Defence Inquests Unit Secretariat - Higher Executive Officer

Job summary

The Defence Inquests Unit (DIU), established in 2008, is the MOD’s focal point for inquests into the deaths of Serving Personnel, service-related deaths and other MOD related deaths. Its primary function is to ensure Coroners are provided with the evidence and documentation needed to reach informed conclusions and address the concerns of bereaved families.

Working within a small, high-performing team, this role supports effective case management, keeps Ministers informed, and helps the Department respond to associated media interest. DIU operates in a high-profile environment, offering development in Secretariat delivery, stakeholder engagement, and ministerial-facing work.

Organisation:

The Directorate of Judicial Engagement Policy (DJEP) provides a coordinated approach to Judicial Reviews, Claims, Inquiries and Inquests, and serves as the MOD’s centre of expertise on court disclosure, training, and judicial engagement policy.

Before you apply, please note:

• This post is advertised at 37 hours per week.
• The post-holder will be required to work daily with highly sensitive and, at times, distressing material, including detailed accounts of fatalities, medical records, witness evidence and personal information relating to Service personnel and their families. This requires resilience, discretion, professionalism, and strict adherence to MOD’s security, confidentiality and data protection requirements.
• The post-holder may be expected to attend the Caring for Carers Course every 18 months to 2 years due to the nature of the material handled on a regular basis.
• This role requires Security Check (SC) clearance. There may be a requirement to obtain Developed Vetting (DV) clearance once in post, subject to business need. The post-holder must be willing to undergo the appropriate level of national security vetting. Further information on national security vetting requirements can be found on GOV.UK.

Job description

• Act as a central point of coordination and liaison between Coroners, Single Service Secretariats, and wider stakeholders to ensure timely provision of material requested by Coroners.
• To ensure timely visibility of case progress, risks and key milestones, maintain accurate and up-to-date case records, ensuring all relevant records are appropriately stored and managed within SharePoint and other designated systems,
• Provide advice and support on the redaction of sensitive material in line with MOD policy and statutory requirements, providing redaction services as necessary.
• Attend and contribute to internal and external casework meetings, including Single Service Secretariat meetings and Defence Safety Authority forums, providing updates and feedback to the wider team.
• Represent DIUs interests at internal working groups as required, supporting continuous improvement of systems, processes and ways of working.
• Contribute to the preparation and drafting of official correspondence, including responses to Parliamentary Questions, Treat Official correspondence, Freedom of Information requests, and Regulation 28 (Prevention of Future Deaths) responses.
• Undertake financial and administrative duties associated with the role.
• Occasional attendance at Inquests and Pre-Inquest Review Hearings, as the MODs representative. This may require travel and overnight stays.
• Lead on DIU Reporting to key stakeholders.
• Undertake additional ad hoc duties as required to support the wider objectives of DIU and DJEP, including surge support to casework, process improvement activity, and corporate tasks.

Line Management:

• This post may require the line management of one EO.

Person specification

Essential Skills and Experience:

Good IT skills, to include the full Microsoft Office 365 suite and SharePoint

• Strong organisational and record management skills
• Ability to prioritise and manage competing demands effectively
• High attention to detail and accuracy
• Effective communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to work collaboratively and maintain professionalism in a sensitive environment

Previous secretariat/admin experience would be desirable.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

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).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days paid annual leave rising to 30 days on completion of 5 years’ service
• In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King’s birthday
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Special Paid Leave to volunteer up to 5 days a year
• Eligibility for employee discount services
• Free gym access
• Café and shop on site
• London locations may attract an allowance of £3,300 per annum
• Interest free Season Ticket loan and the Cycle to Work Scheme

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, Strengths and Experience.

Please follow the guidance on how to present Behaviours against the specified indicators using the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Applications are sifted and marked on this basis.

Applicants will need to:

• Complete an online CV template to include job history, education and qualifications, and previous experience and skills.
• Provide a personal suitability statement of 750 words on how they meet the essential / desirable criteria, why they are interested in the position, and what skills and strengths they would bring to the team.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, suitability statement and the following behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on your CV, personal statement & the following competency: Managing a Quality Service. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview.

At interview, you will be assessed against Strengths and the following behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Interviews will be held in person at MOD Main Building, Westminster, London. Please note, expenses incurred to attend an in-person interview will not be reimbursed.

We anticipate interviews take place in mid-September.

Please note, feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

If, following interviews, we find we have more suitable candidates than posts being advertised, we may hold those suitable on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

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

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 : Natalie Ford - Senior Secretariat, Defence Inquests Unit
• Email : natalie.ford112@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.

Attachments

Candidate Information Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Defence Internal Brief notice Opens in new window (docx, 43kB)