UK Ministry of Defence
78 Sqn People and Families Support Officer
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78 Sqn working from NATS Swanwick
Job Summary
We are looking to appoint a People & Families Support Officer (PFSO) within 78 Squadron, based at NATS Swanwick. This is a pivotal role designed to enhance the lived experience of squadron personnel and their families by delivering integrated welfare, community engagement, and support services. The postholder will remove routine welfare and administrative burdens from operational staff, thereby increasing ATCO capacity and improving overall squadron effectiveness.
You will require strong interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders, station welfare teams, and external organisations. The role involves working alongside a mixed team of MOD Civil Servants, contracted staff, and military personnel, reporting directly to the XO 78 Sqn.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
Your role as PFSO will be vital to the operational resilience and community cohesion of 78 Squadron. Key tasks and responsibilities include:
- Parenting Arrangements: Manage and review SLAs with external providers; act as focal point for all parenting-related welfare matters.
- Padre Liaison: Coordinate pastoral care and resilience services; facilitate access to support for personnel and families.
- HIVE Information: Maintain and disseminate accurate welfare, housing, and education information; act as HIVE focal point where required.
- Low-Value Purchasing: Oversee low-value procurement processes; ensure compliance with MOD financial regulations and achieve best value.
- Media & Communications: Develop and deliver internal communications; manage external messaging in coordination with Station Media.
- Community Engagement: Build relationships with local authorities, charities, and community organisations; represent the squadron at events.
- Community Development: Identify needs and implement initiatives to improve morale and cohesion; prepare business cases and monitor outcomes.
- Station/Sqn Support: Act as central welfare contact; triage concerns and signpost to appropriate services.
- SSAFA Liaison: Maintain liaison with SSAFA representatives; promote awareness and ensure timely support.
- IPT Change Officer Duties: Deliver residual change tasks and support FMARS contract renewal requirements.
Responsibilities
Your role as PFSO will be vital to the operational resilience and community cohesion of 78 Squadron. Key tasks and responsibilities include:
- Parenting Arrangements: Manage and review SLAs with external providers; act as focal point for all parenting-related welfare matters.
- Padre Liaison: Coordinate pastoral care and resilience services; facilitate access to support for personnel and families.
- HIVE Information: Maintain and disseminate accurate welfare, housing, and education information; act as HIVE focal point where required.
- Low-Value Purchasing: Oversee low-value procurement processes; ensure compliance with MOD financial regulations and achieve best value.
- Media & Communications: Develop and deliver internal communications; manage external messaging in coordination with Station Media.
- Community Engagement: Build relationships with local authorities, charities, and community organisations; represent the squadron at events.
- Community Development: Identify needs and implement initiatives to improve morale and cohesion; prepare business cases and monitor outcomes.
- Station/Sqn Support: Act as central welfare contact; triage concerns and signpost to appropriate services.
- SSAFA Liaison: Maintain liaison with SSAFA representatives; promote awareness and ensure timely support.
- IPT Change Officer Duties: Deliver residual change tasks and support FMARS contract renewal requirements.
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Person specification
This role requires an individual who is people focused and can create lasting and strong relationships quickly. There will be regular interaction with Sqn Execs as well as interactions with parent Units.
There will also be a requirement to interact with Service Families, inter personal skills will therefore need to be incredibly strong.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Developing Self and Others
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Developing Self and Others
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £37,720, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,927 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).
- 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%
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.
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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.
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 previous skills and experience.
At sift, Candidates will be assessed against their CV and the following:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Developing Self and Others
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 only.
At Interview, Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Developing Self and Others
Interviews will be conducted at 78 Sqn.
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-
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