DIO – Graduate Development Surveyor

Job summary

Do you want to work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and play a key role in keeping our country safe through caring for the Defence estate and those that depend on it? DIO manages the Defence estate, one of the UK’s largest and most diverse property portfolios, enabling the armed forces and Defence civilians to live, work, train and deploy. From net carbon-zero accommodation to runways for the F35 fighter jets, our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe!

We are looking for a suitably qualified individual seeking to develop their career and to achieve their Royal Institute Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accreditation to join our Estates Team. If you are interested in working client-side with Military colleagues on one of the largest estates in the country and/or across an extensive overseas portfolio, and you are motivated by the prospect of working on a diverse range of exciting, interesting and often-challenging projects of National interest in support of the UK Defence Mission, then the DIO Estates Team is for you!

The successful candidate will experience a unique opportunity within the surveying field. Whilst undertaking your surveying role you will also gain a wide range of on-the-job training and experience to assist you in achieving your RICS accreditation. The successful candidate will be included in our Estates Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) programme providing guidance and training from our network of planners and property professionals and support from our in-house Counsellors and Assessors.

The Role

DIO Estates have a vacancy for a Graduate surveyor to join our Acquisition and Disposal (A&D) Team. This is an exciting opportunity to join our nationwide network of highly skilled surveyors, and we are looking for a motivated and suitability qualified individual who have an understanding and strong interest in planning and development to join our established team. The successful candidate will work closely with military and civilian colleges delivering exciting, varied planning activities, programmes, and subject matter professional advice.

As a Graduate Surveyor, you will undertake your APC with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) via the 24-month structured route and you will successfully achieve your goal of Chartered Surveyor status (MRICS) with us whilst gaining valuable on the job training and work experience.

Job description

Main Responsibilities

Graduate Surveyor roles within Estates work, assist and support on a wide range of programmes and services alongside the provision of subject matter expert advice and communications with all key stakeholders.

The work is extremely varied and wide ranging, but key activities for the roles are:

• Maximising capital receipts through the sale of land and property which is surplus to MOD operational requirements.

• Supporting with identifying suitable planning and disposal strategies which optimise value from assets which are surplus to MOD need whilst also achieving value for money for the taxpayer.

• Supporting work with obtaining planning certainty for disposal sites including but not limited to obtaining pre-application advice; securing site allocations within emerging Local Plans; and the preparation and submission of planning applications.

• Supporting with the disposal of surplus sites through a variety of different methods including partnering arrangements, auctions and private treaty.

• Working with the Accommodation Team to improve the supply and provision of military accommodation.

• Engaging with range of internal and external stakeholders to support the planning and disposal work.

• Working closely with the Site Closure team to ensure disposal sites are ready to be handed over to the purchaser on completion of any given sale.

• Data and financial monitoring and management.

The MOD Estate is wide and varied, on this unique Estate variety is certain and no two days will be the same! The breadth of work on offer is exceptional with opportunities to get involved in a wide range of projects across the UK to enable Defence capability.

By joining our Graduate programme, you will work in a team of surveyors and property specialists. As you progress throughout your programme you will be given more responsibility and become a key member of the team, with the full support and guidance from an expert Chartered Surveyor’s, wider teams and Estates APC Support programme throughout your APC journey.

Working with your APC Supervisor and Counsellor, successful candidates will have individual training plans put in place for you to ensure that you are able to get the right mix of work and breadth of experience required to complete your Assessment of Professional Competence to become a Chartered Surveyor.

The successful graduate will be expected to start in September 2026.

At the conclusion of the graduate scheme, you'll participate in a progression panel designed to review your development, experience, and technical capability. Subject to successful assessment, you’ll progress to the Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grade, marking a key milestone in your Civil Service career and positioning you for long-term success in a role that reflects your strengths and potential.

Please review the Graduate candidate pack attached to this advert for further information with regards to the role and the Estates department.

