UK Ministry of Defence
Visiting Aircraft Support Section (VASS) - Handler
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RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland, IV31 6SD
Job Summary
Visiting Aircraft Support Section (VASS) Handler’s are responsible for carrying out post and pre-flight aircraft ground handling procedures associated with military and civilian, rotary and fixed wing aircraft, performing duties associated with towing visiting aircraft and assisting aircrew with the preparation of aircraft for and recovery from flight. Given the largely unpredictable nature of aircraft operations the role demands a high degree of flexibility in terms of being prepared to work before or after routine hours and at weekends. You will be working as part of a team and report to the VASS Manager through the Aircraft Handling Supervisors.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
The post holder will be responsible for:
- Carrying out post and pre-flight, aircraft ground handling procedures associated with military and civilian, rotary and fixed wing aircraft.
- Assisting aircrew with the preparation of aircraft for and recovery from flight, including refuelling, and aircraft de / anti-icing.
- Carrying out periods of ‘On-Call’ duty (1 week in 5, for a 7 day period of On-Call at 1 hour recall i.e. to be in place of work with 1 hour of being called out) to cover Out-of-Hours and weekend aircraft ground handling tasking as required.
- Ensuring that stringent aviation engineering standards are maintained and Health and Safety at Work regulations are adhered to.
- Adhering to and promoting Quality Awareness processes and procedures including periodically being part of Self Audit Teams (no prior experience necessary).
- Promoting Foreign Object Debris (FOD) awareness and individual responsibilities to FOD.
- Performing duties associated with towing visiting aircraft.
- Carrying out associated duties within VASS as detailed by the VASS Manager and/or Supervisors.
- Carrying out any duties deemed necessary by line management provided they accord with the grade.
The Post Holder Will Be Responsible For
- Carrying out post and pre-flight, aircraft ground handling procedures associated with military and civilian, rotary and fixed wing aircraft.
- Assisting aircrew with the preparation of aircraft for and recovery from flight, including refuelling, and aircraft de / anti-icing.
- Carrying out periods of ‘On-Call’ duty (1 week in 5, for a 7 day period of On-Call at 1 hour recall i.e. to be in place of work with 1 hour of being called out) to cover Out-of-Hours and weekend aircraft ground handling tasking as required.
- Ensuring that stringent aviation engineering standards are maintained and Health and Safety at Work regulations are adhered to.
- Adhering to and promoting Quality Awareness processes and procedures including periodically being part of Self Audit Teams (no prior experience necessary).
- Promoting Foreign Object Debris (FOD) awareness and individual responsibilities to FOD.
- Performing duties associated with towing visiting aircraft.
- Carrying out associated duties within VASS as detailed by the VASS Manager and/or Supervisors.
- Carrying out any duties deemed necessary by line management provided they accord with the grade.
Person specification
Applicants should preferably have an Aviation Engineering background specific to ground handling of aircraft.
- You must complete aircraft towing training.
- You must be able to work as part of a team and on your own initiative.
- You must be prepared to work out-of-hours, possibly with little notice, and at weekends to meet VASS tasking commitments.
- You must be prepared to work ‘On-Call’ for a minimum of 1 week in 5, may be more regular dependant on circumstance, entailing being on 1 hour recall for 7 days.
- The successful applicant will have to complete the VASS familiarisation and periodic mandatory MOD and Civil Service training packages.
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Licences
Full clean UK driving licence to include DVLA Cat D1
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Alongside your salary of £26,390, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,645 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%
- New entrants will be entitled to 25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years service.
- Competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave to qualifying staff. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
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 job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.
At sift, you will be assessed against your CV and the following Behaviours:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
At interview, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
The sift will take place at RAF Lossiemouth in October 2026 with interview dates to follow.
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.
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
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