Defence Commercial Apprenticeship Programme

Job summary

Join the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Commercial Function and be part of something bigger. You’ll help ensure the goods and services our Armed Forces rely on are delivered efficiently, legally, and with real value for money.

From sourcing everyday essentials like ration packs and accommodation, to supporting major programmes like aircraft and infrastructure, no two days are the same. It’s a unique portfolio you won’t find anywhere else.

As an apprentice, you’ll learn on the job and support real procurement and contract management activity while gaining a recognised qualification. You’ll build skills, confidence and responsibility as you develop.

You’ll be part of a professional, supportive team, contributing to meaningful work from day one. If you want a career with purpose, challenge and progression, this is your opportunity.

Job description

The Defence Commercial Apprenticeship Programme is a structured development programme lasting up to 2.5 years, and aims to develop apprentices into professional commercial officers with the capability to manage the MOD's innovative and demanding commercial business activities.

Apprenticeship

You will be enrolled on the Level 4 Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner apprenticeship, aligned to the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) which is the recognised professional standard in procurement and supply, and is equivalent to a first year of an undergraduate degree. Further information on the apprenticeship standard can be found here: Procurement and supply chain practitioner / Skills England

The apprenticeship is delivered through a combination of on-the-job training, eLearning, mentor support, and self-study, to provide apprentices with the technical knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a commercial professional working in government.

You will receive:

• Protected time for off‑the‑job learning during work hours
• Study leave to prepare for exams
• On‑the‑job coaching and mentoring from experienced commercial professionals
• Exposure to procurement, contract management, and supplier engagement
• Support to prepare for your End Point Assessment
• MOD-specific learning and development.

On successful completion of the apprenticeship and your End Point Assessment, you will be expected to have developed the capability required to operate at Executive Officer (Band D) standard and you will be offered a permanent contract of employment if positions are available.

Responsibilities

With support and supervision from experienced commercial professionals, you will:

• Support and contribute to procurement and contract management activity across the commercial lifecycle, including pre sourcing, sourcing, contract award and contract management stages
• Assist with compliant procurement activity, including the use of frameworks and e sourcing systems, preparation of documentation, evaluations and supplier communications
• Support the development and maintenance of sourcing and commercial strategies for lower value, lower risk requirements, in line with MOD policy and guidance
• Apply MOD commercial policy, procedures and governance requirements to routine commercial activity, with support from senior colleagues
• Assist with contract management activities, including performance monitoring, governance, change control and accurate record keeping
• Collect, collate and analyse commercial, spend and supplier data to support informed decision making and assurance activity
• Contribute to the identification and management of commercial and contractual risks and issues, escalating complex or high risk matters appropriately
• Use commercial systems and tools accurately to maintain records and support audit and assurance requirements
• Work with a range of internal stakeholders and suppliers, building effective working relationships and supporting effective delivery
• Contribute to continuous improvement and learning activity within the team, applying learning from the apprenticeship in the workplace

Decision making authority will increase as capability develops; however, accountability for final commercial decisions will remain with supervising officers throughout the apprenticeship.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Applicants must be willing to undertake the Level 4 Procurement and Supply Apprenticeship and must:

• Have the right to work in England and spend a minimum of 50% of your working hours in England.
• Not be in full-time education or another apprenticeship program once the apprenticeship starts.
• Not hold a qualification in Procurement and Supply at a higher level than Level 4
• Be self-motivated, committed to learning, and eager to build a long-term Civil Service career
• Demonstrate the ability to interpret and apply guidance accurately in practical scenarios.
• Be highly organised, able to prioritise tasks and manage your time effectively
• Have clear written and verbal communication skills
• Be proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and comfortable with emerging technologies.
• Be proactive and solutions-focused, with strong teamwork and collaboration skills

Please be aware that you are required to hold the qualifications stated as required and that unless otherwise stated in the advert a higher-level qualification cannot be accepted in lieu of the lower (E.G. and English Language A Level cannot replace the GCSE if the GCSE is not at the required grade).

Please see the guide for acceptable equivalents – What qualification levels mean: England, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qua…) and (https://scqf.org.uk/media/e5pjypw4/qccb-web-oct-2019.pdf) for Scotland.
Evidence of the above qualifications will be required as part of your pre-employment checks before a formal offer can be made.

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.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold the following qualifications to be eligible to apply for this vacancy:

1) English and Maths at Level 2 or equivalent (e.g., GCSE Grade C/4 or Functional Skills).
2) 2 x A-levels or NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.

Applicants with predicted grades should check that when asked 'if they have the mandatory grades' they tick YES, otherwise their application will automatically be rejected.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

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

• Delivering at Pace

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 (opens in a new window).

