About the job

Job summary

The EIH Operations Advisor supports military units in Navy Command, and the wider MOD, with identification and assessment of hazardous material threats to personnel and the environment. You will work alongside military and civilian personnel in the UK and overseas, ashore and at sea, including deploying on submarines, to conduct surveys, audits and investigations and to deliver training.

You will be engaged in setting operational and technical policy, influencing and raising standards of risk control and advising on legal compliance. In addition to Navy Command, you will also work with the Naval Authority & Technology Group, Submarine Delivery Agency and Defence Safety Authority, to review and inform health and safety policy relating to hazardous substances and to assure compliance with Regulations. You will work with specialist and non-specialist colleagues helping to influence strategic stakeholders to deliver their Duty of Care.

The post also delivers two secondary roles:

i.) Hazardous Materials & Environmental Protection Officer – providing immediate response to incidents, including aircraft accidents, in the UK and overseas, including operational theatres. This role requires driving, including Emergency Response Driver duties, and involves a commitment to be rostered on-call and to remain within a geographic boundary when on response duties.

ii.) Submarine Atmosphere Trials Officer – provides assurance to the Duty Holder/Platform Authority of regulatory compliance and operational safety by conducting audits, training and sea trials. This role requires driving and does require work within the confines of a dived submarine and the use of vertical ladders.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

In Navy Command, 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.

The Institute of Naval Medicine (INM) provides scientific and medical support to improve the health and safety of the Royal Navy and UK Armed Forces. The unique opportunities offered within 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 inclusive work environment where civil servants and Armed Forces personnel work together in a wealth of interesting and challenging jobs in areas ranging from finance; legal services; personnel and HR; project planning and managing contracts, to media and communications.

Responsibilities:

Providing opinion and advice, as Suitably Qualified and Experience Personnel, to the command chain and project teams, to ensure exposure to hazardous materials are adequately controlled.

Working on your own, or as part of a team, to conduct surveys, investigations and audits.

Undertaking occupational hygiene surveys in a wide variety of workplaces, ashore and at sea.

Responding to incidents involving hazardous materials, including aircraft accident sites, to provide on-scene monitoring and risk assessment to the command chain.

Undertaking Quantitative Fit Testing for industrial respiratory protective equipment.

Delivering training to Royal Navy and MoD personnel.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

Have a working knowledge of Environmental & Industrial Hazards, Environmental Health, or Hazardous Substances and a track record of hazard identification and risk assessment.

Be able to communicate with staff at all levels, from military personnel under training to senior military officers/civil servants.

Have strong presentational skills.

Use sound analytical skills to identify underlying gaps and challenge deficiencies in risk management, with a practical understanding of hazard identification and risk assessment techniques, such as taking measurements, interpreting data and applying the hierarchy of control principles for exposure to hazardous substances.

Make sound decisions based on available and/or incomplete evidence, and writing clear, accurate and concise reports that present complex information in a way that is easy for others to understand.

Professional competence demonstrated through relevant training and continuing professional development under a professional body.

Desirable criteria:

Certificate of Operational Competence in Occupational Hygiene (CertOH or iCertOH).
Emergency Response Driver certificate of competence to the National Occupational Standard.
Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (BOSIET)

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.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include: job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

This vacancy assesses candidates through Success Profiles, the new recruitment framework used within the Civil Service.

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. 

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

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.  

Candidates will be required to complete an online Numerical test and Civil Service Judgement test. 

The Civil Service Judgement Test is not bankable and therefore must be taken on every vacancy where it is applied.  

Should you be invited to complete the online tests, please allow sufficient time to complete the tests and the remainder of the full application form; only candidates who are successful at the test stage will be invited to complete the remainder of the application by clicking ‘Submit Application’. Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted. The tests are not timed, as they work by giving you harder questions if you answer the previous question correctly, and easier if you get it wrong. You should allow up to an hour for each test, and each test must be completed before you will be invited to complete the second part of your application. Internet access will be required for the duration of the test. Please refer to the attached Candidate Guidance for further information.  

Candidates that reach the minimum required pass mark will have their results saved as a banked score against the following tests:  

• New Civil Service Verbal Test
• New Civil Service Numerical Test

When a candidate has a banked score they’re not asked to re-take the same test providing it is set at the same level. Scores will be banked for a 6 month period from the date of test completion. If a candidate is invited to take the same test against multiple vacancies, the banked score will be recognised against all vacancies and all active applications will progress. 

CSJT scores cannot be banked as each test is generated from the behaviours required for a specific role which will vary between recruitment campaigns.  

If you require any particular arrangements (for example due to a disability or health problem) to be made in order for you to complete the online test you MUST contact the DBS Enquiry Centre on 0800 345 7772 BEFORE accessing the online test. 

Opening  times  Mon -Friday 0800- 1600 hrs

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

 

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership

 

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

 

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership

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.