About the job

Job summary

The Ministry of Defence employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 9,000 MOD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations. Ours is a diverse workforce, with roles ranging from trainers, human resources, teachers, psychologists to storekeepers, financiers, project and programme managers, and policy secretariat staff. There are many different functions and professions delivering key outputs for the Army. As such support to training future Army officers is vital.

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst trains around 1,000 British Army and International officers a year. You would be working in the academic Faculty of Leadership, Security and Warfare, which provides a key intellectual element in an officer’s education. In the Faculty, you would be working alongside over 40 academics split into three departments: Communication and Applied Behavioural Science, Defence and International Affairs and War Studies. These departments, in partnership with the University of Reading and the Henley Business School, deliver the first year of either a MSc or BSc programme in Leadership and Strategic Studies as part of the Army Higher Education Pathway (AHEP).

The Department of War Studies is looking to recruit a senior lecturer into its team of dedicated and motivated academics. You will instruct British Army officer cadets and officers in modern war studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This is an opportunity to make a difference in real world settings and shape the British Army officers of the future.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

We deliver a number of broad-based war studies courses to all British Army officers during their initial officer training and the first stage of their professional development and as part of the AHEP.

These courses provide professional knowledge and insight into the study of war in a historical and contemporary context in order for Army Officers to better understand and interrogate modern British doctrine. They cover the conduct of war from the French Revolution to the present day and examine specifically theories and theorists of war, conventional war-fighting and combined arms manoeuvre, irregular warfare, insurgency, counter-insurgency and stability operations, contingency operations and hybrid war. The majority of the courses are taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as part of the university accredited AHEP. Most instructing takes place at Sandhurst but all staff are expected to occasionally deliver courses at MOD sites around the UK and abroad. There are also opportunities to teach courses abroad (UK international Defence Engagement programme) to support military exercises and battlefield studies and to work with other military formations and units and support doctrine development.

In meeting the professional expectations of a Senior Lecturer and supporting the conceptual needs of the wider Army, you should be able to demonstrate that you are and will remain research active in the field of war studies. There is considerable latitude in the direction and nature of research. In meeting the needs of our new curriculum, the Department is particularly interested in recruiting a candidate with expertise in Normandy Campaign of 1944. Furthermore the Department is looking to expand its current strengths and applications from candidates working on the conflicts and interventions of the Post-Cold War era, particularly in Europe, the Middle-East and Africa are also encouraged.

We particularly welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups in academia.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. 

If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com.

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. 

Person specification

Person specification

1. Delivering War Studies teaching and associated duties (marking, report writing, assessment) in an applied setting at postgraduate and/or undergraduate level, with the enthusiasm to further apply this in a military context.
2. The ability to deliver relevant research and publish outcomes to support teaching and enhance the reputation of the Department as a seat of Higher Educational learning.
3. Self-motivation to conduct both professional and personal administration.
4. Excellent communication skills to perform additional academic support tasks; e.g. overseas lecturing, conferences and professional advice/workshops within Defence.
5. A dedication to continued professional development and a willingness to up-skill in emerging areas and to be prepared to work outside your immediate area of expertise.

Essential:

In addition to a demonstrable passion for the subject, you should be research-active and must possess a higher degree in a relevant subject such as war studies, although degrees in history, international relations and other relevant subjects will be considered (preferably a PhD completed or close to completion). You should have experience of teaching at undergraduate and/or post-graduate levels.

Desirable: 

Teaching qualification, with a view to working towards a Level 7 qualification.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,080, Ministry of Defence contributes £11,631 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 (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.

The initial sift of applications will be conducted on your CV and personal statements.

Candidates successful at sift will be invited to interview which will be conducted on the following success profile behaviours changing and Improving, communicating and Influencing and working together . The interview process will include a 20 minute presentation by the candidate to the Department and an individual formal interview.

The sift will be conducted on 11 March 2024.

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.  

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights. 

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.