Army- Defence Children Services (DCS) – ICT Senior Systems Engineer - Belgium

Job summary

Are you an experienced ICT professional, looking for an exciting opportunity in a unique context? Then this role may be for you

Defence Children Services (DCS) is looking for a skilled ICT Senior Systems Engineer to join our small, skilled team of ICT professionals who deliver ICT services, in an ITIL aligned environment, to DCS School and Early Years settings across the globe.

Based in Belgium, you will provide a high quality, customer focused ICT system support to Defence Children Service users in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and other Rest Of World (ROW) locations; work collaboratively and creatively with the wider ICT team to create integrated processes, system development and an outstanding service to schools’ staff and students and DCS Headquarters staff. The management of the ROW ICT Services Team and operational IT delivery to all Head Teachers, MOD Schools and forward deployed HQ DCS staff. In collaboration with Senior System Engineer colleagues in Belgium and Cyprus, providing subject matter expertise, technical leadership and direction regarding the development, systems support and compliance of the MOD Schools WAN.

As a key player within the team, you will contribute to the delivery of outstanding ICT services to DCS staff and students across the entire estate as one global ICT team.

This position is advertised as full time at 37 hours per week. Due to the nature of the work 100% office attendance is required. Travel to other locations may be required.

Tour length is 3 years

Defence Children Services (DCS) is a Defence delivery organisation, subordinated under Army Regional Command. Our Vision is that we Educate the Child – Support the Family – Defend the Nation. HQ DCS is UK based at Trenchard Lines, Upavon and has forward deployed staff all over the world. DCS is responsible for the education and care of children of accompanied Service and Defence entitled personnel in MOD schools and settings; provides advice and guidance in respect of education for service families in the United Kingdom and the wider world.

Job description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder’s key responsibilities and main duties are to:

• Enable the delivery of change to the catalogue of services offered by the ICT Team. Ensuring all change control processes are followed and help end users adopt new skills, behaviours and efficiencies to maximise the business benefit of improved ICT services.
• To actively maintain and support the Assurance process for the System. Providing technical advice and expertise to ICT Systems and Strategy Team Lead regarding specific roles and responsibilities as detailed.
• Deliver high quality support and advice by maintaining effective working relationships with key service stakeholders and users to the schools for a range of IT systems and services, many of which are business critical.
• Project manage and technically deliver all new builds/modifications/upgrades/overhauls to the System and provide leadership and guidance for System Engineers on installation, maintenance, configuration and support of servers and storage in DCS Hubs and MOD Schools and settings.
• Maintaining, updating and managing all technical documentation, including knowledge bases and configuration design documentation. Ensuring that all documents are current, up to date and available to maintain the System Security Accreditation process.
• Any additional duties supporting SO1 ICT System and Strategy and the wider IT support team when required.

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

Person specification

The post holder will be required to hold the following essential knowledge and experience:

• Evidence of excellent and broad, practical and theoretical knowledge of Information and Communication Technology; architecture, installation and administration.
• Knowledge of project management in a complex and dispersed network environment.
• An in depth understanding of IT technologies, Office Productivity, Microsoft based operating systems and applications such as: Building, managing and deployment of Server 2022 and above, Windows 10 and above, Office 365; Firewalls, Switch configurations, Anti Malware solutions, Active Directory, wireless and wired networks, TCP/IP, Mobile Device Management solutions, Azure AD and Microsoft 365.
• An understanding of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and project management methodology
• Significant successful experience of ICT systems management, including running customer-facing services in a modern WAN environment and managing a range of stakeholders.
• Experience of change management ideally experienced in Change Management/ Advisory Board.
• Strong ICT team leadership skills, including the ability to both lead and support.
• Hands-on experience with computer networks, network development and administration.
• Evidence of successful experience managing software testing and integration.
• Experience of working with partner organisations in the delivery of objectives.
• Evidence and experience of managing conflict between different stakeholders, in particular where there may be different requirements and expectations.
• Evidence of commitment to roles undertaken and ownership of the outcomes achieved.
• The ability to interpret, model and articulate a strong vision for service quality and continuous improvement.
• The ability to challenge and negotiate with schools over their requirements, manage expectations and meet the requirements and demands of different stakeholders.
• Experience of using Microsoft Office applications and the competence to exploit the full potential of Office 365.
• The ability to perform effectively within a team and ensure all team members operate in a professional manner with issues dealt with promptly.
• Evidence of the following functional skills: application support, customer service support, incident management, information security, IT infrastructure, project management, relationship management, security administration, service level management, storage management and systems development management.

Desirable Qualifications

A relevant IT Service Management qualification such as ITIL4.

Personal Qualities

The Senior Systems Engineer ROW will possess excellent communication skills and be able to develop and maintain a good working relationship with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders. They will adopt an innovative and flexible approach to solving problems, be a self-motivator who can demonstrate initiative and be able to manage to strict and demanding deadlines.

You will have high standards of professional integrity, be resilient, determined, confident and energetic. They will be committed to the delivery of excellent customer service, with the ability to adapt the approach as the situation demands and be able to develop a knowledge of a range of subjects.

The post holder will be an inclusive leader and be visible, approachable and accessible. They will be an excellent coach and mentor.

Other Duties

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

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

• Problem Management
• Continual Service Improvement

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,720, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,927 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.

Other benefits for Army civil servants include:

• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Highly competitive pension scheme
• Personal and professional development of skills
• Alternative working patterns for many roles
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
• Learning and Development

We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference, and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. This includes working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking a modern apprenticeship as part of your role.

A modern apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training. Through the schemes available you will gain a professional qualification, practical experience, and the broader skills required to develop in your current role and pave the way for your future career.

Discover My Benefits:

Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD. https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/

This post offers full relocation allowances subject to availability. Cost of Living Overseas Allowances is payable based on personal circumstances and marital status.

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.

This is an established MOD post within SHAPE which is a NATO base. Due to the provision of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) any Non-Married dependent/partner will not be eligible for either NATO medical/dental facilities or Service Furnished Accommodation (SFA).

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, Experience and Technical skills.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

• CV
• Personal Statement - (maximum 1000 words) should demonstrate the relevant skills and experience that detail how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job advert, including examples of evidence.
• Behaviours - Making Effective Decisions and Managing a Quality Service.
• Technical - Infrastructure operations engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework This role is aligned to the Senior Infrastructure Operations Engineer role in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework and we will assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
  • Problem Management
  • Continual Service Improvement

Applications will be sifted using the above that have been chosen for this campaign, but in the event of there being a high number of applications, a sift will be conducted on the lead behaviour 'Making effective decisions' only.

At interview stage you will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Communicating & Influencing
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical - Infrastructure operations engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework Questions will be asked at interview stage against these two technical skills.

• Problem Management
• Continual Service Improvement

Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed and will be held in person. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigation's can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

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.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.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 : Lindsey Spooner
• Email : RC-DCS-HQ-Recruitment@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam1@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document attached.

Attachments

20241009 - Further Information - External (2) Opens in new window (docx, 34kB)