Senior Structural Engineer

Do you want to work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and care for the Defence Estate? DIO enables Defence to live, work, train and deploy, all with sustainability in mind. From net carbon zero accommodations to runways for the F35 fighter jets; our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe!

Learn much more about DIO in our Candidate Information Guide attached.

DIO recognises that a diverse workforce is at the heart of different insights, ideas and innovation. A workforce diverse in background and life experience produces trusted public services and better decisions. We want our people to be curious and continuously strive for improvement, collaborative in an inclusive culture, ambitious and resilient and committed to Defence, empowered and able to challenge so you can play a key part in shaping the direction of our organisation.

About DIO

View our YouTube video to see more about our work

Why Join Us

DIO cares about the Defence estate. We are a dynamic organisation that responds to the evolving needs of our military personnel, the way in which they live and work. We are proud to be the expert partner Defence needs for all their infrastructure requirements. From large scale infrastructure to everyday facilities management, our activities focus relentlessly on our customers. We deliver value for money, and consistently innovate to find proactive solutions to meet their needs. We meet our objectives as one team; capable, curious, collaborative and committed.

About Technical Services:

Technical Services comprises the following core areas:

• Building Engineering Team
• Infrastructure Contracting & Planning Team
• Infrastructure Engineering Team
• Environmental Management Protection and Sustainability
• Health & Safety
• Portfolio Office

Technical Services provides in-house consultancy to DIO and the wider MOD, the specialist skills available through the Technical Services team span Construction, Engineering, Health and Safety, Safety Systems, Environmental Management, Sustainable Development, Access and Recreation, Historic Environment and Natural Environment.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

The Senior Structural Engineer is a key member of the Structures Team, providing specialist technical advice and assurance on the safety, resilience and performance of Defence infrastructure worldwide. The role supports the MOD's intelligent client function, delivering expertise across the design, construction, inspection, maintenance and refurbishment of a diverse range of structural assets.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing technical advice on steel, concrete, masonry, timber and modular structures across the MOD estate.
• Supporting the assurance of structural safety through inspections, assessments, independent technical reviews and standards development.
• Delivering specialist advice on Weapon Effects on Structures (WES), including blast effects, protective design, force protection measures and infrastructure resilience.
• Supporting the review and assessment of higher-risk buildings in accordance with the Building Safety Act.
• Leading or supporting investigations into structural defects, failures and incidents, and contributing to Safety Alerts and lessons identified.
• Providing technical oversight and advice on temporary works in accordance with BS 5975 and MOD policy.
• Promoting sustainable and resilient engineering solutions across Defence infrastructure.

Civil/Structural Engineering Degree BEng/MEng

Open to UK nationals only.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework and Competency Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on the personal statement.

Please provide your evidence for behaviours using the STAR Technique using the attached information on how to apply.

Situation: Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand. Where are you? Who was there with you? What had happened?

Task: The recruitment panel will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in. What was the task that you had to complete and why? What did you have to achieve?

Action: What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information of what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I” rather than “we” to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.

Result: Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures easily understandable. What results did the actions produce? What did you achieve through your actions, and did you meet your goals? Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience? Keep the situation and task parts brief.

Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths. When providing your evidence please ensure that you avoid acronyms and company specific jargon.

At application you will be assessed against the following:

Experience:

• CV - detailing Job History, Previous Skills and Experience
• Personal Statement of up to 500 words max.

At interview you will be assessed against above, plus the following:

Behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions

Technical:

• Knowledge and Understanding of Engineering Knowledge
• Design, Development and Solving Engineering Problems

Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing: 26/10/2026

Interviews are currently taking place remotely via MS Teams, this will be confirmed with the successful candidates who are invited to an interview and will be conducted week commencing: 02/11/2026

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

To assist with your application please find attached below:

• DIO Candidate Information Guide
• Competency Framework

For help and support with your application check out our Civil Service Careers Homepage and the How to apply section

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.

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.