Parliamentary and Disclosures Assistant Head

Job summary

The Defence Intelligence Policy and Secretariat team is a small but extremely busy team that provides critical support to the delivery of DI business by engaging with parliamentary oversight, assuring DI operates within defined legal frameworks, and managing DI’s engagement with external bodies.

We are looking to recruit a proactive, highly organised and effective leader for our Parliamentary and Disclosures sub-team. This team manages Parliamentary Engagement, our obligations to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) and Subject Access Requests (SAR), and Legal and other Disclosures.

You will be a vital member of the Policy and Secretariat leadership team ensuring high standards of output are maintained, flex across to support other parts of the team’s responsibilities, and undertake projects to enable the team to adapt to a changing landscape. Alongside your direct line management responsibilities, you will also play a key role in providing effective support, guidance and development opportunities to all staff within the Policy and Secretariat team.

This role is advertised at 37 hours per week (unless part time).

Job description

In Defence Intelligence (DI) our people solve problems, create understanding and give perspective to the diverse and complex Defence threats and challenges in a rapidly changing world. Together our civilians and military personnel inform decision making in Defence, manage complex finance programmes and develop new technology.

The successful candidate will lead the Parliamentary and Disclosures team and play a central role in ensuring DI fulfils its parliamentary, statutory and disclosure obligations.

Parliamentary Scrutiny is an essential part of the governance of the Intelligence community and its activities, and this includes DI. The team is responsible for handling DI parliamentary business and correspondence, including:

• Managing the relationship between DI and the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).

• Compilation of reports to the ISC, and subsequent redactions.

• Managing incoming visits from Parliamentarians, including the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.

• Supporting outgoing visits from DI to parliamentarians.

• Answering Parliamentary Questions Relating to DI.

• Clearing Ministerial Submissions.

Defence Intelligence is often required to share information that it holds, in support of its own work, to support the work of defence and in fulfilling our legal responsibilities to respond to inquiries and legal proceedings. The team is the focal point for DI disclosure matters including:

• Correctly commissioning requests for holdings across DI and collating returns.

• Ensuring the appropriate clearance and permissions for Disclosure.

• Responsibility for DI engagement with Statutory and Legal Duties such as Public Inquiries, and Freedom of Information requests.

• Disclosure into the public domain, such as press releases, public facing websites and social media and avowing individuals to DI.

• Managing Employment Tribunal Disclosure.

DI’s Policy Secretariat team is at the heart of DI business; with a small team, and an ever-changing landscape, most recently with the creation of the Military Intelligence Services (MIS), the team leader will play a central role in:

• Setting the direction and scope of the team.

• Ensuring robust governance and compliance.

• Identifying and managing competing priorities, whilst ensuring staff well-being.
• Leading and role-modelling effective agile working, especially in times of high demand.

In DI we believe your unique experiences, view and understanding of the world could provide a vital perspective and contribution to our work. We recognise that great minds do not think alike and are striving to increase our diversity representation at all levels. As an equal opportunities employer we hire, train and promote people based on merit and inspire to create an inclusive workplace free of discrimination. We also offer flexible working arrangements such as flexi-time, job share and compressed hours.

All jobs advertised in DI are subject to fair and open competition.

Person specification

You will have:

• Experience of dealing with Private Offices, Ministers, and handling parliamentary and/or disclosures casework

• A good understanding of Parliamentary and legal frameworks such as the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Parliamentary Committees, and demonstrable experience of handling complex FOI requests and/or Parliamentary Questions

• The ability to create high-quality written content, translating complex technical language into clear, straightforward messaging

• The ability to proactively develop strong relationships, engaging positively with stakeholders and co-ordinating activity with other teams

• The ability to make effective decisions and demonstrate good judgement for issues which may require escalation or attract political attention

• A keen eye for detail and the ability to analyse and interpret complex information, presenting it in an accessible way

You will be:

• A supportive leader and line manager who champions development and diversity, and provides effective direction and guidance to your team

• An individual with exceptional organisational skills and the ability to manage and deliver multiple and wide ranging tasking strands across your portfolio

• A strong team player who is ready and willing to support colleagues and work collegially

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

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

• Policy Profession Framework; 2.2 Parliament and Law - Practitioner Level.Demonstration of this technical skill should be included in 250 words on the application form.
• Policy Profession Framework 3.2. Governance and Project Delivery - Practitioner Level.

