Army Safety, Health, Environmental and Fire Advisor

Job summary

JMC Southeast are a stand-alone Joint Military Command (JMC) with a fully integrated range of staff including Regular Army, Civil Service, Army Reservists and Aspire contractors. The HQ’s maintain the Army’s interests in the South-East, including the Isle of Wight. The HQ’s focus is on the four pillars of ‘UK Operations’, ‘Firm Base’, ‘Engagement’ and ‘Cadets.’ The breadth of it’s responsibilities is wide and multifaceted, from assurance of the Field Army to command of UK Resilience Operations, all tasks that underpin the success of the Army at Home and on Operations.

JMC South East enables the delivery of the Firm Base in support to the Army. The Firm Base is the Army infrastructure which supports the Lived Experience of our Service Personnel and their families who live there. The Headquarters deliver Real Life Support to Units within the region. It is also responsible for engagement with the civilian community, employer’s, and act as the proponent for UK Resilience in times of need.

This is an exciting time within our Headquarters, whilst continuing to delivery operational outputs to our dependent units, military personnel, and their families.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

You will work closely with units, providing expert advice, conducting audits, supporting governance processes, and monitoring environmental performance to manage risk and promote sustainable practices. Operating both independently and as part of a wider SHEF team, the role contributes directly to maintaining the Army’s Firm Base and improving the lived experience of personnel and their families through effective environmental management.

Main Role Responsibilities:

• Oversee Environmental Protection (EP) management across the JMC Area of Responsibility (AoR), providing assurance of compliance to the Commander and delivering guidance to Regular, Reserve, and Cadet units.
• Support the development and review of the Commander’s SHEF Statement (Intent, Organisation, and Arrangements) and contribute to the Annual SHEF Delivery Plan, ensuring EP requirements are fully integrated.
• Monitor and assist units in progressing EP-related objectives and targets within their SHEF Delivery Plans, ensuring continuous improvement and compliance.
• Conduct EP elements of Army Safety and Environmental Management Systems Audits (ASEMSA), producing reports, tracking corrective actions, identifying trends, and maintaining records on ARMS2.
• Coordinate and collate reports and returns, including Utilities Data and Environmental Management Systems for Army Sites (EMSAS), in line with Army Safety Centre requirements.
• Support governance processes by organising and contributing to SHEF meetings, assurance boards, and safety panels, including acting as Secretary where required.
• Deliver and support EP training across the AoR, including conducting Training Needs Analysis and addressing capability gaps in line with training requirements.
• Provide advice on EP risks, supporting units to implement mitigation measures and achieve ALARP, including supporting Climate Impact Risk Assessment Methodology (CIRAM).
• Act as the focal point for Sustainable Development (SD), monitoring performance, promoting initiatives, and tracking environmental trends through systems such as DURALS.
• Liaise with and visit units to support improvement plans, prioritising workload effectively while providing clear information and recommendations to support senior decision-making.
• Maintain membership of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), and the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

If you are looking for an opportunity to grow your knowledge, develop your understanding, whilst working in an inclusive environment, then this is the post for you!

Courses to be completed once in role:
Functional Competences

• The Health, Safety & Environmental Protection Competence Framework issued in April 2015 has 4 groups of competences.
  • EO SHEF is to use Group 3 and should be at Level 2 or 3 at Competence Level.
• There are 7 competences within Group 2 listed below as Essential (E) and Desirable (D). SE 3.1 - Providing Advice and Support Practitioner (E)
  • SE 3.2 - Writing Guidance Practitioner (E)
  • SE 3.3 - Conducting Risk Assessments Practitioner (E)
  • SE 3.4 - Conducting Audits and Inspections Practitioner (E)
  • SE 3.5 - Incident Reporting and Investigation Practitioner (D)
  • SE 3.6 - Emergency Response Practitioner (D)
  • SE 3.7 - Training Practitioner (E)

Person specification

Are you a confident individual, with experience of working in the Health and Safety environment, able to work remotely on occasions under your own initiative. Someone who can exercise good judgement, knowledge, and evidence, providing accurate, timely and practical advice and direction whilst sharing their knowledge and experience? You will learn new skills whilst working at pace, as the Headquarters grows and establishes itself in its new role.

Essential Skills Required:

• Practical understanding of environmental protection, compliance, and safety management systems
• Ability to interpret policy and translate it into practical, operational guidance.
• Ability to communicate clearly with diverse audiences (military, civil service, contractors), both in writing and verbally
• Confidence working with multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to manage workload independently, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast paced environment.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,740, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,905 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
• Pension contribution: 28.97%
• 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
• On-site gym
• On site diner and coffee shop

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.

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.

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 and Experience.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Personal Statement - of no more than 500 words detailing how you meet the essential skills criteria
• Behaviour - Communicating & Influencing
• Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions

Where a large number of applications are received, an initial sift will be conducted based on the evidence you provide in support of Communicating & Influencing.

The remaining elements will only be reviewed if you are successful at this initial sift.

At interview stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Behaviour - Changing & Improving
• Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service
• Behaviour - Working Together.

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 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. There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

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. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It 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 mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

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.

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 : Mark Edmonds
• Email : Mark.Edmonds217@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.