Army - Operational Vehicle Support Officer

This role sits within the Support Directorate, Equipment Branch, Through Life Support (TLS) Team and offers an opportunity to start a Civil Service career supporting the Armed Forces. You will gain valuable experience in equipment management, engineering, support and safety, while working with personnel from a wide range of organisations across the UK and globally.

We are looking for someone who, once trained, can apply TLS processes, communicate clearly both verbally and in writing, prioritise workloads effectively, and respond to customer enquiries in a timely manner. You will also use Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel, to support a range of tasks.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual to support the modernisation of Army vehicle fleets as new, world-leading capabilities enter service. Our success depends on delivering the right equipment that is safe, supported and available to end users when needed.

The role is ideal for those looking to develop a career in logistics, engineering, fleet management or equipment management, or for those wishing to bring existing experience into a new organisation.

Based within Army Headquarters, the role supports the Operational Support Vehicle Fleet, which is used across all three Services and plays a vital role in delivering Defence operational outcomes.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

You will join the Through Life Support team responsible for managing the Operational Support Vehicle fleet and supporting all in-service equipment within the Operational Support portfolio, including:

• 6, 9 and 15 Tonne Trucks
• Wheeled Tankers
• Heavy Equipment Transporters

Key responsibilities:

• Take ownership of the management and control of equipment tooling, modifications and disposals, helping ensure the fleet remains effective, compliant and ready for use.
• Work with military and civilian stakeholders to help resolve equipment availability, serviceability and safety issues across the Operational Support Vehicle portfolio.
• Represent Defence at support and availability meetings, contributing to discussions that help improve fleet performance and operational readiness.

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)

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 - Making Effective Decisions
• Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture

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:

• Experience-based question(s) will be asked.
• Behaviour - Communicating & Influencing
• Behaviour - Delivering at Pace
• Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service

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.

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.