Burnham Lecturer

Job summary

Vacancy exist for a Burnham Lecturer (BL)

Organisation: Academic Principles Organisation (APO)

Location: Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering (DSAE), RAF Cosford

Working Hours: Monday-Thursday: 08:30-17:00 , Friday: 08:30-16:30, 37 hours per week

Have you ever considered teaching in a dynamic, inclusive, engineering training environment? Do you have the desire and ability to deliver the underpinning principles for electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering within the thrilling context of the Royal Air Force’s engineering profession? If so, we have a fantastic opportunity for you to join a modern teaching organisation dedicated to shaping the future of Defence engineering. You will work in a structured, collaborative environment with a regular working schedule, supporting students through a comprehensive and rewarding educational experience. This is a civilian role, but one that benefits from the values, discipline, and purpose of a military training environment; making it ideal for candidates from educational, vocational, or training backgrounds.

Why Join Us?

• A fulfilling lecturing role in a structured and professional setting.
• The opportunity to shape the education of future aviation engineers.
• A collaborative, inclusive environment with a regular weekday schedule.
• A chance to bring fresh perspectives and expertise from the civilian education sector into a dynamic training organisation.

What we are Looking For:

We welcome applications from experienced Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educators. While experience in a military environment is not required, an understanding of structured training systems and an ability to work with diverse teams are essential.

Job description

You will join the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering (DSAE) and will play a vital role in delivering training programmes designed to transform RAF personnel into competent and inspired Engineering Technicians. Our Burnham Lecturer roles offer interesting, demanding and rewarding opportunities to shape and nurture the next generation of Technicians, Supervisors and Managers, helping to prepare them for demanding operational roles. You will train RAF Engineering Apprentices and International Defence Training students on a City & Guilds level 3 Technician course. There will also be opportunity to teach STEM and Management topics on the department's level 5 Foundation Degree programme to prospective engineering officers. We are planning to increase the programme to a 2-year level 6 BEng Degree. Applicants should be qualified to deliver from the following range of subjects: Engineering Management, Materials, Science, Mathematics, Electrical Principles, Aerodynamics, Avionics, CAD, Engineering Drawing.

As a Burnham Lecturer you are specifically responsible for;

Preparing before starting an instructional period to ensure that training areas, lesson plans, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) content and supporting course resources (tools, hand-outs, training aids etc) are in a serviceable condition.

Undertaking regular Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to address developmental goals and maintain currency with the latest Technology Enabled Learning (TEL) systems available.

Making an active contribution to the Continuous Improvement of the School and its outputs, by proactively highlighting potential improvements.

Taking responsibility for ensuring that the conduct, punctuality, discipline, dress standards and safety of all students meet the required standards.

Ensuring student and course documentation/administration is completed.

Ensuring compliance with responsibilities to students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) and engaging with the Learning Support Coordinator as required.

Undertaking additional lessons (within contracted hours) with the trainees, either as Additional Trade Training or Extra Trade Training.

Remaining current in Instructional Techniques (IT), and personally arranging for IT and lesson Content Monitoring (CM) observations to be undertaken by training supervisors within the school.

Assisting the Examinations Manager to review any examination questions that are not valid and highlighting any discrepancies where evident.

The Ministry of Defence offers flexibility to enable a better work-life balance for employees. Alternative Working Patterns, in accordance with policy, can be considered where it can be accommodated by the business, but there may be occasions when a presence on site during standard working hours may be required. All working patterns and flexibility are subject to agreement with the Line Manager.

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 ideal candidate should be a great communicator with the ability to effectively describe complicated ideas to different audiences. You must be well organised, proficient in time management, and have excellent public speaking skills. You'll be required to be both proactive and reactive, assessing the skills and knowledge within the group and determining what training is needed to grow and nurture these individuals.

We are seeking candidates with an electrical/electronic specialisation and/or a mechanical specialisation, supporting studies or management topics.

