Location: MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol, BS34 8JH (office attendance required)
Duration: 26 – 30 months
Start Date: January 2027
Salary: £23,280 (with annual increments)
Entry Requirements: Five full GCSEs at grades 4-9 including English Language and Mathematics, and Two A Levels at minimum grade C
Working Pattern: Full-time
Join our Security Profession and be part of something that really matters—helping protect people, information, technology, and the UK’s defence capabilities.
Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) has recently been integrated into the National Armaments Director Group (NAD Group). The NAD Group brings together key Ministry of Defence (MOD) organisations including DE&S, 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 National Armaments Director Group - GOV.UK
This apprenticeship is a great way to get started, giving you hands-on experience while working towards a Level 4 qualification. From day one, you won’t just be learning—you’ll be actively involved in real work. You’ll help spot risks, understand potential threats, and support the team in keeping things safe and secure across a large and diverse organisation.
You’ll also gain experience across different areas of security, including people, physical environments, tech, and cyber—building skills that are in high demand and relevant to the modern, digital world.
Along the way, you’ll:
- Learn directly from experienced security professionals
- Build practical skills you can use throughout your career
- Work on real challenges that have a genuine impact
- Be part of a supportive team that wants you to succeed
If you’re curious, motivated, and want a career where you can make a difference while learning cutting-edge skills, this is a brilliant place to start.
What You’ll Do:
Stepping into the heart of Defence security where no two weeks are the same, you will build the skills that protect the UK’s most critical people, assets and information. During your apprenticeship, you’ll rotate across a range of specialist Security Profession teams, gaining hands-on experience in personnel, physical and cyber security.
You will:
- identify emerging threats and uncover vulnerabilities before they become risks
- support the assessment of complex security challenges
- help design smart, proportionate solutions that keep Defence secure and resilient
Working alongside experienced professionals and external partners, you’ll:
- shape and deliver engaging security briefings
- maintain and analyse asset and risk registers that inform key decisions
- contribute to real-world protective security planning and assurance activity
- build confidence communicating with a wide range of stakeholders
- champion best practice across DE&S, helping strengthen our security culture
By the end of your apprenticeship, you won’t just understand security, you’ll be actively influencing it, developing the essential skills and mindset needed to become a future Protective Security Adviser.
Read more about the Apprenticeship Standard here: Protective security adviser / Skills England
What We Offer:
Salary of £23,280 with annual increments
25 days holiday (plus bank holidays and an extra privilege day)
Employer pension contribution of 28.97%
Flexible working options and access to on-site facilities
Professional training and funding for qualifications
Access to employee networks promoting diversity and inclusion
Huge range of discounts
Eligibility:
UK residency for the last 5 years
Security Check (SC) clearance required
Right to work in the UK (DE&S does not sponsor visas)
Must not hold existing higher-level qualifications in the same or a similar subject
Must no longer be in full-time education by the start of the scheme
Minimum selection criteria:
Final-year students can apply with official predicted grades; all qualifications must be evidenced by end of August 2026. (Equivalent level qualifications in the required subject and grades will also be considered).
Application Process
Apply Online (6 July – 27 July 2026)
Complete an online application form using the link in this advert. Complete all information accurately including how you meet our minimum selection criteria. Please allow sufficient time to submit your application before the deadline.
Online Assessments (July/August 2026)
We’ll ask you to complete some interactive assessments. These should take around 20-30 minutes. They will provide us with insight into your adaptability, how you interact and learn new skills, and how you will naturally act and think at work.
Assessment Centre (September 2026)
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an assessment centre at DE&S headquarters, MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol. There will be limited dates available. You’ll undertake an interview, presentation and a group activity. Please note, attendance is required in person, as virtual participation is not available.
Onboarding (Oct – Dec 2026)
All pre-employment checks will take place to ensure you evidence our minimum selection and eligibility criteria to undertake a role within the MOD. If all are successful, we will provide a formal offer of employment.
Additional Information
Your application form must list your qualifications to meet the minimum selection criteria, if missing, we will be unable to qualify you against our eligibility checks.
Should you encounter any technical difficulties submitting your application please take screenshots and email us
[email protected]. Without screenshots of the issue, we may be unable to progress your application.
On occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to invite all successful candidates to an assessment centre, we may limit the number of invites offered. In this circumstance we may prioritise interviewing candidates who align most closely to the selection criteria. Information for this will be drawn from other sources of information from your application such as your CV.
We will assess you on the following DE&S Behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
Civil Service offers are made in order of merit. If you have passed our assessment centre but there are no roles available, we may offer you an alternative, or lower role in a similar position that matches your skills and experience, or you may remain on a reserve list for 12 months.
Security 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 prior to the start of the scheme or is obtained 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.
Due to the classification of information associated with certain projects, some work-based placements are restricted to Sole UK Nationals only.
Office attendance and attendance to a training providers site (where applicable) will be required. Travel and accommodation costs for office attendance or assessment centres are not reimbursed.
This post is not eligible for relocation allowances.
Please Note: In the event of a tied score at Assessment Centre, the Order of Merit will be distinguished based on the ranking of the assessed behaviours below:
1.Communicating and Influencing
2.Working Together
3.Making Effective Decisions
4.Delivering at Pace
In the event of the need for further merit differentiation the scheme lead will order candidates in merit using candidate assessment feedback.
- Feedback will only be provided if you attend an assessment centre.
- Please view and save our Candidate Information Pack: Candidate Information Pack
Diversity and Inclusion
As a Disability Confident level 3 leader, DE&S is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and offer reasonable adjustments for candidates with disabilities.
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 and offer them an interview or assessment centre opportunity if they meet the minimum criteria for the job.
On occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to invite all Disability Confident candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria to an assessment centre, we may limit the number of invites offered. In this circumstance we may prioritise interviewing candidates who align most closely to the selection criteria. Information for this will be drawn from other sources of information from your application such as your CV.
The job is broadly open to the following groups:
UK nationals
Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Further information on nationality requirements
Civil Service Information
Any personal data that you provide during the Recruitment process will be treated in accordance with the MOD Privacy Notice
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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.
Contact
Have a question or a request for a reasonable adjustment? Email us at [email protected]
to start your career and make a difference for the UK Armed Forces!
