Defence Intelligence Health Security Analyst - #1696913

MoD Main Building, London

Job Summary

Defence Intelligence (DI) is part of the Ministry of Defence and provides expert all source analysis which supports strategic decision making within government. In Defence Intelligence, our people solve problems, develop understanding, and give perspective to the diverse and complex threats we face in an evolving world.

An exciting opportunity has become available to join the growing Medical and Health Security assessment team in Defence Intelligence’s Counter Proliferation (DI CP) Centre. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly raised the profile of the team and widened its customer base. Sustained cross-government demand, based on successes from the pandemic, is leading to an enduring appetite for a better understanding of current global health security matters to defence, national security stakeholders, and wider government.

The team assesses scientific, medical, epidemiological, environmental, technological, and other intelligence related to human or animal health from open, technical, and classified sources. We produce robust, high quality, forward-looking assessment to provide policy and decision makers with insight, foresight, and decision advantage. A broad range of government departments and agencies value and rely on our assessments, including the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, and the UK Health Security Agency.

In DI we believe your unique experiences, view and understanding of the world could provide a vital perspective and contribution to our work. We recognise that great minds do not think alike and are striving to increase our diversity representation at all levels. As an equal opportunities employer we hire, train and promote people based on merit and aspire to create a workplace free of discrimination. We also offer flexible working arrangements such as flexitime, job share and compressed hours.

All posts in DI are subject to fair and open competition.

This post is advertised for 37 hours per week

Job Description

This is a high-profile and highly varied role, and the post holder will:

• Fuse and critically evaluate medical, bio-scientific, epidemiological, environmental, and other information related to human or animal health from open and classified sources to assess medical capabilities, threats, and technologies. This includes health security hazards and threats, foreign military and civil medical capabilities and infrastructure, bioengineering, and the use of healthcare by foreign states of interest for diplomatic gain.
• Develop subject matter expertise in health capabilities and medical and health security.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with customers and stakeholders, ensuring intelligence output is aligned to their requirements, decision-making processes and timelines.
• Produce and communicate high quality, impactful intelligence assessments in accordance with the Professional Head of Intelligence Assessment analytic standards and Defence Intelligence guidance.
• Brief intelligence assessment to customers, routinely including ministers, senior civil servants, and military policy and decision-makers.
• Participate fully in national and international intelligence community collaboration processes and activities.
• This post has line management responsibilities for one civilian HEO, and tasking and coordination authority for one military reservist, by setting objectives, delegating tasks and managing team workloads and production priorities. Critically review assessments for publication, and deputise for the team lead for product release where necessary.
  
  

This is a high-profile and highly varied role, and the post holder will:

• Fuse and critically evaluate medical, bio-scientific, epidemiological, environmental, and other information related to human or animal health from open and classified sources to assess medical capabilities, threats, and technologies. This includes health security hazards and threats, foreign military and civil medical capabilities and infrastructure, bioengineering, and the use of healthcare by foreign states of interest for diplomatic gain.
• Develop subject matter expertise in health capabilities and medical and health security.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with customers and stakeholders, ensuring intelligence output is aligned to their requirements, decision-making processes and timelines.
• Produce and communicate high quality, impactful intelligence assessments in accordance with the Professional Head of Intelligence Assessment analytic standards and Defence Intelligence guidance.
• Brief intelligence assessment to customers, routinely including ministers, senior civil servants, and military policy and decision-makers.
• Participate fully in national and international intelligence community collaboration processes and activities.
• This post has line management responsibilities for one civilian HEO, and tasking and coordination authority for one military reservist, by setting objectives, delegating tasks and managing team workloads and production priorities. Critically review assessments for publication, and deputise for the team lead for product release where necessary.
  
  

Person specification

Essential Criteria And Skills:

• A STEM degree (or equivalent experience) providing technical and/or analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, enabling the post holder to succinctly convey complex information to a wide audience.
• Ability to prioritise, work under pressure and to meet strict deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others.
• Experience of intelligence assessment and the UK intelligence community.
• Good knowledge and awareness of global medical and health security issues (such as medical infrastructure vulnerability, emerging infectious diseases, novel biotechnology or environmental health developments).
  
  

The Following Are Desirable But Not Essential:

• Health or Medical Qualifications
  
  

Qualifications

STEM Qualification

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
  
  

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Leadership
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
  
  

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• PHIA Informing Decision Making
• 5 Min presentation: What will be the most important medical or health concerns for National Security over the next five to ten years?
  
  

Alongside your salary of £44,590, Ministry of Defence contributes £12,917 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

There are a wide variety of employee benefits for civil service staff in DI, including (this list is not exhaustive):

• Salary Payroll Giving
• Financial Education Resources
• Bicycle Purchase Advance & Cycle to Work Scheme
• Holiday, Season Ticket, Tenancy Deposit & Work Space Salary Advance Loans
• Free Parking (not available at Main Building)
• Generous Pension Scheme with employer contribution between 26.6% & 30.3%
• Death in Service Benefit
• Up to 30 days’ Annual Leave, and one Privilege Day
• Special Leave (including Study Leave and Volunteering Leave)
• Adoption, Maternity, Paternity and Shared Parental Leave
• Childcare Vouchers
• On-Site Nursery & Childcare at some MOD sites
• Flexible Working Hours
• Discounted Healthcare Packages
• Eyesight Tests and Spectacles
• Free On-Site Gyms at many sites
• Employee Assistance Programme
• In-Year Reward and Thank You Schemes
• Talent Schemes
• Defence Discounts
• Microsoft & Vodafone Employee Discount Schemes
• Boundless and Civil Service Sports Council Memberships available
• On-site shops, restaurants & cafes at most sites
  
  

Further details may be found at Civilian Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Experience:

This vacancy uses Civil Service Success Profiles and will assess your experience and behaviours. To apply, please provide evidence against the following aspects of Success Profiles:

We will assess your experience during the selection process. Candidates will be required to complete an online CV template to include job history, full details of education and qualifications, and previous work experience and skills. We are looking for evidence of qualifications, skills, and experience relevant to the job description and person specification.

We would also like a personal statement (500 words) outlining your interest in, and suitability for the role. Please highlight how your experience and skills are relevant to the job description and person specification.

Behaviours:

We will assess you against the following behaviours during the initial sift:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
  
  

Behaviours:

We will assess you against the following behaviours during the interview:

• Leadership
• Communicating & Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• PHIA Informed Decision Making
  
  

In the event of a high number of applications, your CV, personal statement, and evidence against the Leadership behaviour will be used to sift applications and offer interviews.

At the interview, we will assess your experience and the five behaviours outlined above. We would also like candidates to research and deliver a five-minute verbal brief on the topic: ‘What will be the most important medical or health concerns for National Security over the next five to ten years?’ No computer or visualisation tools (PowerPoint etc.) will be available on the day, this will be a purely verbal presentation only. Paper notes and handouts will be permitted.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process.

Things you need to know

Nationality Requirements

Open to UK Nationals only.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Enhanced Developed Vetting (eDV). Any appointment will be provisional until the vetting process is complete. Candidates with Developed Vetting would be able to start in the role whilst undergoing the eDV process.

See our vetting charter.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Training

All new DI analysts are mandated to undertake the DI Induction, the Fundamentals of Defence Intelligence (FODI), the DI I.T. Course, the Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Practitioner’s Course, the DI Analysis Module (DIAM) and pass the City & Guilds Level 3 Exam in Intelligence Assessment.

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: [email protected] .

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.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

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 developed vetting (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 developed vetting (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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 : DI CP
• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: [email protected].