DOSR Explosives Safety Lead Auditor

Job summary

The Defence Safety Authority (DSA) is responsible for regulating Defence Health, Safety, and Environmental Protection (HS&EP) under a Charter from the Secretary of State for Defence. As an independent authority, the DSA provides evidence-based assurance to the Secretary of State that Defence complies with regulations and the law, while ensuring HS&EP policies are effectively promoted and implemented. This is achieved through risk-based, proportional, and appropriate assurance of Defence activities.

Within the DSA, the Defence Ordnance, Munitions and Explosives Safety Regulator (DOSR) operates as an independent regulator. DOSR is responsible for overseeing the safety of Ordnance, Munitions, and Explosives (OME), ensuring environmental protection, and regulating the Control of Major Accidents across Defence activities. This work is conducted in line with the Secretary of State’s policy statement, maintaining a robust and effective regulatory regime.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Are you passionate about safety, environmental protection, and making a tangible difference in Defence operations? We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our team as an Explosives Safety Lead Auditor. In this pivotal role, you will assure the in-service safety and environmental protection of Ordnance, Munitions, and Explosives (OME) wherever Defence operates. Leveraging your technical expertise, you will conduct audits, oversight, and surveillance activities to ensure compliance with Defence’s explosives licencing regime. With line management responsibilities, you will lead by example, inspire others, and foster an inclusive and collaborative working environment.

We are looking for a dynamic individual with strong leadership skills and the ability to make evidence-based decisions. You will have excellent communication skills, capable of conveying purpose and direction with clarity and enthusiasm while building strong relationships with the regulated community. A proactive approach to change and innovation is essential, as is a commitment to continuous improvement and learning. Your technical expertise in explosives safety, combined with experience in auditing or assurance activities, will be key to your success in this role. If you are ready to take on this exciting challenge and make a real impact, we would love to hear from you.

Person specification

Responsibilities

• Plan, develop, and deliver explosives safety assurance activities, with a primary focus on conducting audits, oversight, and surveillance of the explosives licencing of Defence facilities.
• Undertake regular multi-day travel to both UK and overseas locations to carry out DOSR business.
• Take enforcement action when necessary, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
• Produce detailed reports on assurance activities undertaken and contribute to the DOSR Annual Assurance Report.
• Support the review and update of associated Defence regulations and guidance to ensure they remain current and effective.
• Report directly to the DOSR Assistant Team Leader - Assurance and provide support to the Regulations and Permissions sections of DOSR.
• Line manage one team member, ensuring effective performance and development within the team.

Essential Qualifications / Experience

• Experience of working with in-service OME is essential, while experience of working in Defence is desirable. Candidates must demonstrate in their personal statement how their existing skills apply to this role.
• Experience of conducting assurance of high-risk, high-hazard activities.

Desirable Qualifications / Experience

• Experience of Defence OME engineering, in-service management, safety, and environmental protection.
• A Lead Auditor qualification.

Please use your Personal Statement to highlight your qualifications and experience in these areas.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• HS&EP Functional Competency – Inspection, Audit and Assurance – Intermediate Level
• HS&EP Functional Competency – Response and Enforcement – Intermediate Level

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 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
• Alternative working practices such as hybrid working
• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Ability to roll over up to 10 days annual leave per year
• In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King’s birthday
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• Minimum of 15 days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period for volunteer military or emergency service reserve commitments
• Special paid leave for volunteering up to 6 days per year
• Employee Assistance Programme to support your wellbeing – a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• On-site gymnasium (for a small monthly fee for membership of Civil Service Sports Club)
• Loan to purchase a Bicycle (Advance on Salary)
• Defence Sports & Recreational Association (DSRA)
• Access to Defence Discount Service & Blue Light Discount
• On-site Nursery (Abbey Wood, Bristol)

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, Experience and Technical skills.

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

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

Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability (maximum 500 word count).

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV and Personal Statement. Successfully sifted candidates will be invited to an interview.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• HS&EP Functional Competency – Inspection, Audit and Assurance – Intermediate Level
• HS&EP Functional Competency – Response and Enforcement – Intermediate Level

If you are invited for interview you will be assessed against your experience and the Civil Service Behaviours and Technical Skills listed.

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

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to 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 : Simon Rose
• Email : simon.rose122@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

20250926-Extract from HSEP Functional Competency Framework Opens in new window (pdf, 288kB)Candidate Information Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)Royal Navy Applicant Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 1601kB)