Office Manager & STRAPSO

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Office Manager to contribute to the delivery of National Security outcomes in a growing, high-performing organisation with a novel and complex mission, comprising mixed civilian and military members from a variety of professional backgrounds across government.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The Office Manager/STRAPSO will be responsible for the delivery of the secure and efficient management of facilities used by the Business Unit within MSHQ. This includes the oversight of Record Management structures; Asset Management Processes; acting as a Branch Security Office and STRAPSO; developing and maintaining business continuity plans and providing support to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The job holder will be required to develop and maintain a network across Defence and the wider National Security community in order to successfully deliver key outcomes for the role.

Responsibilities will include:

Senior Leadership Support:

• Manage the calendars, meeting requests and travel logistics for the senior leadership team; triage and prioritise the SLT Group Mailbox.
• Prepare and circulate comms and notices as necessary.
• Track actions for and by the SLT and ensure that they are delivered in a timely manner.
• Act as the primary initial point of contact for external and internal stakeholder queries on behalf of the Senior Leadership.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management:

• Maintain a central stakeholder database and coordinate regular updates subject to Senior Leadership requirements and approval.
• Liaise with MOD and wider HMG on security matters, including secure dissemination and destruction of sensitive material.

Office & Facilities Administration:

• Oversee day to day office operation; visitor passes, security clearances, hospitality, catering and meeting room bookings.
• Support internal IT rollouts, upgrades and de-commissioning of hardware; act as the first line liaison with IT teams.
• Ensure compliance with wider DoS/MSHQ Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM), Health and Safety (H&S), First Aid, and statutory requirements for the floor plate.

Document, Record & Knowledge Management:

• Manage the Records file structure; ensure version control, proper classification and compliance with record keeping standards.
• Maintain updates to key documents, health-and-safety manual and other policy documents.
• Develop, review and publish standard operating procedures (SOPs), ways of working (WoW) guides and process documentation.
• Act as STRAPSO to the business area.

Business Continuity & Risk Management

• Lead the Business Continuity (BC) programme: produce, test and maintain BC plans.

Person specification

• Demonstrable experience of communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective stakeholder relationships.
• Knowledge of Information and Knowledge Management processes.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Ability to work with a wide range of people at all grades.
• Knowledge of Defence and the Armed Forces.
• Previous experience of working in the Armed Forces would be desirable.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

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.
• Due to the nature of the role, the successful candidate will be expected to be in the office a minimum of 4 days per week. One day a week working from home is not guaranteed and will be around business needs when and if possible. The role is not suitable for work share or part time.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

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

Candidate will be required to provide a Personal Statement of up to 500 words.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, Personal Statement and the following Behaviours:

• Changing and Improving

• Seeing the Big Picture

In the event of a large number of applicants the sift will be conducted on CV, statement of suitability and the Seeing the Big Picture behaviour.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Working Together

• Communicating and Influencing

Interviews will be held in person in London.

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 developed vetting (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 : mshq-msoc-pjm-shared@mod.gov.uk
• Email : mshq-msoc-pjm-shared@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)