Senior Investigator

Job summary

About the Armed Forces Commissioner (AFC):

The AFC is a newly established, dedicated champion for our Regular and Reserve personnel and their families; a landmark step in demonstrating our commitment to supporting those who serve our nation. Acting as an independent champion, the AFC provides a direct route for serving personnel and their families to raise concerns about welfare issues that may impact on their service lives and ability to serve.

The Commissioner subsumes the roles and responsibilities of the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces (SCOAF), providing independent and impartial oversight of the Service Complaints system. They have the power to help Service personnel access the Service Complaints system, review aspects of the handling of individual Service Complaints, and report on the efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness of the system as a whole.

They also have the discretion to conduct individual and thematic investigations into specific and broader welfare issues facing Service personnel and their families. The independent reports and recommendations they publish will highlight these issues to Parliament and the wider public, holding the government and the Armed Forces to account.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

About the Post:

As an AFC Senior Investigator, you will undertake investigations related to Service Complaints submitted by members of the Armed Forces, or General Service Welfare Matters submitted by members of the Armed Forces and their families, in accordance with legislation. You will be responsible for managing complex, sensitive, investigations and casework, assessing risk, and looking at allegations and making recommendations on appropriate remedies. You may also be required to line manage HEO Investigators, acting as a point of escalation, providing advice on their investigations, quality assuring work to ensure standards are achieved, and supporting their development.

Service Complaint Investigations:

Senior Investigators are responsible for managing complex, sensitive individual casework, assessing risk, looking at allegations of maladministration and potential injustice, the substance of an investigation, and making recommendations on appropriate remedies. Senior Investigators also investigate allegations of undue delay in the handling of Service Complaints, and review admissibility decisions. You will liaise with complainants, providing excellent customer service and produce investigation reports setting out the Commissioners decision which are clear and easy to understand.

General Service Welfare Investigations:

Senior Investigators are responsible for managing complex, sensitive individual casework relating to General Service Welfare Matters submitted by members of the Armed Forces and their families. You will be responsible for conducting individual investigations, looking at allegations, gathering evidence and making recommendations on appropriate remedies. You may also be involved in leading or supporting larger thematic investigations, as decided by the AFC, ensuring efficient and effective investigations on often complex and high-profile issues which will result in reports laid in Parliament.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities:

• Undertake complex, sometimes high risk or high profile, individual or thematic investigations into General Service Welfare Matters, identifying and analysing the relevant evidence in each case, making a decision, and identifying the appropriate remedy.
• Undertake complex, sometimes high risk or high profile, investigations of substance and/or into alleged maladministration and potential injustice, identifying and analysing the relevant evidence in each case, making a decision, and identifying the appropriate remedy.
• Oversee the handling of welfare investigations referred to relevant bodies to ensure the appropriate handling and outcome of complaints made to the AFC.
• Support Investigators / Senior Investigators ensuring that quality standards are achieved by conducting peer reviews of work produced.
• Ensure high quality and timely investigations are conducted following guidance in the Process Manual, and consistent with best practice and other casework conducted by the office.
• Managing and prioritising an active caseload of investigation work.
• Engage routinely with complainants, the single Services, and relevant bodies, including effective management of expectations.
• Undertake risk assessments of individual complainants’ applications to the AFC and flag urgent concerns to senior managers.
• Ensure all key documentation and reporting metrics are filed correctly on the Case Management System.
• Ensure all of the Commissioner’s decisions for their cases are signed off at the appropriate level.
• Provide information relating to investigations to the Heads of Investigations and other senior leaders as required.
• Provide support and information to the Policy & Improvement Manager on trends and issues of particular concern.
• Provide input to the Statistics and Business Intelligence Manager and other briefing material in support of the AFC’s outreach work, including the development of Reports, visits, and meetings
• Maintain effective working relationships with the MOD and Service Complaints teams and other relevant bodies.
• Support the Commissioner with their outreach programme as required.
• Understand and apply the Commissioner’s vision and values and act as a role model for achieving change and continuous improvement by delivering excellence in complaints handling and sharing best practice.
• Additional commensurate responsibilities as required.
• Line management responsibilities may be required, including ensuring the team are appropriately trained and developed to enable them to fulfil their roles and objectives.

Essential Experience:

• Experience of carrying out complex investigations and complaints, having managed a demanding caseload.
• Ability to interpret and apply regulations, policies and/or legislation.
• A high level of analytical skills with an attention to detail.
• Strong track record of work involving complex problem solving, with a requirement to analyse detailed information, understand written material, identifying key issues, identifying evidential gaps and achieving appropriate outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience of drafting and quality assuring complex investigative reports that are clear and concise, using plain language.
• Strong excellent customer service experience.
• Strong ability to manage conversations through telephone and MS Teams.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders
• Ability to deal with a wide range of people both sensitively and robustly
• A strong understanding and proven application of the importance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
• Strong ability to adapt to change and absorb new information and legislative change quickly
• Ability to ensure good quality information management.
• Able to be discrete and understand the need for confidentiality.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience of working in an Ombudsman, regulator or other similar environment.
• Knowledge of Defence and the Armed Forces.
• Service delivery experience for customer-facing services.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

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%

Please Note:

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.
• 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 a statement of suitability. (750 words)

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

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

In the event of a high volume of applications we will sift applicants against the CV, the personal statement and Making Effective Decisions.

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership

At interview, you will also be asked to complete a written exercise.

Further information:

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.

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 : Sarah Aylwin
• Email : Sarah.Aylwin100@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, 31kB)Defence Civil Servant Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)