About the job

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Health and Safety Higher Executive Officer (HEO) to join the Chief Environmental Safety Office team, which is part of the RAF Safety Centre (RAFSC) located at RAF High Wycombe.  

Our Vision 

A safety organisation which delivers effective Total Safety Management and leads on intelligent application of critical thinking. 

Our Mission 

To provide, through the AIR TLB SEMS, independent assurance and evidence to CAS of the AIR TLB’s effectiveness against both Defence’s Safety Regulatory and Statutory Legislative requirements. 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. 

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. 

Job description

The Health and Safety Higher Executive Officer (HEO) works to the Health and Safety Team Senior Executive Officer (SEO) and Chief Environmental Safety Officer (CESO) within the RAF Safety Centre (RAFSC), which provides Health and Safety (HS) policy, oversight and analysis, 2nd party assurance, training requirements and risk management for all activities across AIR Command – also known as AIR Top Level Budget (TLB). 

What will the successful candidate be doing: 

Provide written and verbal advice and support with respect to AIR TLB and MOD policy and HS legislation to all AIR TLB Stations, RAF SC, HQ AIR Senior Officers and other HQ AIR Business Areas. 

Support the RAF SC pillars (Risk Management, Assurance, Policy and Promotion), with Subject Matter Expertise (SME) input when required. 

Undertake risk/performance oversight and analysis (including the Functional Safety Incident Management System – FSIMS) pan-TLB to identify cross cutting trends and issues to inform CAS’s Total Safety Performance and Assurance Dashboard. Incidents of note to be presented for inclusion in the RAF SC Weekly Updates and Quarterly Management Board. 

Assess the impact of new policy or legislation on your areas of responsibility, considering policy exemptions, waivers or alternate means of compliance and providing pan-TLB advice and guidance. 

Maintain strong relationships with MOD policy and other TLBs by attending specialist policy meetings and working groups. 

Maintain AIR TLB policy Leaflets contained in AP8000: AIR TLB Safety and Environmental Management System, relating to HS disciplines, proposing changes to policy and new areas for development. 

Support HS SEO in the execution (as the Training Requirements Authority) of a suite of HS courses delivered from RAF Halton.  

HS&EP Auditing Function 

Provide specialist support as the HS Team Member on formal CESO(RAF) Second Party HS&EP Audits of AIR TLB Stations and Organisations.  

The position will require travel to RAF stations within the UK and possibly abroad, and a full UK driving license is highly desirable. 

Prepare for and conduct audits and produce audit reports in accordance with CESO(RAF) policy and under the supervision of the SEO Lead Auditor.  

Conduct formal first and second year follow-up visits as directed and complete audit follow-up reports.  

General Tasks 

Provide input to emerging H&S risks and issues 

Contribute to the compilation of H&S promotional material. 

Assess H&S Defence Ideas submissions. 

Assist H&S SEO in producing and reviewing of papers, appraisals and briefs, as required. 

Assist H&S SEO with policy production and review, as required. 

Maintain currency with legislation, MOD policy and wider developments relating to HS. 

Person specification

Essential  

A minimum of NEBOSH Level 3 Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety is required to fulfil this position.   

Desirable  

Level 5/6 Diploma in Health and Safety. 

Recognised qualification and/or experience in management system auditing.  

Full UK Driving Licence is not essential but desirable . 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,290, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,528 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, Experience and Technical skills.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and we will assess your Behaviours and Technical Experience.  

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. You will be required to provide the following:  

• A Personal Statement of Suitability (500 words max) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role.  
• A CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements.  

Applications will be sifted for interview based on CV experience, Personal Statement of Suitability and Behavioural and Technical Success Profiles at HEO level.  

• Leadership 
• Making effective decisions  
• Working together 
• Providing Advice and Support 
• Conducting Audits and Inspections

 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.  

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  

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview. 

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.