DBS DIT-KIB Sensitivity Records Reviewer

Job summary

Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?

Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?

Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.

• Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
• Our Mission - Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability.

DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.

Come and join the DBS community today!

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The Defence Business Services (DBS) Records Review Team, part of the National Armaments Director Group, is a specialist team of records management and sensitivity review professionals responsible for ensuring the Ministry of Defence (MOD) meets its obligations under the Public Records Act and government information management policy.

The team reviews historically significant records to determine whether they should be permanently preserved, transferred to The National Archives or other approved places of deposit, or disposed of in accordance with approved retention schedules. Through this work, the team safeguards the corporate memory of Defence, supports transparency and accountability, and helps preserve the nation's military, operational and policy history for future generations.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a highly skilled team responsible for preserving, protecting and reviewing some of Defence's most significant records, contributing directly to the stewardship of MOD's historical record while ensuring compliance with statutory obligations.

What will the successful candidate be doing?

The Records Review Team sits within DBS Digital, Information and Technology, an organisation of approximately 400 staff delivering information and records management services across Defence.

As a Reviewer, you will work with records of historical significance and varying levels of sensitivity, assessing them for permanent preservation, continued retention or disposal in line with the Public Records Act, Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection legislation and government policy. You will identify records of enduring historical value for transfer to The National Archives and other approved places of deposit, while also determining where sensitive information requires continued protection for national security, legal or operational reasons. Due to the nature of the work, this role is site-based only in Portsmouth.

You will work closely with subject matter experts across Defence, archival partners and external stakeholders to support statutory transfer programmes, apply legislative exemptions, and provide specialist advice on records review, sensitivity assessment, preservation and information management. As part of an operational delivery team, you will contribute to agreed performance targets while helping to ensure Defence's historical records are preserved, protected and accessible for future generations.

Responsibilities include:

• Review MOD paper or electronic records of all classifications, and give direction regarding their permanent preservation, retention, closure, or destruction as appropriate. Complete documentation to justify and account for each decision.
• Provide authoritative direction to the Review team members regarding sensitive material, and authorise retention, destruction or release as required.
• As directed by the team leader, provide authoritative direction to Other Government Departments and partners, regarding residual MOD sensitivities held in their files of all classifications.
• Liaise closely with the department's FOI Manager, advising on sensitivities within retained files and contributing to the completion of the Public Interest Test (PIT).
• Provide authoritative direction to TNA under Section 66 of the FOI Act for the MOD to consider opening records which are currently closed.
• Assist with the annual in-year security report provided by TNA with a view to release files or extracts that are no longer sensitive.
• Assist with processing queries raised by the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives (ACNRA).
• Travel to other MOD sites to offer guidance regarding the retention or disposal of records as appropriate.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• In depth knowledge of the MOD both current and past organisational structures. Knowledge of MOD past UK military operations and political issues 1990 present.
• Knowledge of legal and regulatory frameworks governing record keeping in a public sector environment, for example the Public Records Act, Freedom of Information Act and data protection legislation.
• Experience of being organised with well-developed planning skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to co-ordinate several activities in the same timeframe to tight deadlines.
• The ability to be highly collaborative and flexible within a team to ensure that a range of diverse tasks are completed to a high standard.
• Excellent communication skills both verbally and in written form.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of Nuclear, Northern Ireland or Defence Intelligence related subjects.
• Practical knowledge and experience of working with electronic records systems.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

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 (opens in a new window).

• An environment with flexible working options Monday-Friday
• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service (pro rata). In addition to 8 public holidays per year, you will also receive leave for His Majesty The King’s birthday
• An opportunity to be considered for Reward and Recognition
• Family-friendly policies including - parental leave and adoption leave
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and personal development of skills
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Minimum of 15 days special leave in a rolling 12 month period for volunteer reserve commitments
• Special paid leave to volunteer up to 6 days per year
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.

Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history and previous skills and experience.

Candidates will also be required to provide a Statement of Suitability (500 words max).

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, Statement of Suitability and the following Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, the sift will be conducted on the following success profile elements:

Primary: Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing

Secondary: Career - Previous Skills

In the rare case where individuals have exact matching scores, the order of merit will be determined based on the behaviour scores at interview in the following order:

1 - Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing
2 - Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
3 - Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions

If candidate scores are still exact, the merit order will then be determined on the sift score in the following order:

1 - Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing
2 - Career - Previous Skills
3 - Career - Personal Statement
4 - Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
5 - Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
6 - Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service
7 - Behaviour - Working Together
8 - Career - Job History

Sift start date: Late October

Interviews are currently taking place via the following method: Face to face

Interview start date: Late October/Early November

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.

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 basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 : Paul Smith
• Email : timothy.smith343@mod.gov.uk
• Telephone : 02392725110

Recruitment team

• Email : DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@MOD.gov.uk in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1563kB)Terms and Conditions of Service 1 Opens in new window (docx, 24kB)Candidate Information updated_ Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)