UK Ministry of Defence
Policy and Secretariat Officer - Army
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Andover, SP11 8HT
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.
The Army’s Policy and Secretariat branch is a small team at the heart of the Army. We are a successful, highly skilled team of civil servants with significant policy and Parliamentary business expertise. The team carries out the Department of State function within the Army and is the bridge between the Army and Ministers. It is one of the largest and busiest secretariats in Defence and is responsible for all Army Parliamentary and Ministerial business. This includes Parliamentary Questions, Ministerial Correspondence, Freedom of Information requests, and Treat Official correspondence alongside supporting Ministers and senior personnel at Select Committee appearances and submitting advice to Ministers on behalf of the Army.
Our portfolio is wide-ranging, including the equipment programme, personnel policy, basing and infrastructure, recruitment and training, and the size and structure of the Army. Ministerial, public, and media interest in the Army is consistently high. The size, nature, and complexity of the Army means that it is often in the public eye with a commensurate requirement to ensure that Ministers and Defence communications are kept up to date on issues likely to attract Parliamentary or media attention.
Please note: Job-share will only be considered provided full-time hours can be covered.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
This role is coordination and delivery focused, offering an exciting opportunity to improve your analytical and collaboration skills. Working closely with colleagues across Army HQ and Defence, you will develop your specialist expertise while contributing to briefing Ministers and senior Army officials on priority issues.
Key Responsibilities:
- Contribute to the effective delivery of all Parliamentary Business relating to the Army, ensuring that correspondence is completed within Departmental and legally mandated timescales.
- Support the provision of proactive, reliable, high-quality advice to Ministers and other stakeholders on all aspects of the Army portfolio including on matters of policy, Parliamentary and media interest.
- Provide Secretariat advice on Parliamentary and presentational matters to senior colleagues across the Army.
- Share responsibility with other Higher Executive Officers for managing the Army Secretariat group mailbox, and dealing with the inquiries, requests, and tasking that comes through this route.
- Work as part of a team to provide the Department of State function within the Army, including meeting or exceeding all statutory, Departmental, and Government-wide targets for the delivery of Parliamentary and Ministerial business and fulfilling the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (2000).
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Person Specification
Essential Skills Required:
- Strong communication skills (both oral and written) and good analytical skills.
- Able to communicate at all levels and excellent presentation skills.
- Ability to work as part of a team and independently when required.
- Ability to work flexibly, adapt to changing priorities, and meet tight deadlines.
- Willingness to undertake continuous learning and development endeavours to ensure a consistently high quality of output on behalf of the Army Policy and Secretariat.
- Ability to develop collaborative relationships with a range of stakeholders and teams.
- Experience of delivery and meeting tight deadlines.
Desirable Skills:
- Parliamentary and/or Secretariat experience.
- Although previous experience working in a military environment would be advantageous, it is not crucial as we will develop the successful candidate with role-specific training, with the potential for further professional developmental opportunities.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £37,720, the Ministry of Defence contributes £10,927 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
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.
Additional Information
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous.
- 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.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
- CV
- Personal Statement - A 750-word statement demonstrating your relevant skills and experience listed in the essential criteria.
- Behaviours
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
Where a large number of applications are received, an initial sift will be conducted based on the evidence you provide in support of Leadership. The remaining evidence provided at application stage will only be reviewed if you are successful at this initial sift.
At interview stage you will be assessed against the following:
- Behaviours
- Communicating & Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Bigger Picture
- Working Together
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.
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.
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.
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.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.
Nationality Requirements
This Job Is Broadly
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location