About the job

Job summary

Do you want to analyse, shape and enhance RN Operations and front line tactics?

The Operational Advantage Centre’s award winning – Operational Reconstruction & Analysis (ORA) team is tasked with undertaking scientifically rigorous and objective analysis of Royal Navy Operations, Exercises and Trials.

A blended military and civilian team, ORA’s remit is to analyse, identify and inject lessons and insights to front line RN units, utilising evidence-based processes with strict adherence to a Just Culture methodology.

ORA promulgates what went well, identifies what could be improved and provides mitigation's and recommendations to support the air, surface and subsurface domains in ensuring Operational Advantage.

The team undertakes analysis and provides evidence towards assurance requirements for Senior Leaders.

The position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The ORA team is proficient in undertaking Operational Reconstruction & Analysis and each tranche (ORA 1, ORA 2 & ORA 3) has a specialisation.

ORA 1 specialises in Tactical Analysis & Assurance.

ORA 2 specialises in Operational Analysis & Assurance.

ORA 3 specialises in Exercise Analysis & Assurance.

All three ORA tranches are trained to be expert Operational Analysts at their core but can work dynamically across the three tranches.

We are looking for enthusiastic, scientifically and technically minded individuals, who are capable of integrating with front line military colleagues to gather, prepare and analyse a plethora of datasets, fuse findings with additional information streams and impart information to a varied and diverse audience.

The role offers the opportunity to work directly alongside the RN front line, both ashore and potentially deploying for short periods on RN or Allied platforms. This often involves travel to five-eyes partner nations (AUS, CAN, NZ, UK & USA).

Person specification

You will use, understand, modify, and improve software tools to conduct analysis in support of operations, exercises and trials. You will be able to work within dynamic military/civilian teams and be able to operate autonomously with appropriate direction and mentorship. You will be able to link technical capabilities with tactical requirements and be able to clearly articulate this information to a range of academic and military personnel within UK and Allied organisations.

The outputs of your work will directly influence operational and tactical behaviours, with a focus on Safety & Security.

Typical responsibilities include:

• Operational Analysis
• Geospatial Analysis
• Data science/engineering
• Application of scientific knowledge and analytical findings to advise front line decision makers.
• Communication of sophisticated information to a varied audience.

We are looking for candidates with academic and/or professional experience of providing analytical output independently or as part of a team. While previous experience in Defence or the maritime domain is not essential, it is expected the applicant will have applicable skills in one or more of the following areas:

• Operational analysis/operational research
• Data science/data engineering
• Trials planning and management
• Intelligence analysis
• Using the scientific process to generate evidence.
• Using evidence to support or make informed decisions.

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• A degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, or equivalent experience
• High level of IT literacy and data management skills.
• Experience in the application of scientific and/or analytical techniques.
• Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

Other desirable experience:

• Experience of technical or scientific work in relation to the maritime domain.
• Knowledge and experience of the MOD and Defence environment.
• Experience in programming in any widely-used programming language. The ORA team’s policy is aimed towards open-source languages).

Further note:

Whilst Operational analysis (OA) / Operational Research (OR), is an applied subject area that draws on scientific and advanced analytical methods to solve military problems, it is recognised that the ORA team’s operating environment is a relatively unique one.

As a result, we are a broad cadre of scientific, engineering, and analytical practitioners with a wide range of backgrounds. We welcome and celebrate this diversity.

We do not expect candidates to meet all the desirable criteria. We will consider all candidates who meet the essential criteria. We will provide training, tutoring and mentoring to ensure that you can develop your own abilities within the role.

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.

Candidates will be required to complete an online numerical test. 

Please note if you have previously taken the Numerical/Verbal Reasoning Tests on CS Jobs, the scores will not be applicable to this vacancy as this vacancy is testing the new Civil Service Verbal Test / Civil Service Numerical Test.

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 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.

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.

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

• Working Together
• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at pace
• Changing and improving
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form: You will be asked to provide 250 words for each Behaviour.

• Working together
• Communicating and Influencing

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

The interview will cover Civil Service Behaviours and Experience and will require a short presentation on a question related to analysis in the Maritime Domain (provided in advance of the interview).

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.

Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted.

If there is a large number of applications only the lead behaviour (Communicating and Influencing) may be assessed on application, all behaviours will be assessed at interview.

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 developed vetting (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.