About the job

Job summary

Do you thrive in a fast paced and constantly evolving environment and have a passion for supporting others? Are you confident at communicating and influencing at many levels across an organisation? Then this role is for you!

We are seeking a Staff Officer (SO) for the Director of Resources (DRes) for the RAF. The Resources Directorate exists to “Enable the delivery of a world-class Air Force”, with the SO to DRes sitting at its very heart. This pivotal role provides the gateway to communication between DRes and other stakeholders at all levels within the Air, beyond in the wider Ministry of Defence, and externally. 

The SO reports to the DRes Deputy Chief of staff and leads a small team of personal assistants. Working in daily contact with DRes, the SO ensures that all work activities, and decision making is completed on time, balancing, and meeting the required priorities.

The role is based at Headquarters, Air Command; an attractive place to work, located in the village of Walters Ash near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. There are good public transport links with regular bus services in-between Aylesbury and High Wycombe, as well as free car parking on site.

We do offer hybrid working, however, as an organisation we believe that in-person working is essential for effective learning, collaborating, and innovating. Therefore, we operate hybrid pattern of working in line with Civil Service policy which requires a minimum 60% of time working in-office, face to face with your team and colleagues. This will generally be at Air HQ, Walters Ash.

This role will also include occasional travel to other MOD locations in London, around the UK and potentially (although rarely) overseas, which could include overnight stays.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week and is open for all working patterns. However, please note that we will  consider part time or job share as long as full time cover can be achieved.

Job description

This role provides DRes, with effective outer office support; enabling the DRes area of responsibility (AoR) to deliver cohesive high quality Financial and Commercial management, together with Secretariat in support of Air Command's outputs, while upholding accountability to Air’s Executive Committee, Main Board, Ministers, and Parliament.

A key part of the wider DRes Executive Support Team and AOR Business Support, this role works closely with DRes Heads of Business and across many senior leadership outer offices, both internal and external to the Headquarters. This is to ensure understanding of DRes' intent to deliver outputs, avoid partisanship and support the success of the DRes AoR and Air Command is communicated accurately and promptly.

Key responsibilities include:

• Prioritising DRes’ mailbox, tasks, and correspondence for action; communicating decisions, instructions, and tasks; issuing formal notes and preparing briefing material; cascading information; and collaborating closely with other Senior Outer Offices in Air and the wider MOD, ensuring all is done to time and in a conscientious manner.
• Ensuring incoming commissions and correspondence are appropriately cascaded and tasked in a timely manner.
• Ensuring minutes, agendas, e-mails, and letters are drafted promptly, accurately and in accordance with Defence Writing standards.
• Negotiating and agreeing realistic timelines to deliver tasks, ensuring work is hastened when required.
• Conducting additional information is researched and supplied to DRes at both SO's discretion and upon request. This would include ensuring that pre-briefs with appropriate personnel are scheduled as appropriate.
• Working with the DRes PA to ensure appropriate diary management; including ensuring that regular meetings are maintained and to identify emerging threats and opportunities. In addition to providing mentorship to identify suitable deputies, as required.
• Line Manage a small team of PAs within the AOR who support the DRes senior leadership team.
• Lead on arranging appropriate visit programmes for Senior visitors to Air Command, and DRes’ visits to RAF Stations and other MOD locations.
• Ensure that DRes’ support requirements are adequately considered and gathered to help craft the wider support function, implementing any changes to team structure and assisting in building co-operative and dynamic relationship
• Leading on establishing and maintaining effective centralised records management and retrieval systems.

Person specification

Strong leadership behaviours, in addition to strong, effective communication and ability to influence other individuals and teams.

• Developing and maintaining collaborative and productive working relationships.
• Resilient and effective time management.
• Ability to forward plan and be prepared.

Proven track record of working positively, flexibly, and at pace in changing circumstances, balancing conflicting priorities, to meet current and future business needs

• Ability to manage conflicting demands.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with strong evidence of stakeholder management.
• A consistent demonstration of learning, driving, and implementing the best use of new technology and systems.
• An experienced user of Microsoft 365 particularly Word, Excel, OneNote, Teams and SharePoint  (or equivalent).

In addition, further desirable criteria are:

• Experience in working in an active outer office, as an executive assistance or having to collaborate and coordinate across boundaries to meet multiple demands on people and time.
• An ability to understand Military organisations and communication, would be an advantage. 

Part-time or Job-share will only be considered provided full time hours can be covered. Applicants must be able to travel to the place of work. 

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.

Applicants are asked to complete each section of the online application in full, taking the opportunity to provide a wide range of information.

Applicants are also strongly advised to ensure that their submission uses the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and demonstrates the behaviours detailed at Higher Executive Officer level in the Civil Service Success Profiles – Civil Service Behaviours booklet.   Comprehensive coverage on Success Profiles can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles  

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

Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. (500 words)

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Leadership

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

• Making Effective Decisions 
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

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

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.