Norcross - Tomlinson House, FY5 3WP
Job Summary
Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?
Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?
Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.
* Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
* Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability.
DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.96%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working.
DBS has recently undertaken a review of its operational locations in the North West, and have consolidated all activities in Norcross, Blackpool. A further move, to the new Government Hub at Talbot Gateway in Blackpool, is scheduled to take place in 2027.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
Come and join the DBS community today!
https://youtu.be/gUw0ToaRGgk
Job Description
Are you organised, detail-focused, and passionate about delivering high-quality service? If so, we want you to be part of something bigger — helping to support the UK’s Defence community by joining Defence Business Services (DBS), a key enabler within the Ministry of Defence.
We are currently recruiting Administrative Officers (AO) to join our Financial, Procurement & Civilian People Services (FPCP) team. This is an exciting opportunity to build a meaningful career, develop professionally, and make a real difference every day.
What You’ll Do
As an AO within FPCP, you’ll be fully trained and supported to provide a range of vital administrative services across areas such as:
* Recruitment and On-boarding
* Redeployment and Redundancy
* Security Clearances
* Pay and Workforce Management
* Finance & Procurement Services
No two days are the same. You’ll be solving problems, supporting our internal customers, and helping to keep critical services running smoothly for Defence personnel.
Are you organised, detail-focused, and passionate about delivering high-quality service? If so, we want you to be part of something bigger — helping to support the UK’s Defence community by joining Defence Business Services (DBS), a key enabler within the Ministry of Defence.
We are currently recruiting Administrative Officers (AO) to join our Financial, Procurement & Civilian People Services (FPCP) team. This is an exciting opportunity to build a meaningful career, develop professionally, and make a real difference every day.
As An AO Within FPCP, You’ll Be Fully Trained And Supported To Provide a Range Of Vital Administrative Services Across Areas Such As
* Recruitment and On-boarding
* Redeployment and Redundancy
* Security Clearances
* Pay and Workforce Management
* Finance & Procurement Services
No two days are the same. You’ll be solving problems, supporting our internal customers, and helping to keep critical services running smoothly for Defence personnel.
Person specification
Essential
We’re looking for proactive, people-focused team players who can:
* Deliver excellent customer service with a “right first time” approach
* Communicate clearly and effectively – both verbally and in writing
* Handle sensitive data with accuracy and discretion
* Stay organised and manage tasks to tight deadlines
* Use Microsoft Office tools like Word and Excel confidently
* Investigate and resolve customer queries with care and attention to detail
Desirable
* Have experience in a customer-facing role
* Take pride in your work and seek to continuously improve
* Enjoy working collaboratively and building strong working relationships
* Embrace a culture of service, integrity, and continuous learning
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Managing a Quality Service
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
* Delivering at Pace
* Changing and Improving
Alongside your salary of £26,770, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,755 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
* 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years' service (pro rata). In addition to 8 public holidays per year, you will also receive leave for the King's birthday
* Hybrid working, where role permits
* An opportunity to be considered for Reward & Recognition
* Family friendly policies including parental leave and adoption leave
* Learning and development tailored to your role
* Professional and personal development of skills
* A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
* Minimum of 15 days special leave in a rolling 12 month period for volunteer reserve commitments
* Special paid leave to volunteer up to 6 days per year
* A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Allowances
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
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.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Employment Hours
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Completing your application
Behaviour examples requires more than just information about what you did, it requires you to explain. There are many different approaches you could take to writing behaviours, such as the STAR, or the CAR method. As to which one you chose to use, it’s all down to your personal style of writing. Within the Civil Service, the most common approach is: The STAR method.
Using the STAR method, allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome. The job holder (and later the interviewer) will use this method to gather all the relevant information about a specific capability that the job requires.
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 job holder 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?
Actions - 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 of something that you did not do.
Results - 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.
Remember- if you are a school leaver or out of employment, and feel that you don’t have the experience to apply for this role then do this-
Make a List Of Your Skills, Strength And Experience
Focus on your education/day-to-day life/extra-curricular activities such as team sports
Highlight anything that would help you perform in the job that you are applying for
For more information on applying for Civil Service jobs and completing your application please visit-
The STAR method, National Careers Service
Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Working for the Civil Service - Civil Service - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
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.
Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.
Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. 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 Following Success Profile Elements
Primary: Career - Personal Statement
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
Experience:
* Personal Statement - Please submit a 500 word personal statement explaining how you meet the requirements of the role
* CV
Assessment Centre – July 2025
Assessment Centre: Top-scoring applicants will be invited to a half-day session at Tomlinson House, Norcross. You’ll take part in individual and group exercises, including an interview based on the Civil Service Behaviours below:
Behaviours
* Managing a Quality Service
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
* Delivering at Pace
* Changing & Improving
Please note: Travel costs to the assessment centre will not be reimbursed.
In The Rare Case Where Individuals Have Exact Matching Scores, The Order Of Merit Will Be Determined Based On The Behaviour Scores At Interview In The Following Order
1 - Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service
2 - Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing
3 - Behaviour - Delivering at Pace
4 - Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
5 - Behaviour - Changing & Improving
If Candidate Scores Are Still Exact, The Merit Order Will Then Be Determined On The Sift Score In The Following Order
1 - Career - Personal Statement
2 - Career - Previous Skills
3 - Career - Job History
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.
Application sifting to take place late June.
Interviews will take place as part of the assessment centre.
A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for the assessment centre. We endeavour to stick to these dates, 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: DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk
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.
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 Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
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.
The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and 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.
Be part of a team that matters. Apply today and help support the people who defend our nation.
To assist with your application please find attached -
DBS Candidate Information Guide - Working for Defence Business Services - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
(26) UK Ministry of Defence: Life, LinkedIn
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
* Name : Enhanced Recruitment Team
* Email : DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
* Email : DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@MOD.gov.uk in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/ #J-18808-Ljbffr