JOB SUMMARY

Are you a Health Safety and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) professional with a passion for Climate Change and Sustainability (CCS)? We have a role for you that will allow you to establish, develop and lead the delivery of HS&EP and CCS Assurance and Governance across Headquarters Strategic Command (HQ UKStratCom), and we would love to hear from you.
Alongside Navy, Army and Air, UKStratCom is one of MOD’s four Front Line Commands. As part of HQ UKStratCom, the Assurance and Governance Team is responsible for a portfolio that includes HS&EP, CCS, Security, Resilience, Corporate Governance, Infrastructure and Joint Individual Training. We assure consistency and pursue improvements in the delivery of HS&EP activities on our Sites (Northwood, Shrivenham Station, Garats Hay and the Royal College of Defence Studies) as well as our subordinate organisations.
In addition to providing HS&EP and CCS leadership and guidance, this role offers a rare and exciting opportunity to use and build on your experience at a more strategic level, developing HS&EP Governance processes which assure our HS&EP performance against safety and environmental management systems (SEMS) and in accordance with relevant MOD and UKStratCom policies and legislative requirements. These processes will enable you to provide advice and guidance to HQ UKStratCom allowing informed decisions to be made on emerging risks, trends, and issues, The HQ was recently formed and our processes for delivering Assurance and Governance are waiting to be fully optimise and, reporting to the Assurance and Governance AHd, the post holder will be empowered to own, develop and lead across the HQ UKStratCom HS&EP space.
UKStratCom is going through a significant transformation programme to improve the way it conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence, all posts within HQ UKStratCom and, in time, the wider organisation are/will be subject to review and may change. Changes may be minor or more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command will be committed to following the MOD’s framework for managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

BENEFITS

Alongside your salary of £44,590, Ministry of Defence contributes £12,917 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
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 Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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)
• 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

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide guidance, advice, support and assurance to HQ HLB Sites and subordinate organisations to enable them to operate safely and deliver HS&EP activities by:

• Conducting regular deep dives across the HQ via face-to-face visits to support stakeholder engagement; monitor, review, and assist the HQ’s organisations in progressing their HS&EP Action Plans; lead the HQ’s HS&EP working group as well as attending and actively contributing to local/strategic HS&EP committees, working groups and meetings as required.
• Planning, implementing and leading a programme of 2nd Party Assurance audits across the HQ. Generating audit performance reports and support the delivery of post audit actions.
• Undertake accident, incident and near miss investigations.

Support the HQ’s Senior Leadership team to develop, promote, engage and lead a positive and vibrant HS&EP culture through:

• Regular engagement with the UKStratCom’s Safety Centre to ensure a joined-up approach to HS&EP management across the Command, including coordinating and supporting the completion of the HQ’s 1st Party Assurance (1PA) processes such as Quarterly Performance Reports, Annual Assurance Reports, the delivery of our recent Post Audit Action Plan and similar.
• Ensure visibility of HS&EP at Senior Leaders meetings, ensure reports and documents are regularly viewed and reviewed by Senior leaders. Promote Senior Leaders visibility in HS&EP matters.
• Work closely with the HQ Safety Champion.

Develop the HLB HS&EP community by:

• Providing relevant and timely advice, ensuring the HQ’s processes promote a culture of HS&EP engagement through the production, review and cascade of policies and communications both across the HQ and into the Senior Leadership team; owning the HQ’s HS&EP sharepoint site.
• Overseeing, enabling and reporting on the HQ’s HS&EP training requirements.
• Maintaining and progressing your own continued professional development in the HS&EP profession; ensuring currency with professional memberships and requirements.
• Line Manager for one HS&EP HEO.