Organisation: Defence Equipment & Support
Salary: £37,600 per annum (plus generous benefits)
Grade: Senior Technical Specialist I
Working Pattern: Full time, Job Share, Flexible Working
Contract Type: Permanent
Job Summary
At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.
DE&S has recently been integrated into the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group. The NAD Group brings together key Ministry of Defence (MOD) organisations to unite expertise across science, technology, procurement, infrastructure, and support to provide integrated capabilities faster and more efficiently for our armed forces and our allies. This is an exciting new opportunity to enable better ways of working and empower greater collaboration across Defence. For further information about the NAD Group, please visit: National Armaments Director Group - GOV.UK
We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of 28.97%, to help make work work for you.
This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you’ve been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.
Job description
This is your opportunity to join a flagship defence programme and be at the forefront of delivering the backbone of the Royal Navy’s future frontline surface fleet.
As a Naval Overseer working alongside industry partners in a dynamic shipyard environment, you will provide on-site technical oversight of ship construction, trials, and upgrade activities, ensuring quality standards and contractual requirements are met throughout delivery. Using your technical expertise and professional judgement, you will identify and resolve issues at the earliest opportunity, support timely decision-making, and help mitigate programme, performance and delivery risks while contributing to testing and acceptance activities. The role offers the opportunity to participate in sea trials, spending time at sea and seeing first-hand how your work contributes to operational capability.
The Type 26 frigate is a strategically important acquisition programme, contributing to the UK's defence prosperity agenda and strengthening international collaboration. This role offers exceptional development opportunities and hands-on experience, and will expand your engineering knowledge and skills, build relationships to engage effectively with colleagues and stakeholders across Government and industry, and foster leadership experience.
If you’re curious, hands-on and enjoy finding solutions to technical engineering challenges, this is an outstanding opportunity to make a tangible contribution to the future effectiveness of the Royal Navy and be part of a programme that will leave a lasting legacy for UK Defence.
Working environment
This role is based within operational shipbuilding facilities and requires regular attendance aboard vessels under construction and trials. Successful candidates must be able to safely access all areas of a ship, including climbing ladders, negotiating narrow access routes, entering confined spaces, and working around scaffolding and temporary structures. Whilst the role is not primarily physically demanding, it requires a suitable level of mobility, agility, and resilience to safely undertake inspection, assurance, and oversight activities within an industrial maritime environment.
This is an on-site position based at the BAE Systems facility on South Street, Scotstoun, Glasgow, G14. The role offers a compressed working pattern of 8-hour days Monday to Thursday and a shortened day on Friday (37 hours/week), and there will be opportunities to support occasional night and weekend working.
What you'll be doing
- Provide professional engineering oversight of ship construction and trials, acting as a MOD/ National Armaments Director Group representative in the shipyard and helping to ensure ships are delivered to the required contractual, technical, and quality standards.
- Undertake on-site ship build assurance and inspection activity, identifying and recording defects, quality shortfalls, and emerging issues early, and supporting timely resolution with the shipbuilder and MOD project team.
- Use engineering judgement to support local decision-making, provide clear recommendations, and escalate issues where required to help maintain delivery tempo while managing risk appropriately.
- Support acceptance and assurance activities, including attendance at key inspections, tests, trials, and readiness events, and contribute to the evidence needed to demonstrate compliance with agreed requirements.
- Work collaboratively with industry partners, ship’s staff and MOD stakeholders to maintain effective communication, understand delivery risks, and support continuous improvement and lessons from experience.
- Promote safe, compliant, and professional working in shipyard and trials environments, supporting the management of safety, environmental and indemnity risks within the scope of the role.
Person specification
To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:
- Have technical Mechanical experience across a broad range of systems e.g. chilled water, HVAC, propulsion (Lead criterion).
- Have experience of providing technical advice and delivery of successful Mechanical outcomes.
- As a minimum hold:
- A Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics based qualification at RQF Level 6; or
- A Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics based qualification at RQF Level 4 and current professional registration with a body/institution related to your discipline at the level listed below; or
- A Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics based qualification at RQF Level 3, plus a minimum of 3 further years of relevant professional experience, or
- With a Professional body/institution related to your discipline, hold current professional registration at the level listed below, plus a minimum of 3 further years of relevant professional experience.
- Professional Registration List minimum level held Engineering Technician (EngTech) or Marine Engineering Technician (MarEngTech)
Please see the Professional Engineering Institution Equivalences for a list of approved equivalent professional registration as per the requirements listed above.
Note: Alternatives to RQF listed above (which cover England, Wales, and Northern Ireland only), are the Scottish SCQF; or an international equivalent qualification, which must be supported by a statement of comparability from UK ENIC.
Applicants should also consider their ability to work effectively and comfortably within an operational shipbuilding working environment.
AND
Be able to satisfy requirements of and obtain ENG1 seafarer medical fitness certificate. For recruitment purposes, external candidates do not need to hold these but must have no known reasons not to achieve this within 6 months of employment.
In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:
Core Behaviour 1: Making Effective Decisions (CSBC3)
Core Behaviour 2: Working Together (CSBC3)
Technical Competence 1: ECF 1.3 - Setting Technical Requirements, Evaluation and Acceptance (Supervised Practitioner)
Technical Competence 2: ECF 3.4 - Technical Decision Making (Supervised Practitioner)
Offered benefits
Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of - and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.
Further Information
- Civil Service Recruitment Principles Recruitment Principles - Civil Service Commission
- Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/DES-candidate-information-pack
- Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-Terms-and-Conditions
- Civil Service Code: The Code - Civil Service Commission
Any personal data that you provide during the Recruitment process will be treated in accordance with the MOD Privacy Notice
Disability Confident:
Please note as a Disability Confident Leader we want to ensure you receive any reasonable adjustments that you need throughout the recruitment process. If you do require any reasonable adjustments, you can let us know on your online application under the section ‘Please indicate and give details of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the recruitment process.’
Conflicts of Interest:
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. Selection process details:
Selection process details:
Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:
CV Review
Core Behaviour 1
Core Behaviour 2
Technical Competencies
Please Note: In the event of a tied score at interview, the Order of Merit will be distinguished based on the ranking of the assessed behaviours and competencies below:
- 1st: Core Behaviour 1
- 2nd: Core Behaviour 2
- 3rd: Technical Competencies
- 4th: CV Review
In the event of a further tie using the method above, we reserve the right to utilise the Lead criteria, and/or an additional assessment. Please note for this specific assessment, the Lead Criteria will be:
- Have technical Mechanical experience across a broad range of systems e.g. chilled water, HVAC, propulsion.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact department via email ([email protected].)
Offering at a lower level
If you’re not successful at interview, we may offer you a role at a lower level if this is a match for your skills and experience. If this applies to your application, you’ll be scored against criteria for the lower-level role and offers will be made in merit order. If you accept this position, you’ll be able to take advantage of opportunities to develop your career as part of our team.
