MGS - Ministry of Defence Guard Service - Dog Handler - Shift Worker - Middle Wallop

Join the Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS)

Be part of the front line protecting the UK’s most critical Defence sites. Play a vital role in national security.

At the Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS), we safeguard the UK’s Defence estate, protecting personnel, assets, and critical locations from crime, terrorism, espionage, and sabotage. Our Gold Standard Security Service is built on professionalism, trust, and excellence— and we’re looking for dedicated Security Officers to join us.

Who We Are

The Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) provides high-quality security services at over 170 MOD sites across the UK, including high-profile locations such as MOD Main Building in London, Whitehall, and His Majesty’s Naval Bases in Portsmouth, Devonport, and the Clyde.

Why Join Us?

A meaningful career – Play a crucial role in national security and defence.

Career development – Access specialist training, funded qualifications, and internal progression opportunities.

Job security – Be part of a well-established organisation with over 30 years of service.

A strong team culture – Work alongside professionals who value integrity, vigilance, professionalism, helpfulness, and teamwork.

Our Vision & Values

Our goal is to be recognised as an outstanding provider of security services, guided by our core values:

Integrity – Always do the right thing, treat others fairly.

Vigilance & Preparedness – Stay alert, ready to respond.

Professionalism – Maintain high standards, continuously improve.

Helpfulness – Provide excellent service, leave a positive impression.

Teamwork – Work collaboratively, support colleagues, and protect Defence.

Our Dog Handler’s main responsibility is to work with specially trained dogs to help detect and prevent crime, ensuring the safety and protection of Defence employees, visitors, and property.

The key duties are as follows:

• Responsible for the overall welfare of all Military Working Dogs on site, training and caring for them.
• Handling dogs during exercises and tasks.
• Observing and assessing behavioural patterns in dogs and reporting to relevant Persons.
• Exercising dogs as needed. Utilising various dog-training techniques to correct problematic behaviour and rewarding positive behaviour.
• Daily upkeep and cleaning of kennels and all play and exercise equipment.
• Carry out Continuation training (A minimum of 27 hours per quarter) alongside the upkeep of all relevant paperwork.
• Annual certification & testing - Continuation of training and annual licensing alongside the upkeep of paperwork.
• Collaborate closely with Dog Evaluation Officers and Kennel Supervisors.
• Assume overall responsibility for the safety and security of designated areas.
• Patrol on foot with a Military Working Dog (this could be up to 10 miles a shift on all types of terrain and in all weather conditions) and in MOD vehicles, within designated areas in accordance with outlined security procedures.
• Identify potential security risks and respond accordingly.
• Control vehicular and pedestrian access to site ensuring all have the correct credentials, issuing passes and escorting visitors where appropriate.
• Searching of vehicles, baggage, personnel, buildings, and open areas.
• Complete incident reports on breaches of security or defects and maintaining daily logs.
• Respond to emergencies and incidents within designated areas promptly and according to policy.
• Assist employees and visitors with any concerns they may have.
• Escalate emergency situations to law enforcement as required.
• Operating and monitoring security systems; CCTV and alarms.
• Operating and communicating effectively over the telephone and/or radio.

Excellent communication and organisational skills are required, as well as the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

This role involves patrolling large areas, standing for periods, staying alert and responding quickly when needed, so a good level of physical fitness is essential.

Shift Pattern & Flexibility

This is a shift working position at 48 hours per week including breaks. The successful candidate will be expected to work nights, weekends, bank holidays etc as stipulated by the shift pattern agreed at the Unit depending on site requirements. This will be an average of 48 hours in a calendar week; this will be 12 hour shifts each week rostered between Sun – Sat. This will include being rostered in a flexible manner (termed a flexible week) within the shift roster. During the flexible week, the working days and shifts will routinely be stipulated in advance but may be changed at short notice, (this should be no less than 48 hours). The exact shift pattern will be explained in full during the interview.

Training & Development

We are committed to ensuring you have the skills and confidence to succeed in your role.

New starters will complete a mandatory two-week residential Foundation Course, followed by structured on-the-job training. One of the elements of the Foundation Course is Emergency First Aid at Work, where you will learn key life skills in emergency first aid. Dog handlers will also be required to attend and pass a 3-week Patrol Dog Handlers Foundation Course.

You will have access to ongoing professional development, including an annual programme of online learning. Our dedicated Workforce Development Team will support your training needs, ensuring you continue to build expertise throughout your career.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com

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.

If you align with our values and have experience in security or Working Dogs, we would love to hear from you.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following: Experience: CV including Job History and Previous Skills.

At interview you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours: Managing a Quality Service, Working Together and Communicating and Influencing.

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing 21/09/26.

Interviews are due to take place via Microsoft Teams and will be conducted week commencing 05/10/26.

Please note the above dates are subject to change.

We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn’t always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months. It is also possible that we may offer similar lower graded role/s to reserve candidates or, if no reserves are appointed, candidates that meet the lower grade criteria in merit order.

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.

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. The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and 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 mitigation’s can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

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 Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.