Navy Secretariat – FOI Genealogy Case Officer

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 Royal Navy’s strategic authority, Director Strategy and Policy shapes the policies and long‑term direction that guide the Service’s future. By integrating strategy development with government and international engagement, the directorate ensures the Royal Navy maintains clear influence across Defence and on the global stage.

You'll be based at HMS Excellent, home to the Naval Headquarters and front-line training units. From here, the Royal Navy directs operations, develops strategy, and delivers training that keeps the Fleet ready for any challenge. It is a hub of leadership, coordination, and expertise at the heart of naval command.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Could you help unlock important pieces of history while ensuring sensitive information is protected correctly?

Every year, individuals, families, researchers and organisations request access to historic Royal Navy and Royal Marines service records. In this role, you'll play a vital part in making that information available while ensuring legal and privacy obligations are met. You'll analyse historical records, apply information rights legislation, and provide clear, professional responses that make a real difference to customers.

You may have the opportunity to contribute to the wider Secretariat’s work, supporting key Department of State functions that help shape and deliver important outcomes. This can also provide valuable opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in the London office, broadening your experience and strengthening connections across the organisation.

What you'll be doing

• Research and review historic Royal Navy and Royal Marines service records to identify information suitable for release.
• Apply Freedom of Information and data protection requirements, including assessing when information should be withheld and preparing records through electronic redaction processes.
• Produce clear, accurate and legally compliant correspondence for customers and stakeholders.
• Manage casework from receipt to completion, maintaining accurate records and ensuring case management systems remain up to date.
• Investigate customer enquiries, resolve issues where possible and escalate complex cases through the appropriate channels.
• Support internal review and compliance activity by providing evidence, documentation and progress updates, while contributing to wider Secretariat work when required.

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.

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 required to provide a personal statement. This should be a maximum of 500 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements for the role.

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

In the event of a high volume of applications, only the priority element will be assessed at sift. The priority element for this campaign is Communicating and Influencing.

At Interview, you will be assessed against the following;

Behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

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.