often the initial point of contact and customer care for external callers and visitors to the department.

Person specification

Duties and responsibilities within the Educational Department MCTC can be varied and this requires a positive approach! Flexibility and willingness to prioritise tasks in a methodical order. Differing sentence lengths may require constant reviewing of priorities to meet the customer’s needs.

The department promotes a positive, professional and friendly image to all our customers and visitors and therefore candidates should maintain an appropriate and professional standard to reflect their position at all times.

Duties of the role include but are not limited to:

 

• Mail delivery, collection, and distribution for the unit
• Order and maintain unit stationery stock, ordering replenishments when required using Contract, Procurement and Funding (CP&F) systems and process
• Provide routine clerical and administrative support to the Education Dept including:
• Maintain a staff leave and courses calendar
• Record minutes for Education Dept meetings
• Record Conference and Classroom bookings and ensure completion of the booking paperwork
• Maintain departmental files, and staff training records
• Answer telephones, emails and record comprehensive messages when required
• Maintain / update and report building faults
• Provide routine clerical and administrative support for Detainees including:
• Detainee qualification administration
• Coordinate detainee resettlement and Early Service Leaver documentation
• Coordinate all detainee external agencies appointments (Shaw Trust, Vets UK, JCP, NCS,RFEA) with all crucial team members
• Update individual Detainee Assessment Reports (DARs) with Educational courses, start and finish dates and Final Reports
• Listen and communicate efficiently, assisting and signposting detainees and staff to the accurate points of contact

Assist in the education Learning Centre (eLC) as required to support department during periods of sickness and leave

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £24,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £6,490 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.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV detailing job history, qualifications and skills
• A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words)
• Provide evidence of the behaviour Managing a quality service (250 words maximum)

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

• Managing A Quality Service

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

• Working Together
• Leadership

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.

For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement

For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours

The Statement of Suitability will be marked first for all candidates. Candidates who meet the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability, will then go on to have the Lead behaviour (Managing a Quality Service) scored and will therefore receive sift scores for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the suitability of statement will not have their Lead behaviour scored and will therefore only receive one sift score. The CV will be reviewed but not scored.

However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (Personal Statement) only.

If you are successful at sift stage, candidates will be invited to attend a face-to-face interview in Colchester, which will test behaviour-based questions on all listed behaviours.

Sift, assessment and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 22nd Jan 2024. 

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 29th Jan 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change. 

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made or need to better understand the role to understand whether a change is required, please contact the Vacancy Holder as soon as soon as possible (contact details below) and complete the ‘Assistance Required’ section in the ‘Additional Requirements’ page of the application form. Further information is provided below.

Note for Candidates:

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants. 

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Feedback

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

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.