Length of employment: Job Summary: Defence Children Services (DCS) are seeking 2 Business Support Officers to join our Specialist Support Services(SSS) and Schools Interface Service(SIS) pillars in the Headquarters' based at Trenchard Lines, Upavon. You will play a vital role in improving the educational outcomes of c.5000 children and young people in Service Families. This is a dynamic and exciting role providing the opportunity to work with our DCS teams and work with the wider Defence community. DCS is a Defence delivery organisation, subordinated under Army Regional Command. HQ DCS is UK based at Trenchard Lines, Upavon and has forward deployed staff all over the world. DCS is responsible for the education and care of children of accompanied Service and Defence entitled personnel in MOD schools and settings; provides advice and guidance in respect of education for service families in the United Kingdom and the wider world. The SIS is made up of multi-disciplinary teams of functional specialists who support the provision and business of our schools and settings, including teams specialising in the management and development of our buildings, the security and accuracy of our online presence, development and maintenance of our computer network, production and analysis of the data available to support education and care, school budgets and forecasts and procurement and asset management. The pillar provides Resource Management processes that enable our schools and settings to function efficiently across the world. The SSS is made up of individual teams with specific responsibility for activity that supports the education and care of children of Service and other entitled personnel. Teams in the Specialist Support Service work with the children, families and schools in DCS Schools and Settings, and support the education of UK Service children and families across the world. Specialist Support Service teams focus on Safeguarding, Overseas Supportability, Special Educational Needs, Elective Home Education, Education Welfare and Social Work, Educational Psychology, Speech and Language, Education Advice for Service Families in the UK and other areas of Defence, Education in support of Service Children. All activity is aimed to meet the needs of Service children and their families in respect of effective education and alleviating the challenges of mobility. The DCS Vision is that we Educate the Child - Support the Family - Defend the Nation. Are you enthusiastic, motivated and organised? Do you want to use your skills to support a team with-in Defence? If so, this role may be for you! Job Description: The SSS and SIS Business Support role is responsible for the efficient and effective delivery of all the services provided by the two pillars. This role supports the Assistant Heads (AH) across all areas of their responsibility and will aid all teams within the Pillar to manage competing priorities by providing a service level view in relation to the competing demands of stakeholders and delivery of cross team actions. The post holder will support the AH's to develop and deliver business improvements to ensure that the teams provide the services necessary to our schools, internal and external stakeholders and to meet the corporate needs of Regional Command. As a Business Support Officer, you will make a huge difference to Defence by providing excellent support to the SIS, SSS and wider DCS teams. You will be organised and self-motivated and be able to work in a lively, fast-paced environment. The post holder's key responsibilities and main duties are to support the Assistant Heads and wider teams by undertaking a range of business support tasks. Main responsibilities include but are not limited to: To produce documents and information using business analysis expertise To maintain relevant training and other team records as required Be responsible for record keeping and ensuring all teams have robust and secure methods of recording shared and sensitive Information Booking, preparing and organising meeting rooms supporting any group activities Preparing meeting agendas, joining instructions, handouts etc Drafting standard letters and correspondence, minutes, notes, reports etc, according to guidelines and instructions Checking and verifying documents, records, statistics etc. against set criteria, regulations or procedures Cross checking and validating work completed by other colleagues Collecting and assembling information for returns, statistical analysis, reports etc Communicating with internal and external stakeholders to collect information, check facts, give advice on the completion of returns etc To deliver a helpful, prompt, polite and "right first time" service to our internal and external customers The post holder may be expected to undertake other duties appropriate and commensurate with their grade and the roles and responsibilities of the post, as required by their line manager The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance. Other benefits for Army civil servants include: 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years' service Highly competitive pension scheme Personal and professional development of skills Alternative working patterns for many roles Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle Enhanced parental and adoption leave 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities Learning and Development We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. This includes working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking a modern apprenticeship as part of your role. A modern apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training. Through the schemes available you will gain a professional qualification, practical experience, and the broader skills required to develop in your current role and pave the way for your future career. The post does not offer relocation expenses. External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed. Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts. Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments. MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey - We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights. The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills and be able to develop and maintain a good working relationship with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders. They will adopt an innovative and flexible approach to solving problems, be a self-motivator who can demonstrate initiative and be able to manage to strict and demanding deadlines. They will have high standards of professional integrity, be resilient, determined, confident and energetic. They will be committed to the delivery of excellent customer service, with the ability to adapt the approach as the situation demands and be able to develop a knowledge of a range of subjects. The post holder will be required to hold the following essential knowledge and experience: Evidence of administrative experience and supporting a team Evidence of commitment to roles undertaken and ownership of outcome achieved Experience of delivering to agreed timelines and evidence of the ability to secure inputs from third parties to meet those deadlines Experience of maintaining collaborative relationships Experience of using Microsoft Office applications and the competence to exploit the full potential of Office 365 At application you will be asked to provide a CV and a personal statement of no more than 500 words. Your personal statement should demonstrate relevant skills and experience as outlined in the person specification. At interview you will be assessed against the following behaviours - Communicating and Influencing Delivering at Pace Managing a Quality Service Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed but these will be held in person at DCS HQ, Trenchard Lines. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to 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.