Navy Command - Wear Debris Section Analyst (Aerosystems Engineer/Scientist)

Do you have a background in science and/or engineering? Could you bring your technical expertise to our diverse team, supporting the UK military air safety? If so, 1710 Naval Air Squadron wants to hear from you.

Within Navy Command, we support and sustain the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm across every theatre of operations. Based in Portsmouth Naval Base, with a heritage dating back to the 1930s, 1710 Naval Air Squadron is a mixed Civil Service and Military team of technical specialists from multidisciplinary backgrounds, using scientific and engineering reasoning to overcome UK MOD aircraft operational issues.

As part of our Condition Monitoring Department, the Wear Debris Section ensure the safe operation of helicopter and fixed wing aircraft. Analysis of Wear Debris can identify early signs of failure in engines and gearboxes, improving air safety and preserving aircraft to help sustain UK air capability.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

In this exciting and vital role, you will acquire and develop the expertise to enable you to analyse, interpret and present Wear Debris analysis evidence to both aircraft operators and manufacturers. This will result in the ability to provide airworthiness recommendations for a range of aircraft, both in the UK and around the globe.

As part of the mixed Civil Service and military team of scientists and engineers, you will primarily provide expert specialist support to monitor aircraft engine and gearbox wear processes. This is achieved using a multitude of specialist equipment including scanning electron microscopes and x-ray fluorescence instruments within a laboratory / office hybrid setting.

Additionally, there will be opportunities to explore and exploit other health condition monitoring approaches including novel data analysis approaches. Your expertise will enable you to collaborate with wider condition monitoring partners, both national and international, assuring the provision of expert scientific and engineering advice and risk-based judgements to the Military Air Commands.

The role also offers variety beyond the office, with occasional travel to UK locations and opportunities to attend conferences and visit external partners, and occasional necessary travel to satellite locations with the UK. These experiences can support your continuing professional development, broaden your professional network and help you build valuable leadership, auditing and stakeholder-management skills.

As a key partner in NATO and other strategic alliances, the UK maintains a global military presence to provide security and humanitarian aid. As a Condition Monitoring Specialist, you may occasionally be called upon to work out of hours in the laboratory to support these crucial operations.

Responsibilities

As a Condition Monitoring Specialist within our team, you will be responsible for:

• Analysing Aircraft Transmission and Engine wear debris samples.
• Interpreting sample data and providing airworthiness advice to Delivery Teams and Aircraft Operators.
• Operating and maintaining scientific equipment.
• Generating fault reports for repair and overhaul organisations.
• Reviewing repair and overhaul organisations investigation reports to confirm accurate fault detection.
• Data trending and analysis of fleet data sets.
• Liaising with MOD Delivery Teams and Aircraft operators to ensure best practice and effective monitoring programs are upheld.
• Keeping meticulous records of samples to build trends for future analysis.

Degree/HNC/D or equivalent relevant experience in science, engineering or aircraft maintenance.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Assessment Criteria

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Technical Skills. Please refer to the Navy Command Applicants Guide attached for further details.

Applications will be assessed following the closing date and if successful at the sift stage, you will be invited to interview.

At Sift, you will be assessed against the following;

• Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history, qualification details and previous skills and experience.
• Candidates will be asked to provide a personal statement that sets out how you would apply your skills and experience to meet the essential requirements for the role. (500 words)

Interviews will be a blend of Behaviour, Technical Skills and Experience type questions. Interviews will take place at 1710 Naval Air Squadron, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth. Candidates will be assessed against the following behaviours and technical skills.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against the following Behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

We will assess you against the following Government Science and Engineering Career Framework during the selection process:

• Building and Applying Knowledge

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.