Length of employment: Job Summary: The Ministry of Defence employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 12,000 MOD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations. Ours is a diverse workforce, with roles ranging from trainers, human resources, teachers, and psychologists to storekeepers, financiers, project and programme managers, and policy secretariat staff. There are many different functions and professions delivering key outputs for the Army. The Army Personnel Centre (APC) is a military-led but largely civilian organisation responsible for managing the careers of the Army's personnel, and for assigning them into posts. Staff at all levels can genuinely make a difference to the lives of our Service Personnel, which makes for a satisfying work experience. This role sits within the Military Secretary's (MS) Referrals/ Army General and Administrative Instruction (AGAI) 67 section and leads a team of 9 staff who are responsible for the delivery of the MS Referrals process aligned to the MS / Army's priorities and Army / MOD policy and Safeguarding legislation. The role is also solely responsible for the delivery of AGAI 67 Removal from Appointment administrative action for all officer ranks aligned to Army policy. MS Referrals is the Army's process for determining whether to employ Army personnel in roles deemed regulated activity and / or involve working with vulnerable groups (children or adults). This includes the initiation of disclosure checks (criminal record background checks) processed through the MOD's Registered Body (Defence Business Services (DBS) and UCheck), in order to determine suitability for employment. This suitability is assessed through the Safeguarding Employment Suitability Decision Committee (SESDC) and its appeal committee; the Safeguarding Employment Suitability Decision Appeal Committee (SESDAC). This role provides the Secretary function for these committees. Removal from Appointment is an administrative measure to permanently remove a Service Person from their current assignment. This role provides an advisory function to Career Management branches and Army Chains of Command for all Removal from Appointment applications and is directly responsible for the staffing of Officer rank Removal from Appointment applications to MS and his delegates. This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. Job Description: As the Disclosure Checking and Removals from Appointment Lead, you will be responsible for the strategic management of the MS Referrals / AGAI 67 Removal from Appointment team ensuring that the appropriate policies and processes are in place to enable the Army to comply with Safeguarding legislation and MOD policy. You will respond quickly and effectively to changing priorities and to systems and data issues which prevent the team delivering key business outputs in a timely manner. You will ensure legislative and policy changes are incorporated into local processes and drive forward with digital solutions, proactively engaging with Army Pers Pol, Defence Business Services, APC Optimisation Team, Career Managers and Unit staff to ensure compliance and consistency of approach. Specific responsibilities include: Line management responsibility for 1 x Higher Executive Officer, 1 x Executive Officer and 7 x Administrative Officers. Comply with departmental Policy Rules and Guidance in relation to performance appraisal and absence management. Manage the development of staff to ensure current knowledge of policy and process, encouraging ideas for improvement and improved communication through staff cohesion days. Ensure training material is adequate and monitored regularly Sole responsibility for the provision of Subject Matter Expert advice to Removal from Appointment stakeholders and the preparation and management of casework to the Military Secretary and his delegates to enable timely and balanced decision making Secretary for the SESDC (monthly) and SESDAC (as required). Assess employment risk for cases delegated to the Senior Executive Officer role and manage all secretariat responsibilities within the team. Monitor progress of all SESDC/SESDAC casework to enable balanced and timely employment suitability assessments and decisions in time for assignments of Service Personnel into MS Referral positions. Report on trends to ensure compliance with policy and UK legislation and monitoring of pan-Army safeguarding / reputational risk Continuous improvement of processes and working practices, including the transition to digital disclosure checking to better support mandated outcomes / outputs. Engage with internal and wider-Army stakeholders to ensure understanding of process and roles and responsibilities and better management of case loads (within / outwith the MS Referrals team) Working collaboratively with Defence Business Services, Army Headquarters and APC Optimisation Team to influence policy and develop best practice ensuring MS Referrals / AGAI 67 Removal from Appointment stakeholders are kept informed of change through various communication channels 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. You will be required to engage with a wide range of contacts both within the APC and the wider Army and Defence organisations to include the Army Chain of Command, Defence Business Services and Disclosure Agencies and policy and legal branches. You will be required to produce written briefs and recommendations up to Major General level for Removals from Appointment, and undertake SESDC Secretariat duties including the preparation of monthly committees, the analysis of all cases being considered by the SESDC and employment suitability decision making for delegated cases. You will also be required to produce regular statistics for the SESDC, the Senior Leadership Team, AH CM Ops and individual Career Management Branches as well as delivering elements of briefings and training to both internal and external APC audiences. Over and above the core behaviours, you will enjoy working in a busy section as part of a team with good verbal and written communication, sound analytical skills and proven organisational and line management skills. A good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and experience of working with JPA/OASIS and an understanding of how the Army operates would be desirable. Essential: Good working knowledge of Microsoft Officer 365 Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal,able to liaise with a variety of stakeholders at all levels Sound analytical skills Proven organisational and line management skills Desirable: Experience of working within the MoD (particularly the Army) and within the Disclosure and Barring environment highly desirable Understanding of JPA/Oasis Understanding of how the Army operates At application you will be asked to provide a personal statement of no more than 500 words demonstrating your suitability for the role against the person specification. You will also be assessed against the following behaviours - Communicating and Influencing Leadership Making Effective Decisions Managing a Quality Service (lead behaviour) Applications will be sifted using all elements listed above, but in the event of a high number of applications, a sift will be conducted on the personal statement and lead behaviour only: Managing a Quality Service. When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected. At interview you will be assessed against the following behaviours - Communicating and Influencing Leadership Making Effective Decisions 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 in Glasgow, G2 8EX. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs. 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 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: 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