DSA-MAA-Electronic Systems - ArmSys

Job summary

Part of the Defence Safety Authority (DSA), the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) is the organisation responsible for the regulation, surveillance, inspection and assurance of the Defence Air operating and technical domains. We ensure the safe design and use of military Air Systems.

As the single regulatory authority responsible for regulating all aspects of Air Safety across Defence, the MAA has full oversight of all Defence aviation activities. Through independent audit and continuous surveillance of military aviation, we aim to provide the Secretary of State for Defence (SoS), through Director General DSA (DG DSA), the necessary assurance that appropriate standards of Air Safety are maintained in delivering operational capability. The MAA consists of 4 Divisions, this advertised role sits within the Certification Division (Cert Div).

The Cert Div has responsibility for: developing the regulation for and undertaking certification of all new military Air Systems and major changes as defined by regulation to type designs; developing the regulation for and undertaking assurance of aircraft Programmable Elements, structural, propulsion and systems integrity; the sponsorship, management and maintenance of UK Air System Certification Specification (Defence Standard 00-970); and developing the regulation for and undertaking assurance of ships’ aviation facilities and capabilities, acting as the Naval Authority – Aviation defined in JSP 430.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Join Our Award-Winning Team!

Are you ready to lead a dynamic and highly skilled team? We are proud to be a 3* commendation award-winning organisation, and we are seeking a motivated and experienced engineer to take on the role of Armament Systems (ArmSys) Section Lead.

About the Role

As the ArmSys Section Lead, you will oversee a small but impactful team of two, with line management responsibilities for one HEO. Reporting directly to the Electronic Systems Head of Branch, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of armament systems certification and regulation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Acting as the Project Certification Manager for armament-focused Type Design Changes.
• Providing Subject Matter Expert (SME) advice to other Project Certification Managers on avionics and weapon systems.

What We’re Looking For

This role is ideal for experienced engineers with a strong background in aviation weapon systems and avionics. We value expertise, but we also recognise the importance of growth. If there are areas where you need to develop your skills, we will provide comprehensive training to help you succeed.

Why Join Us?

• Commitment to Development: We actively support Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and professional recognition.
• Collaborative Environment: Be part of a team with a strong ethos of collaboration and excellence.
• Impactful Work: This is your opportunity to make a real difference in a challenging and rewarding role.

We are looking for a standout colleague who is ready to bring their expertise, enthusiasm, and leadership to our team.

Certification

You will provide leadership and management of certification project activities, undertaking the role of both a Project Certification Manager and an Armament Subject Matter Expert.

Your collaborative, analytical, and detail-oriented approach will enable you to identify risks and issues early in a project’s lifecycle. This proactive mindset will help resolve challenges effectively, ensuring safe design and reducing risks to life.

Regulation

You will:

• Scrutinise and provide technical assurance for evidence supporting applications for Alternative Acceptable Means of Compliance (AAMC) in line with Military Aviation Authority (MAA) regulations, making recommendations for approval to the Head of Certification and Regulation (Hd Cert & Reg).
• Develop and maintain regulations for aircraft weapons integration within the Military Air Environment.
• Use your knowledge of regulations and standards to make informed recommendations and contribute innovative ideas for future regulatory development.

Other Duties

• Engage with UK and international military and civilian regulatory bodies, aviation and air safety experts, and technical forums to inform MAA regulatory and assurance activities related to Aircraft Weapons Integration certification and type airworthiness requirements.
• Influence and, where appropriate, direct external research activities to support the development of regulations and design standards for Aircraft Weapons Integration.
• Act as the MAA policy focal point for the MIL-STD-1760 Aircraft/Weapon Interface.
• Serve as the MAA Certification Division focal point for weapons airworthiness policy issues raised by the Weapons Integration UK Committee.
• Represent the MAA Certification Division in interactions with the Defence Ordnance Safety Group (DOSG).

Apply now and take the next step in your engineering career!

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Experience of aviation avionic systems with an appreciation of the importance of programmable elements,
• Have a working knowledge of avionics on military Air Systems.
• Achieved HND or equivalent in a relevant engineering discipline with experience in the avionic field, or hold a BSc/BEng Hons in a relevant discipline.
• The candidate will need to demonstrate a knowledge of: Aviation Regulations, Certification principles, Stakeholder engagement etc.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge and experience of the MRP.
• Have had recent engineering experience with military aircraft or employed in their support.
• Member of Professional Engineering Institute at IEng.
• Have worked on a programme to modify an Air System. ​

Qualifications

Achieved HND or equivalent in a relevant engineering discipline with experience in the avionic field, or hold a BSc/BEng Hons in a relevant discipline.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• AEFC2.3-Avionics(P)
• AEFC3.3-Air Equipment Support (P)

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%
• Subject to MOD policy and annual review, this post may attract a Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) of £5K gross allowance pre deductions. Please note that this post does not automatically receive the RRA as this is a discretionary allowance and the post holder must meet the eligibility criteria. It is important to note that the RRA has to be secured annually.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements 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.

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.

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. (500 Word count)

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

Technical:

• AEFC2.3-Avionics(P)
• AEFC3.3-Air Equipment Support (P)

Engineering_Aerospace

A panel will then assess your application against Experience, Behaviours and Technical Competence.

Sift results are expected to be released 2 weeks from closing date. If successful at sift, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles elements.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical:

• AEFC2.3-Avionics(P)
• AEFC3.3-Air Equipment Support (P)

Engineering_Aerospace

Interviews will take place no longer than 4 weeks after the closing date, details to be confirmed. Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

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

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 : Jim Morris
• Email : jim.morris426@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 2025 Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)