Navy Command - Training Safety Team Leader

At Navy Command, we lead, support, and sustain the Royal Navy across every theatre of operations. We coordinate the people, platforms, and missions that keep the Fleet ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Together, we uphold centuries of naval tradition while driving innovation that ensures the Royal Navy’s readiness to protect our nation and secure our future.

As the steward of the Royal Navy’s people capability, Director People and Training ensures the Fleet has skilled, motivated, and well‑prepared personnel. Responsible for recruitment, training, education, and career development, the directorate enables sailors and officers to thrive and ensures the Royal Navy remains a world‑class fighting force.

Commander Royal Navy Youth and Cadets (RNYC) is responsible for the RN’s three MoD sponsored cadet forces; the Combined Cadet Force, the Volunteer Cadet Corps and the Sea Cadets Corps (the latter is managed by the independent charity, the Marine Society and Sea Cadets). RNYC HQ has a national remit, spanning over 21,000 cadets and 8,000 adult volunteers, activity is delivered utilising a range of MoD capabilities (infrastructure, boats, aircraft, weapons) as well as through civilian provision. The RNYC also manages connections with youth organisations, namely RN Affiliated Sea Scouts and elements of UK Girl Guides, it also delivers the Service’s Youth Engagement Team.

RNYC provides opportunities for young people to exercise responsibility and leadership, and to learn how they can be developed through a variety of military and challenging training activities. Imparting a basic knowledge and understanding of Defence and the role of the Armed Forces in society, RNYC invests in Future Navy skills whilst improving life chances for young people.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated safety professional to lead the Training Safety function for the Royal Navy’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF RN). This is a unique opportunity to shape and assure the safety of youth training activities delivered nationwide, supporting thousands of young people undertaking challenging, rewarding and adventurous experiences.

As the Training Safety Team Leader, you will lead a small team of Training Safety Advisors, provide expert safety advice to senior leadership, and oversee safety assurance across schools, camps, and third‑party providers. You will drive continuous improvement, manage risk, and act as the organisation’s Health & Safety SME.

This role is ideal for candidates with strong leadership skills, NEBOSH qualifications, and experience in adventurous or military training environments. If you are passionate about youth development and committed to delivering safe, high‑quality activity, we would love to hear from you

Key Responsibilities

The Training Safety Team Leader provides central leadership, direction and assurance for safety across all Combined Cadet Force (CCF) RN activities. The post holder manages a team of Training Safety Advisors, acts as the Health & Safety Subject Matter Expert for RNYC HQ, and ensures training is delivered in a safe, legally compliant, and risk‑managed environment. The role also supports the development and continuous improvement of the organisation’s Safety Management System

As the Training Safety Team Leader, you will have the opportunity to:

• Lead and manage Training Safety Advisors, providing direction, updates, CPD, training and performance management. Monitor and control team expenditure.
• Manage the School Assurance System, ensuring compliance with MOD regulations (including JSP 375).
• Oversee Camp Assurance, ensuring camps and courses meet required safety and HSG65 standards.
• Manage Third‑Party Provider Assurance, validating that external sites and providers operate safely and compliantly.
• Lead organisational Risk Management, capturing, analysing and escalating risks and issues to enable informed decision‑making.
• Oversee safety documentation, including policies, training literature, emergency procedures and risk assessments.
• Conduct independent investigations into major incidents, identifying root causes and reporting findings. Manage accident and incident reporting, ensuring accurate submissions, analysis and learning through MySafety.

The expectation is to work in an agile way, flexing to support evolving priorities and projects. You may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as may reasonably be required.

We value flexible ways of working. This role requires onsite attendance (around 60% of the working week) to benefit for face-to-face collaboration, while offering flexibility of hours to support work life balance and business needs.

NEBOSH General Certificate

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.

As part of Defence Reform, Navy Command continues to review and evolve its Target Operating Model to support more agile ways of working. In this context, the role and responsibilities of this role may develop over time to reflect changing business priorities and opportunities.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of gender and ethnic group. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

At Sift you will be assessed against the following:

• Candidates will be required to provide a CV, details to include job history, qualification details, and previous skills and experience.
• Candidates will be required to provide a personal statement in no more than 500 words; this sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements for this role.

Behaviours (250 words maximum per behaviour):

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the Statement of Suitability and the Behaviour ‘Leadership’.

At Interview, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

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.