Deputy Training Safety Officer - Lulworth Ranges

Job summary

As a Deputy Training Safety Officer (DTSO), you’ll play a pivotal role in safeguarding some of the most critical training environments used by today’s armed forces. Working alongside the Training Safety Officer (TSO), you’ll ensure that all facilities supporting Live Firing Marksmanship Training (LFMT), Live Firing Gunnery Training (LFGT), Live Firing Tactical Training (LFTT) and Fieldcraft Training Areas (FTA) are not only compliant — but genuinely safe, effective, and ready for action.

This is a role for someone who thrives on responsibility, precision, and real-world impact. Every inspection you conduct, every regulation you apply, and every assurance you deliver directly contributes to the safety and readiness of military personnel.

While duties may vary by location, your expertise will consistently centre on achieving Practitioner/Expert-level competence within the Defence Ranges Framework, specifically:

Development & Application of Regulation — interpreting and applying the rules that keep training environments safe.
Range Maintenance — ensuring facilities remain operational, compliant, and fit for purpose.
Range Inspection — conducting thorough assessments that identify risks before they become issues.
Range Compliance & Assurance — providing confidence that every activity meets the highest safety standards associated to Safe Place.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

• Support Safe Training Delivery — Assist the TSO in ensuring all training facilities are safe, compliant and ready for use.
• Coordinate UAS (drone) Activity — Help book, deliver and monitor Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) and Visual Line Of Sight (VLOS) Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) operations.
• Advise on Safe Place to Train — Provide clear safety guidance to users, especially UAS operators.
• Deliver Briefings — Support the delivery of essential safety and operational briefings.
• Manage Third Party Income Generation (3PIG) Applications — Assisting in the management of third-party applications
• Act as Duty Officer — Provide on‑call safe-place support to training operations when required.
• Oversee Range Handover — Facilitate safe and smooth handover/takeover of Ranges.
• Maintain Facility Readiness — Report and track infrastructure defects to keep training areas safe and functional.
• Manage Documentation — Maintain risk assessments, Standing Orders and Daily Safety Summaries.
• Support Inspections — Support all mandatory Range and training area inspections.
• Monitor OME & Safety Distances — Ensure compliance with OME holdings and safety distances.
• Issue Safety Instructions — Assist TSO/DTSOs in the distribution of live firing and dry training schedules.
• Protect Civilians & Livestock — Ensure safe access and protection from training‑related hazards.
• Support Air Safety — Assist with Air Safety Management.
• Report Incidents — Record accidents, near misses and incursions in line with policy.
• Coordinate Emergency Drills — Support annual incident/accident practice drills with Emergency Services.
• Monitor Infrastructure Works — Track progress of site works and assesscompletion quality.
• Support Conservation Work — Assist with annual conservation meetings and environmental stewardship.
• Act as Fire Focal Point — Deputise for the TSO in fire safety matters

Person specification

Who are we looking for?

Experience & Knowledge

• Training Safety Experience — Proven experience working in a training, military, range safety or similar high‑risk operational environment.
• UAS Operations Knowledge — Understanding of UAS BVLOS and VLOS activity, including safety considerations and user guidance.
• Safe-Place Briefing Delivery — Confident in delivering safe place, and compliance briefings to diverse user groups.
• Range Operations Understanding — Familiarity with operating within Range Standing Orders (RSOs), OME safety distances, firing points, arcs of fire and WDAs.
• Incident Reporting Skills — Ability to accurately report accidents, near misses, incursions and safety concerns in line with policy.
• Infrastructure Awareness — Experience in identifying, reporting and tracking infrastructure defects or maintenance issues.
• Environmental & Conservation Awareness — Understanding of ecological considerations and environmental protection within training estates.

Skills & Abilities

• Risk Assessment Competence — Ability to produce, review and maintain risk assessments and safety documentation.
• Communication & Advisory Skills — Strong verbal communication skills with the ability to advise users clearly and confidently.
• Decision‑Making Under Pressure — Capable of making sound, safety‑focused decisions, including when acting as Duty Officer.
• Inspection & Compliance Skills — Able to conduct inspections and monitor compliance with RSOs and safety procedures.
• Stakeholder Coordination — Skilled at working with multiple stakeholders, including RAU, Emergency Services, Facility Management (FM) teams and conservation groups.
• Documentation & Record‑Keeping — Strong organisational skills to maintain accurate records, Daily Safety Summaries and Standing Orders.

• Air Safety Management Exposure — Familiarity with ASM processes or enquiries.
• Fire Safety Knowledge — Understanding of fire safety responsibilities, ideally with experience deputising as a Fire Focal Point.

Personal Qualities

• Attention to Detail — Meticulous approach to safety, documentation and inspections.
• Proactive Mindset — Actively identifies risks, improvements and opportunities to enhance safe-place.
• Calm & Professional — Maintains composure and clarity in high‑pressure or safety‑critical situations.
• Team‑Focused — Works collaboratively with TSO, DTSOs and wider estate teams to deliver safe training environments.
• User‑Focused — Committed to supporting training users and ensuring their safety and understanding.

Essential Experience & Skills:

• Exposure to Safety Risk Management (Essential)
• Basic competency in IT (MS Office 365, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and experience of delivering briefs to an audience.
• Experience of working with multiple organisations and Stakeholders.

Licences

Full UK Driving Licence - The Area of Responsibility is spread over a large area and some of its sites are located in remote, rural locations none of which are served by public transport. The post holder during the course of their duties will be expected to self-drive a pool/Range vehicle within/to the locations throughout the year.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

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

• Communicating and Influencing

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).

• 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%

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 office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, 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). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

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.

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; qualification details and previous skills and experience. ​
• A Statement of Suitability. (750 Words) ​

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

• Communicating & Influencing

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

• Communicating & Influencing
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Please provide your evidence using the STAR Technique.

Situation: Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand. Where are you? Who was there with you? What had happened?

Task: The recruitment panel will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in. What was the task that you had to complete and why? What did you have to achieve?

Action: What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information of what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I” rather than “we” to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.

Result: Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures easily understandable. What results did the actions produce? What did you achieve through your actions, and did you meet your goals? Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience? Keep the situation and task parts brief.

Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths. When providing your evidence please ensure that you avoid acronyms and company specific jargon.

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, however, in the event of a significant number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on the lead behaviour of Communicating & Influencing, previous skills and experience.

​Application sifting is provisionally scheduled to take place on week commencing: 10 August 2026

Interviews will take place in person at:

Building 151│Lulworth Camp │Wareham│Dorset│BH20 5QF│

and will be conducted week commencing: 17 August 2026

Please note these dates are subject to change depending on business requirements. ​

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews.

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 : Tony Stirling
• Email : Tony.Stirling102@mod.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07970 228400

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 Pack Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)DIO Candidate Information Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 1963kB)MOD Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Terms and Conditions of Service Opens in new window (docx, 24kB)