Location

The role can be based at either Andover or Catterick. The successful candidate will be expected to regularly attend their chosen location for learning, face-to-face meetings and collaboration. The role will involve regular travel to sites within their region and occasionally UK wide for meetings and/or site inspections.

All sites will be considered whilst ensuring the location of the successful candidate can still meet the business and travel requirements of the role. Work location will be agreed once the successful candidate has been selected. Please confirm your preferred location on your application form.

If travelling outside your base location for duty reasons, you will have access to flights, hire cars, rail tickets and overnight accommodation. You can also claim 45 pence per mile should you choose to use your own vehicle for business travel.

DIO Business Area – Estates

The Defence estate is one of the largest landholdings in the UK and covers an estimated 1.8% of the UK land mass (200,000+ ha). This is complemented by a significant UK Defence presence overseas.

Estates are the in-house real estate team within the DIO (part of the UK Ministry of Defence) supporting infrastructure needs across a high-profile Public Estate. We acquire, manage, safeguard, and dispose of Defence real estate. Our unique customer knowledge and insight of the Defence Estate enables our in-house team of property professionals to provide in-depth advice to our Military customers.

The Team

Acquisitions and Disposals (A&D) is the in-house Estates team responsible for disposing of all surplus MOD land and property to realise capital receipts for re-investment in the retained MOD estate. The team manages an extensive pipeline of sites for disposal supporting major infrastructure programmes. The team also acquire land and property for MOD projects when required.​

Person specification

Essential Experience:

An understanding of property, planning and development, including a basic knowledge of:

• Planning and the planning system

• Acquisition and disposal process

• Stakeholder engagement

Desirable Experience:

• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office

Desirable Licence

• Driving Licence: Post holders will be required to travel to the sites covered by the post on a regular basis and some sites are difficult to access via public transport.

Essential Qualifications

To be eligible for our graduate vacancy you must meet one of the below criteria:

Undergraduate Eligibility Criteria

We are looking for candidates who hold:

- Hold a RICS accredited property degree in Commercial / Corporate Real Estate at 2:2 or above awarded within the last 2 years or will have achieved one by the 7th September 2026.

Please note your qualification must be fully complete and awarded by the 7th September 2026.

Before applying, please check your degree is RICS Accredited via: https://www.ricscourses.org

Post Graduate Eligibility Criteria

We are looking for candidates who:

- Hold a RICS‑accredited Master’s degree in Commercial or Corporate Real Estate. You may apply if you are in your final trimester and are waiting for your final award, as long as you can provide a transcript showing all completed results with only the final credits pending. You must be able to provide confirmation of your full award by 7 September 2026.

Before applying, please check your Masters’ is RICS Accredited via: https://www.ricscourses.org

We encourage you to apply using your predicted grades. If you are successful at interview, you will receive a conditional offer based on those grades. You must then provide evidence of your final achieved grade or a full transcript as part of your pre‑employment checks by 7 September 2026. A formal offer will only be issued once this evidence has been received, and your employment is expected to begin in September 2026. Please note that if you do not achieve your Master’s degree with at least a pass, or if you cannot provide evidence of your final grade by 18th December 2026, your contract will be terminated.

Please Note:
- if you already hold Chartered status with the RICS you are not eligible to apply for this position.
- Please include all detail of your completed or working towards qualification including University Name, course name, obtained or predicted grades and award dates, as if your application does not include full details, it may be removed from the application process, and your application will be rejected.

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.

Qualifications

Essential Qualification

To be eligible for our graduate vacancy you must meet one of the below criteria:

Undergraduate Eligibility Criteria

We are looking for candidates who hold:

- Hold a RICS accredited property degree in Commercial / Corporate Real Estate at 2:2 or above awarded within the last 2 years or will have achieved one by the 7th September 2026.

Please note your qualification must be fully complete and awarded by the 7th September 2026.

