About the job

Job summary

Dstl’s Technical Protection team is a key player in UK Defence Capability Protection, advising UK Government, its various agencies and industry partners on ensuring that the security measures in place provide the most protection possible.  We pride ourselves on bringing people together to achieve remarkable things; seeing the bigger picture, identifying, and seizing opportunities, thinking creatively to solve difficult issues, and proactively helping Defence to understand and make choices.

Do you have a background in Electronics, System Security Engineering or Military Systems?  If so, this could be an exciting opportunity to be part of a team involved with varied and stimulating work engaging across a wide breadth of MOD and UK Defence suppliers. This post works on assuring the Capability Protection aspects of all UK Armed Forces domains and their capabilities.  Exporting Defence equipment helps reduce the cost of equipping our own forces, but exposes our advanced technology to hostile analysis and proliferation.  This post has responsibility for specifying, and helping to design, security features (such as anti-tamper) into military equipment so that it is protected from hostile analysis if lost on the battlefield and/or sold to foreign armed forces.  This is called Technical Protection. 

Capability Protection is the collective term for activities undertaken to protect the Operational Advantage (Op Adv) [battle-winning edge] and ensure the Freedom of Action (FoA) to acquire the equipment we need and use it as and when we choose, which are essential for, and integral to the effectiveness of our military capability. Achieving the necessary protection serves two distinct purposes. Firstly, reducing the risk that capabilities used by UK Armed Forces on operations may be unexpectedly overmatched, due to adversaries having accessed and intrusively analysed them to develop countermeasures or copies. Secondly, realising tangible benefits for UK prosperity by enabling exportability and reducing the chance that capabilities can be replicated for commercial or military advantage.

Dstl recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion as people from diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive working environment in which each employee fulfils their potential and maximises their contribution.

We particularly welcome female and ethnic minority applicants and those from the LGBTQI community, as they are under-represented within Dstl at these levels.

Job description

A day ‘in the life of’ a Systems Security Engineer within Capability Protection might include:

•    Using your domain, security and electronics skills to advise on what security elements are required for inclusion in system developments.
•    Researching technologies and expanding your subject matter knowledge by rooting out and delving into published information, engaging with experts (internally and with external bodies such as international partners and academia) or learning activities.
•    Meeting and collaborating with product development teams, understanding their projects and providing advice to ensure their development includes the best security measures it can. 
•    Providing advice across Government, including potentially briefing senior officials, to ensure robust decision-making within government in your area of expertise.
•    Leading other staff in the successful delivery of larger work areas. 
•    Developing your and your colleagues’ skills and knowledge to strengthen current and future capability in this area.
•    Providing rigorous review of team processes and outputs to ensure the technical quality of our research. 
•    Using your knowledge and skills to identify opportunities for the Capability Protection team to enhance the security of the UKs defence products.

Career progression and development is supported and encouraged at all Dstl career levels:

Level 4 roles can be described as including allocating work and/or coaching and guiding others.  Carrying out specialist work that requires the analysis and practised application of data and/or processes, either as part of a dedicated team or as an individual contribution.  
Level 4 Job holders may be accountable for specific customer relationships, facilities or technical standards.

Level 5 roles can be described as including responsibility for managing projects, delivering products and/or advice (within specialist/technical areas to a defined scope), and/or formal people management responsibility. Leads others through inspiring and influencing them to achieve individual goals.
The consequences of decisions taken are normally clear within a time horizon of three to twelve months (although the full impact of some technical recommendations may take longer to come to fruition).

Level 6 roles can be described as providing expert professional contribution, linking the strategic intent with the day to day activities at a project, system or departmental level and/or leadership of a team, possibly across a range of studies and programmes.   Taking a systemic view across projects, departments, capabilities and domains and supporting others to achieve and maintain the highest levels of delivery, which focus on benefits realisation.

Person specification

This post is especially suitable for someone who has been in the Armed Forces as the knowledge, skills and experience acquired will be particularly applicable.

The successful candidates will have:

•    Technical / scientific experience as a security or military systems engineer OR a good understanding of programmable electronic systems (e.g. FPGAs) and a desire to broaden your security engineering knowledge.
•    A degree or advanced professional qualification in Security Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Communications Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Software Engineering, System Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Architecture, Information Technology, Science or Engineering with the appropriate technical / professional experience is required for these posts.

We are also keen to hear from applicants with an equivalent level of skills / knowledge / expertise.

Personal Qualities: 
•    You will enjoy solving technical problems and producing implementable solutions.
•    You think about how developments in any science and technology area could be applied to your area of expertise.
•    You are happy to try out ideas even if they may fail or prove to be wrong.
•    You can recognise when others may need you help and are willing to help out.
•    When you commit to something, you do it.
•    You are able to manage your time and balance competing work requirements with work/life balance.  

Please see attached job description for all essential criteria.

Important Information

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be UK Nationals who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to undertake the projects we are involved in to protect us from security threats. For this reason, only UK Nationals will be able to apply for this role. If you are an international or dual-national candidate, and you think you have the skills we need, please consider applying to any of our government, security or defence partners.

 This role will require Developed Vetting in this case you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,620, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contributes £7,457 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.

Applications will be sifted weekly and successful applicants contacted to arrange an interview within 1 month of application.

We want you to have your best chance of success in our recruitment process, so If at any stage of the application process you would like help or assistance please contact the Dstl Recruitment Team dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk and we will do all we can to support you.

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.

This job is not open to candidates who hold a dual nationality.

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.