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

• Policy Profession Framework; 2.2 Parliament and Law - Practitioner Level.Demonstration of this technical skill should be included in 250 words on the application form.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,630, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,854 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).

We offer a range of excellent benefits including but not limited to the following:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Leave entitlement – 25-day annual leave allowance per year increasing by 1 day per year (maximum 30 days per year). In addition, 8 statutory Bank Holidays and 1 privilege day per year.
• Additional working pattern options – we have a strong culture of flexible working and encourage all employees to have a healthy work/life balance. We offer a wide range of potential working patterns, including part time, job share and compressed hours. These need to be balanced with business needs so they will vary from job to job. If you would like to know more, please speak to the Recruiting Line Manager.
• Professional Development – We are committed to your continued professional and personal development with learning as one of our core values.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• We also offer an excellent range of family-friendly benefits, for example, enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Special Paid Leave to volunteer up to 6 days a year
• Main Building has a Gym and onsite shop.

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 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.

Applicants should apply for this role online, via the website.

Assessment at sift and interview will be based on meeting any defined skill/qualification requirements along with a Success Profile element assessment, as detailed in the job advert. The Success Profile elements to be assessed will be outlined within the job advert. The Civil Service Success Profile Framework is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Personal Statement

All applicants will need to provide a personal statement, of no more than 500 words, including evidence of the essential and desirable criteria requested within the job advert.

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the requirements described in the Person Specification section thoroughly, as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against.

Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criteria separately or have examples that cover and evidence several criteria. Please ensure you evidence the requirements and what you have done that relates to the requirements. You don’t have to explain the whole process, focus on what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why, what you can do and the technical and behavioural skills you have that correspond to the requirements, and life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.

CV

A CV will be required for this position; this cannot be uploaded to the advert. You will submit using the CV template provided on the CS Jobs dashboard in part two of your application, detailing job history, previous experience, and skills.

At sift, applicants will be sifted against the CV, Personal Statement and the following three Civil Service Behaviours and one Technical skill:

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills:

Policy Profession Framework; 2.2 Parliament and Law - Practitioner Level

Policy Profession Standards

Demonstration of this technical skill should be included in 250 words on the application form.

Should there be a large number of applicants the sift will be based on the Personal Statement, CV and the Leadership behaviour only.

We would generally expect Behaviour examples to follow the STAR structure and encourage candidates to use this throughout their application.

At interview, applicants will be sifted against the following:

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

Technical Skill:

• Policy Profession Framework 3.2. Governance and Project Delivery - Practitioner Level. This will be assessed against a 5 minute presentation. The question will be sent to candidates 1 week prior to the interview.

Application/Interview Scoring System

We adopt a scoring system of 1-7 for Behaviours, Technical skills, and Experience.

7- The evidence provided wholly exceeds expectation at this level

6 – Substantial positive evidence; includes some evidence of exceeding expectations at this level

5 – Substantial positive evidence of the competency or behaviour

4 – Adequate positive evidence and any negative evidence would not cause concern

3 – Moderate positive evidence but some negative evidence demonstrated

2 – Limited positive evidence and/or mainly negative evidence demonstrated

1 – No positive evidence and/or substantial negative evidence demonstrated

The sift should take place within two weeks of the job closing and candidates will be informed of the results, at all stages, via the website. Interview dates are to be confirmed.

If the successful candidate does not hold the necessary clearances, they will be made a provisional job offer and asked to undergo our vetting procedures. Once the relevant clearances have been obtained a formal job offer will be made and start dates can be discussed. Should the candidate fail to obtain the relevant clearances the provisional job offer will be rescinded. It should be noted that this process can take several months

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.

Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) generates and operates specialist capabilities, ready to fight across all domains to make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

Always on, we are across every UK operation, delivering the capabilities you don’t usually see - or those you can’t.

From cyber warriors and medics to intelligence analysts, special forces, educators, and Defence attachés, our collective expertise delivers the warfighting edge Defence needs to deter threats and secure the nation today and prepare for tomorrow.

CSOC unites Defence’s cyber and specialist capabilities under a single, military command alongside the Royal Navy, British Army, and the Royal Air Force - acting as the UK’s fourth Military Command. For more information, please see here.’

Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to design the way in which the new Military Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, posts within CSOC are/or may become subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 : Secretariat Team
• Email : DIRes-Secretariat@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

CSOC Candidate Pack 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 1777kB)Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Candidate Information updated_ Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)Terms and Conditions of Service 1 Opens in new window (docx, 24kB)