UK Ministry of Defence
Administrative Officer - Army
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Stoke on Trent, ST1 6AB
We are passionate about Smarter Working and believe that a combination of flexible working practices, digital technology and modern workspaces will give you the opportunity to enjoy a healthy work-life balance, while ensuring you deliver your outcomes effectively and efficiently – we expect you to know where to be to have the most impact, balancing your individual needs with that of your team and the organisation. However, recognising the benefits of face to face working, especially for new joiners, there is an expectation that you would be in the office at least 60% of the time (3 days a week).
Job Summary
The Ministry of Defence, Civil Service workforce is diverse, with many different functions and professions ranging from cyber and digital transformation, police officers, security guards, trainers, human resources, teachers, psychologists, storekeepers, and policy secretariat staff to support the British Army.
4 MERCIAN is the Reserve Battalion of The MERCIAN Regiment and comprises more than 400 soldiers from a wide range of backgrounds. The Battalion consists of two Rifle Companies, a Support Company and a Headquarters Company, each with approximately 75 to 100 personnel.
The Battalion includes personnel undertaking a variety of roles, including Infantry, Chef, Human Resources and Combat Medical Technician positions. The Band of The MERCIAN Regiment is also made up of Reserve personnel and is based in Wolverhampton.
This role is varied and rewarding, providing essential administrative and clerical support to the Company. The successful candidate will help manage the administration of more than 300 personnel, including Regular, Reserve and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel.
The Permanent Staff team is committed to ensuring Reservists can undertake training at the right time, with the correct equipment and all necessary administration completed. As a result, the successful candidate will need to understand the wider operational requirements, work proactively, and be able to resolve issues quickly, often at short notice.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
This position plays a key role in the smooth and efficient running of the Company. The post holder will be responsible for ensuring administrative requirements are completed accurately and on time, whether supporting a single Reservist attending training or coordinating administration for a large group of personnel.
The role is a particularly rewarding one, and at times, fast paced. It requires a professional who will take pride in completing tasks on time, and to a very high standard. A keenness to help out all members of the team is needed, as a certain amount of redundancy and covering of roles for brief periods is inevitable across any given training year.
As the Administrative Officer you will be required to carry out a multitude of administrative tasks with the overall aim of supporting the day-to-day functioning of the Battalion Headquarters. This is an excellent opportunity to work within a supportive environment alongside both civilian employees and military personnel.
Key Responsibilities:
- Monitoring of a group mailbox.
- Arranging travel for military personnel via approved channels.
- Assist in the administration of documents and record management in accordance with policy.
- The maintenance of unit SharePoint site.
- Electronic and manual filing systems in accordance with policy and legislation.
- Ensuring all Company personnel are fit to deploy through administrative checks on documents.
- Completion of monthly pay for all Company personnel ensuring all personnel receive pay for the correct number of days worked.
- General office duties including, but not limited to, note taking, drafting letters, scanning.
- Undertake regular compliance and assurance checks on military specific systems – full training will be given.
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Person Specification
Essential Skills Required:
- Well organised and adaptable, with a strong work ethic.
- Enthusiastic, flexible and highly motivated.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word and Excel.
- Able to plan, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines effectively.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Able to work collaboratively as part of a team.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
Alongside your salary of £27,866, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,072 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).
The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.
Other Benefits For Army Civil Servants Include:
- 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
- Highly competitive pension scheme
- Personal and professional development of skills
- Alternative working patterns for many roles
- Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
- Enhanced parental and adoption leave
- 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
Learning and Development
We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. This includes working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking a modern apprenticeship as part of your role.
A modern apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training. Through the schemes available you will gain a professional qualification, practical experience, and the broader skills required to develop in your current role and pave the way for your future career.
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.
At the application stage, you will be assessed against the following criteria, listed in priority order:
- Personal Statement - 500 words demonstrating your relevant skills and experience in line with the essential criteria.
- Behaviour - Communicating & Influencing
Where a large number of applications are received, an initial sift may be conducted against the Personal Statement only. The remaining evidence submitted at the application stage will be assessed only if you are successful at this initial sift.
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following criteria, listed in priority order:
Behaviours:
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed and will be held in person. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs.
Further Information:
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
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