Before applying, please check your degree is RICS Accredited via: https://www.ricscourses.org

Post Graduate Eligibility Criteria

We are looking for candidates who:

- Hold a RICS‑accredited Master’s degree in Commercial or Corporate Real Estate. You may apply if you are in your final trimester and are waiting for your final award, as long as you can provide a transcript showing all completed results with only the final credits pending. You must be able to provide confirmation of your full award by 7 September 2026.

Before applying, please check your Masters’ is RICS Accredited via: https://www.ricscourses.org

We encourage you to apply using your predicted grades. If you are successful at interview, you will receive a conditional offer based on those grades. You must then provide evidence of your final achieved grade or a full transcript as part of your pre‑employment checks by 7 September 2026. A formal offer will only be issued once this evidence has been received, and your employment is expected to begin in September 2026. Please note that if you do not achieve your Master’s degree with at least a pass, or if you cannot provide evidence of your final grade by 18th December 2026, your contract will be terminated.

Please Note:
- if you already hold Chartered status with the RICS you are not eligible to apply for this position.
- Please include all detail of your completed or working towards qualification including University Name, course name, obtained or predicted grades and award dates, as if your application does not include full details, it may be removed from the application process, and your application will be rejected.

Behaviours

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

• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Technical: Government Property Profession Career Framework: 1: Property Professional Expertise – Awareness Level

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,730, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,771 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service.
• 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.
• Successful candidates will become members of the Government Property Profession, with benefits including opportunities for Government and industry led CPD events; access to a diverse community of property professionals across government for sharing knowledge and ideas; and a comprehensive career framework and learning and development curriculum to support your career journey.

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.

To learn more about our full range of benefits, view our Candidate Information Guide attached.

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.

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.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework and Government Property Career Framework (In particular page 14-16 provides detail to the technical skills) to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.

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

A pre sift will be conducted to ensure that all applicants meet the essential qualification criteria, therefore please ensure that you include the following detail:

• Name of University

• Name of Degree or Master’s course

• Date of award or anticipated date of award

• Final award grade or anticipated grade

Should this information not be fully provided your application may be withdrawn from the process.

At application you will be assessed against the following:

Experience:

• CV including Job History, Full Qualification Details and Previous Skills & Experience: Please ensure that you explain all skills and experience that are relevant to the advertised role as detailed within the Essential experience within the personal specification section of the advert.

Personal Statement

Please use relevant examples to demonstrate your understanding of property, planning and development including:

• Planning and the planning system

• Acquisition and disposal process

• Stakeholder engagement

Please also provide examples of the following personal qualities:

• Strong interest in property, planning and development with the desire to continue to a career in this field.

• Good interpersonal skills

• An analytical and focused approach to work

• Having a real interest in the job and fulfilling your potential with a willingness to learn
• Demonstrates initiative.

Please try to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the role responsibilities. This statement is your opportunity to give examples of how you fit the requirements of the role.

At interview you will be assessed against:

Essential Experience:

An understanding of property, planning and development, including a basic knowledge of:

• Planning and the planning system

• Acquisition and disposal process

• Stakeholder engagement

Behaviour:

• Working Together

Technical:

Government Property Profession Career Framework

• 1: Property Professional Expertise: Awareness Level

We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn't always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months

Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing 13th April 2026.

Interviews are currently taking place via Face to Face or remotely through a digital platform, this will be confirmed with the successful candidates who are invited to an interview and will be conducted week commencing 20th April 2026.

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

Once all interviews have taken place, we will make provisional offers to the successful candidates in January 2026 and begin your pre-employment checks. Please be aware these checks can take several months to complete; however, we will remain in contact throughout the process.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

To assist with your application please find attached below:

1. DIO Candidate Information Guide
2. Government Property Career Framework
3. Graduate Candidate Pack

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.

For help and support with your application check out our Civil Service Careers Homepage and the How to apply section

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 : Clare Bromilow
• Email : DIOEstates-Recruitment@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-AMO@mod.gov.uk

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