• Fully funded apprenticeship and professional qualification in procurement and supply
• Funded membership to the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• 25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service, + public holidays.
• Employee Assistance Programme to support your wellbeing
• Discounts and savings with a wide variety of services and retailers available through the Defence Discount and Blue Light Card schemes.
• A Civil Service pension.
• An opportunity to be considered for Reward and Recognition - £250-£5000 per year.

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/

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. 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.

Hybrid Working

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). DBS cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

This post does not offer relocation expenses.

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.

Stage 1 - Application
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a 250-word example for Delivering at Pace. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive links to complete the Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT), Numerical Reasoning Test (NRT) and Verbal Reasoning Test (VRT). These tests must be completed as part of the initial stage of the application process, and before the end of the closing date. Late submissions cannot be accepted. Please note these tests are NOT timed.

Stage 2 – Sift
We aim to release sift results to applicant’s before 1st August 2026. Depending on the volume of applications, these dates may be subject to change.

Stage 3 – Interviews (August 2026)
All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will be invited to undertake our virtual assessment centre, comprised of a 5-minute presentation and a behaviours-based interview. The assessment centre is planned to take place in August 2026.

Stage 4 – Provisional Offers (September 2026)
We will offer based on order of merit to the number of roles available.

Stage 5 – Onboarding (September - January 2027)
All pre-employment checks will take place to ensure you evidence our minimum selection and eligibility criteria to undertake a role within the MOD. If all are successful, we will provide a formal offer of employment.

Stage 6 – Induction (February 2027)
This programme is expected to start in February 2027.

As part of the next stage of the recruitment process, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be using a specialist recruitment partner to support candidate assessment activities, including application sifting and assessment centre delivery.

To enable this, we will share relevant information from your application with our recruitment partner. Your information will only be used for the purposes of recruitment and selection for this vacancy and will be handled in accordance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and MOD data protection requirements.

Candidates deemed suitable at sift for the Apprenticeship Programme will then be invited to an Assessment Centre which will be managed and administered by our specialist recruitment partner, and will be delivered as a virtual/online solution.

Access to the Virtual Assessment Centre platform will be provided to candidates in advance of their assessment day. Candidates will need to find a quiet, private space to undertake the assessment and are required to be online and on camera for the duration of the assessment event using a stable internet connection.

Pre-requisites

The Assessment Centre is virtual and will be delivered using a specialist platform, and we recommend that it is accessed via a PC or laptop. Candidates will need the following available on their desktop PC or laptop:

• Camera / Webcam
• Mouse & Keyboard
• Microphone (built-in microphone, a USB microphone or online microphone on headphones)
• Speaker or Headphones

There will be no reimbursement for any expenses (where incurred) for the Assessment Centre.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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.

You must have the right of abode in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the EEA (including other countries determined within the EEA or those with bilateral agreements), for at least the previous three years on the first day of learning.

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.

Please note offers of employment are subject to achieving satisfactory pre-employment and security checks. These include an Occupational Health Assessment and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). As part of this you will need to confirm your identity, employment/education history, nationality and any criminal record (unspent convictions only).

The level of security needed is Security Check (SC) and you should usually have been continuously resident in the UK for 5 years immediately before clearance action commences. If you have lived overseas or travelled extensively during this period, it may affect the length of time to obtain full security clearance and this may affect your offer of employment. It is essential that ALL requests for information are completed fully and timely, as incomplete information may result in significant delays. Offers of employment are also subject to candidates achieving acceptable grades where predicted.

If you are a permanent MoD civil servant and are found successful for an advertised Fixed-term Appointment (FTA) you should move into the post under a Temporary Transfer for up to a maximum of 23 months. At the end of the posting, you will return to your previous MoD Business area. If this posting is at a higher grade, your promotion will be temporary, and you will return to your substantive grade at the end of the Temporary Transfer. If a Temporary Transfer cannot be agreed between all parties, then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA and Change of Work Location in the UK policy for further information.

If you are transferring to MoD from another government department (OGD) you should join the MoD on an inward loan. At the end of the loan, you will return to your home (OGD) department. If a loan cannot be agreed between all parties, then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA policy for further information.

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

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 : Defence Commercial Entry Talent Team
• Email : DefComrcl-ExternalRecruitment@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-AMO@mod.gov.uk

Attachments

MOD Privacy Policy Notice Opens in new window (docx, 34kB)Apprenticeship Funding Criteria Opens in new window (pdf, 134kB)Defence Civil Servant Offer Letter External Opens in new window (pdf, 333kB)