AAIB Operations Officer

Job summary

Are you able to work effectively under pressure, managing competing priorities with accuracy and attention to detail?

Are you able to work professionally and with empathy when handling sensitive information or when engaging with people?

Would you be interested in joining the Civil Service in a fast-paced operational role supporting aviation safety?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is part of the Department for Transport (DfT). Its purpose is to ‘Improve aviation safety by determining the causes of air accidents and serious incidents and making safety recommendations intended to prevent recurrence.’ The AAIB investigates accidents and serious incidents to civil aircraft in the UK (including its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies) and overseas where there is a UK interest.

The AAIB is also the UK Authority for the investigation of spaceflight accidents (SAIA), authorised to conduct safety investigations when there are space flights in or over the UK.

Due to the nature of AAIB operations, the successful candidate will be exposed to information and material including imagery (video and photographs) which may be distressing. They will also be required to speak with potentially traumatised accident victims, bereaved family members and witnesses. It is essential that candidates take this into consideration before applying for the post.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at the AAIB and the Department for Transport at the following links: Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) – About us& Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

As a member of the AAIB’s Operations Centre team of six, you will work closely with AAIB Inspectors and support staff responding to notifications of air accidents and serious incidents and support the investigation lifecycle throughout the various stages. You’ll be at the centre of the AAIB’s operational response to emerging events, helping ensure the right information, people and resources are in place at the right time.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Ensuring accident and incident notifications are received, logged, and processed accurately and effectively, and supporting Duty Co-ordinators in their role.
• During office hours, ensuring the AAIB accident and serious incident reporting line is staffed, remaining flexible to work outside the standard Operations Centre hours (0830 hrs – 1700 hrs) to support operational activity.
• Responding to developing situations including early engagement with multi-agency partners such as the police, airports, airlines and cross-government colleagues to capture initial intelligence and rapidly establish effective working relationships.
• Sensitive handling of evidence including witness statements and scene photographs and video.
• Facilitating the deployment of investigation teams by co-ordinating early engagement with key stakeholders in the UK and overseas, including co-ordinating travel and accommodation.
• Maintaining and quality checking case-related information entered into the AAIB’s case management system.
• Working closely with Inspectors of Air Accidents directly supporting investigations including victim and family liaison activity as required.
• Proof reading and preparation of reports including publication on the GOV.UK website.
• On-call rota responsibilities.

Due to the nature of AAIB operations, the successful candidate will be exposed to information and material including imagery (video and photographs) which may be distressing. They will also be required to speak with potentially traumatised accident victims, bereaved family members and witnesses. Applicants who are offered an interview will be required to participate in a wellbeing and traumatic stress risk review and online personality questionnaire in advance of their interview. The risk review will include a short questionnaire which is followed up by a short telephone call with a psychologist. It is essential, therefore, that candidates take these requirements into consideration before applying for the post.

For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Essential licences:

• A full UK driving licence

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential licences at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

Required experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Responding to competing priorities under very tight deadlines.
• Communicating effectively both verbally and in writing including telephone and emails with internal/external stakeholders at all levels.
• Analysing and reviewing documents and/or data for quality-checking purposes.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and use of databases.

Additional Information

Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

On a rota basis, the post-holder will be required to provide out-of-hours support in the field, from the AAIB’s offices or other location to support the operation. This includes responding to a major aircraft accident where you may need to work temporarily at a location away from the AAIB’s offices. An on-call and out-of-hours Recruitment and Retention (RRA) allowance will be paid once fully trained.

Due to the reactive nature of the roles within the Operations Centre, some limited working from home may be possible, however, there is an expectation that staff should be able to travel to AAIB headquarters at short notice within approx. one hour as required. Additionally, any requests to work flexibly will be considered based on the operational needs of the team and the requirement to staff the AAIB reporting line Mon - Fri 08:30 - 17:00.

The AAIB site at Farnborough is in a semi-rural area and is not served by public transport but there is a secure free parking and bicycle storage on site.

If you have a question about the role, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Licences

A full UK driving licence

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,485, Department for Transport contributes £8,831 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).

• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.

• Access to the staff discount portal.

• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.

• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.

• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.

• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

How to apply:

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1000-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Responding to competing priorities under very tight deadlines.
• Communicating effectively both verbally and in writing including telephone and emails with internal/external stakeholders at all levels.
• Analysing and reviewing documents and/or data for quality-checking purposes.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and use of database.

The sift will take place between 26 and 29 May 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours: Managing a quality service, Delivering at pace, Making effective decisions, Working together and Seeing the bigger picture
• Strengths

The interviews will take place week commencing 15 June 2026.

This interview will be conducted in person (only) at our offices at: Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Farnborough House, Berkshire Copse Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 2HH. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process.

We will also hold a12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public.

Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture.

If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Feedback

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

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Karen Culverwell
• Email : recruitment@aaib.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

Attachments

Role Profile - AAIB Operations Officer_Apr26 Opens in new window (pdf, 158kB)