Scientific Adviser Operations

Job summary

Do you want to support the Royal Air Force (RAF) – the air and space force of the Ministry of Defence?
The RAF’s success depends on their people – the Whole Force – regular and reservist military, civil servants, and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly. Civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, undertaking essential work and contributing to the RAF’s mission and values. The role of civil servants in Defence is more vital than ever – now and for the future.
The Air and Space Warfare Centre (ASWC) Operational Research Branch (ORB) provides high quality, impartial and operationally focussed scientific, analytical and technical advice to enhance the warfighting capability of all elements of UK air and space power.
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled individual, with proven management experience, technical knowledge and analytical skills, to play a key role in shaping the direct analytical and technical support to RAF’s front-line capability in current and future operations.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The Air & Space Warfare Centre (ASWC) Operational Research Branch (ORB) has several teams, each headed by a Grade 7. As one of these, Scientific Adviser Operations (SciAdv Ops) is responsible for the coordination and management of operationally focused work, located within 92 Sqn ASWC but with a wider remit. Responsibilities include Executive Officer for the ORB, supporting, and responsible to, the Senior Scientific Adviser in day-to-day running of the Branch. As one of eight Grade 7 staff within the ORB, the incumbent is a member of the Senior Leadership Team. The role requires DV STRAP security clearance.

The post is responsible to the ORB Senior Scientific Adviser.

Person specification

As Scientific Adviser Operations you will be responsible for:

• Provision of scientific advice and expertise within the ASWC Operations and Training Division and Prototype Warfare Team.
• Provision of expert advice on Air Warfare Development, development of Tactics, Techniques and Procedures, Planning and Concepts, and Doctrine.
• Management of the ORB Operations team, maintaining a suitable spread of effort, and conducting all managerial responsibilities such as annual reporting, approvals of overtime and travel time, leave etc., and pastoral care.
• Building and developing the analysis capability to support Operational and Tactical level decision support within ASWC.
• Conducting the duties of Executive Officer for the ORB. This includes stewardship of the ORB SharePoint site, including the suite of management documents stored there.
• Tracking and responding to Integrated Mission Support (IMS) tasks, including Front Line requests for information (RFI) and Parliamentary Questions.
• Coordination of activities with other parts of the ORB, ASWC and wider.

Experience – essential:

• Sound knowledge and experience of the MOD and Defence environment.
• Proven management experience, leading and mentoring staff
• A deep understanding of Air operations of all kinds
• Substantial experience of Air practices
• Experience of technical evaluation/analysis/ statistical techniques
• Experience of clearly communicating analytical results to a range of technical and non-technical audiences, through technical reports and presentations.

Experience – desirable:

• Experience of applying a range of scientific techniques (e.g. data analysis, computer modelling, spreadsheets etc.) to analyse problems.
• Experience in the Test & Evaluation of air systems, including flight test and/or synthetic environments.

Qualifications

Minimum of Bachelor’s Degree in a scientific, engineering, or other numerical subject.

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership

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

• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• Achieving impact with analysis
• Knowledge and application of OR skills and techniques

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.

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Holiday 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. MoD recognises the diverse religious origins within its workforce and seeks to accommodate individual leave requirements.
• Special Paid Leave to volunteer up to 6 days a year.
• Flexible Working - Full time staff will work 37 hours a week but have some flexibility of when they complete these hours.
• Learning & Development - MoD aims to provide its civilian staff with 5 days a year of Learning & Development (L&D) tailored to your role, delivered through a combination of high-quality training courses and informal opportunities.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• Access to retail and service discounts.
• Health and Wellbeing – we offer staff the use of the onsite gymnasium facilities with annual membership on par with commercial monthly ones.
• We also offer an excellent range of family-friendly benefits, for example, improved parental and adoption leave.

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.

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.

At sift and interview, you will be assessed against skills (general and specific), experience and behaviours

Please fill out the personal statement section stating how your skills and experience fit the requirements for the role.

Candidates will be required to:

Provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

Provide a Statement of Suitability. (250 Word count)

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

Behaviours:

• Leadership

Technical Skills:

• Provide relevant examples of Technical skill 1 - Achieving impact with analysis
• Provide relevant examples of Technical skill 2 - Knowledge and application of OR skills and techniques

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, a sift will be conducted on your CV and Leadership only.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership

Technical skills are based on UK Government Operational Research Service (GORS) Technical Framework 2025 (link here).

It is anticipated that the sift will be early June, with subsequent in person interviews at RAF Waddington later in June 2026. A GORS badge is not required for this post. However, arrangements can be made for continued membership while in post.

Post is reserved for UK Sole Nationals only.

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.

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 : Senior Scientific Adviser, Mark Ashforth
• Email : mark.ashforth100@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

20230201 - Air Command's Applicant Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 499kB)Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)MOD Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)