Associated duties include:

• Maintaining, developing and reviewing training packages.
• Act as a lead role as Subject Advisor (SA).
• Propose/identify new training aids.
• Complete Quality Self Audits.
• Undertake other departmental projects.
• Operate Ground Training Aid equipment and maintain currency in local engineering authorisations.
• The lecturer may have Line Management and Reporting Officer responsibilities for appropriate staff in the APO organisation.

Essential Qualifications:

Entry requirements to the BL Group will normally be a minimum of a degree in a STEM subject or a Management/Education degree and an extensive background in STEM subjects. Exceptionally, candidates with significant experience of delivery may be allowed entry with Level 4 qualifications but should be supported to obtain level 5 if practicable.

In addition to this, a teaching qualification that equates to at least level 5 on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) i.e., Cert Ed, is required. (The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is at level 6 on the QCF and is desirable.) In exceptional circumstances, individuals may be recruited to the BL Group without such a teaching qualification. In this case there should be an agreement as part of the job offer that a teaching qualification will be undertaken and should be completed within two standard academic years. Successful achievement of the qualification is a requirement to retain employment.

Qualifications

Entry requirements to the BL Group will normally be a minimum of a degree in a STEM subject or a Management/Education degree and an extensive background in STEM subjects. Exceptionally, candidates with significant experience of delivery may be allowed entry with Level 4 qualifications but should be supported to obtain level 5 if practicable.

In addition to this, a teaching qualification that equates to at least level 5 on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) i.e., Cert Ed, is required. (The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is at level 6 on the QCF and is desirable.) In exceptional circumstances, individuals may be recruited to the BL Group without such a teaching qualification. In this case there should be an agreement as part of the job offer that a teaching qualification will be undertaken and should be completed within two standard academic years. Successful achievement of the qualification is a requirement to retain employment.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others

Technical skills

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

• Lesson delivery

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• Alternative working patterns are offered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with business need.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Teachers Pension Scheme occupational pension.
• 30 days annual leave per annum pro-rata. In addition to 8 x Public and 1 Privilege Holidays per year.
• Access to RAF Cosford sport and leisure facilities, subject to completion of the local registration/induction process and payment of a small annual fee.
• Free onsite car parking.
• Excellent road/rail links.
• Onsite shop/cafe facilities.

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package.

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/

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.

Candidates will be sifted and interviewed against the Civil Service Success Profiles listed. They must also be able to demonstrate their ability to meet the requirements of the BL Management Practices Document by holding a Cert Ed or equivalent and a relevant degree, or equivalent, in a STEM subject or either a Management or an Education degree and an extensive background in STEM subjects. Exceptionally, candidates with significant experience of delivery may be allowed entry with Level 4 qualifications but should be supported to obtain level 5 if practicable.

Applicants called for interview will be required to deliver a short 15-minute lesson on the Technical skills profile. This will be followed by a formal 45-minute interview on the Success Profile behaviours, qualifications and experience against the job specification.

Candidates are required to submit the following at application, which will be assessed by the selection panel under the Experience success profile:

• Curriculum Vitae.
• Statement of Suitability.
• Evidence against each Civil Service Behaviour listed.

At interview, candidates will be assessed on behaviours and technical skills.

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

For application and interview candidates should please use the guidance within the linked Civil Service Success Profiles framework (for Burnham Lecturers the Civil Service Behaviours are at Level 3 - SEO/MOD Band C2 equivalents) and the Situation-Task-Action-Result (S-T-A-R) format to articulate their experience.

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 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.

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 standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.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 : Mr Nigel Stuart, Senior Burnham Lecturer Apprenticeships, Academic Principles Organisation
• Email : Nigel.Stuart100@mod.gov.uk
• Telephone : 03001687149 / 03033887459

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Please see Further Information document attached.

Attachments

20190708_BL_MPD_and_Functional_Competence_Framework_Signed Opens in new window (pdf, 264kB)20240408-No2 SofTT-Bk1_Chp5_Order1505 - APO BL Opens in new window (pdf, 212kB)20230201 - Air Command's Applicant Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 499kB)20241009 - Further Information - External Opens in new window (docx, 35kB)