About the job

Job summary

His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth (HMNBP) has been an integral part of the city since 1194. It is home to almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy's surface ships, including the new aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth; HMS Prince of Wales; the formidable Type 45 destroyers; Type 23 frigates; and mine countermeasures and fishery protection squadrons. 

The base is a major employer and provides lodging facilities to RN personnel serving at the base and in Portsmouth based ships.

HMNBP is one of three naval bases providing enabling support as part of the nation’s defence strategy. In doing so, HMNBP seeks to improve through science and technology to strengthen its security and defence at home and overseas. This requires continuous improvements in building capacity, capability and resilience through its people. It is the home base for assigned ships and ship’s companies preparing for operations. A key component of achieving this support is the ability to deliver the full range of increasingly sophisticated engineering support services. The unique employment opportunities offered are varied, challenging and exciting and support Navy Command’s role to generate and operate forces for today and to ensure we are ready for tomorrow by developing and delivering the Navy of the future. Navy Command provides an open, flexible and supportive work environment and Civil Servants, Contractors and Armed Forces personnel work together in a wealth of interesting and challenging jobs in different disciplines.

In Navy Command, our civil servants work alongside their military colleagues in jobs that matter; jobs which often have a direct impact on the quality of the operational capabilities we deliver.

Roles can offer great job satisfaction and there are many opportunities to develop and progress both within the Department and across the wider Civil Service.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. 

Job description

Working as part of the Naval Base Health Safety and Environment Group (HSEG) is a unique opportunity. HMNB Portsmouth is a complex, multi-stakeholder, multi-hazard environment employing over 12,000 people and is home to over 100 business units including MOD units, lodgers, contractors and charities. The successful candidates will have the opportunity to learn and develop health and safety skills as part of a small team delivering a wide range of safety functions.

Reporting to NBC(P) through the Head of Ops, the Health Safety and Environmental Group (HSEG) is headed up by the HSEG Team Leader (TL) and provides comprehensive Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) services to NBC(P) and other business units within the Command area to aid compliance with HS&EP legislation and MOD policy.

Responsibilities of the HSEG include:

• provision of HS&EP advice to NBC(P) including specialist areas such as fire, explosives, environmental and radiation safety advice
• provision of HS&EP training
• provision of HS&EP assurance across all organisations within the NBC(P) estate
• managing incident/incident reporting across NBC(P)’s Area of Responsibility (AoR).

As part of the HSEG, the Radiation Safety Officer provides competent direction and guidance to NBCP) for the interpretation of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, subordinate safety legislation such as the Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017 and MOD policy.

In addition, the RSO will be responsible for the following:

• Management and control of all activities and radiological safety matters related to the Radioactive Store, together with the Health Physics Supervisor
• Provision of Nuclear Emergency Response Organisation (NERO) training and briefing and acting as Deputy Officer in Command for the mobile Exclusion Zone Reception Centre (EZRC) supporting the Operational Berths at HMNB Portsmouth, ABP Southampton and Portland Port
• Team leader at the EZRC including the clearance monitoring, decontamination and accountancy areas
• Health Physics Section lead, encompassing one Health Physics Supervisor and two Health Physics Monitors
• Responsible as the HMNB(P) lead health physics practitioner for the day-to-day safe conduct of all radio-chemical analysis, waste disposal procedures, recording and reporting conducted in 79 Store North and elsewhere within the Naval Base (including ship’s alongside).
• Provision of Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) advice

The post potentially attracts a recruitment and retention allowance dependent on skills and qualifications.

The post requires some travel to other sites and also transportation of some small equipment around the Naval Base, therefore a full driving licence is required.

Person specification

We are seeking a candidate who is a flexible team-player, but also self-motivated.

It is essential that the candidate must have a reasonable standard of IT literacy, experience of working in radiological protection and a full driving licence.

Experience of working in the Defence nuclear programme with a knowledge of policies and procedures would be an advantage. 

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 and Experience.

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

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.

You will also be asked to provide a CV.

 We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of gender and ethnic group. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

Success Profile Behaviours

Making effective decisions

Communicating and influencing

Leadership

Managing a quality service

Delivering at pace

Changing and improving

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.