Defence Business Services(DBS) - Armed Forces and Veterans Services (AFVS) Compensation, Operat[...]

UK Ministry of Defence; Blackpool; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A key strategic management position within the Ministry of Defence, aimed at supporting Armed Forces and Veterans through effective management of compensation schemes. This pivotal role involves development of policies, oversight of operational procedures, and strategic direction to improve service delivery for veterans and their families.

Benefits

Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension

25 days paid annual leave

Flexible working options

Hybrid working possibilities

Continuous professional development

Qualifications

• Ability to think and lead at a strategic level.
• Experience managing contractors and operational delivery.

Responsibilities

• Manage the strategic direction of business delivery and drive efficiencies.
• Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders to enhance operations.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Education

Relevant Degree

Job description

Tomlinson House, Norcross, Blackpool, Lancashire

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 28.97%. 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 2026.

Come and join the DBS community today!

Job Description

Primary Purpose

This is a key strategic management post reporting directly to the Head of Armed Forces and Veterans Services, with responsibility for 2 compensation schemes (Armed Forces Compensation and War Pensions). And, in addition, the change and transformation programmes, focused on future development of those schemes. Responsibility for development of Operational Policy, associated guidance and training and Tribunals.

Responsibilities

Line Management Responsibility for:

• Grade 7 x 2 (Compensations Schemes Assistant Head and Operational Procedures, Training and Courts Assistant Head); Medical Advisers x 24
• Countersigning Officer Responsibilities for: SEO x 5 and leadership responsibilities for circa 220+ associated officers from AA to HEO
• Lead and manage the strategic direction of the business delivery in line with the Key Performance Indicators, whilst seeking to drive efficiencies and improve the customer experience.
• Maintain an ethos of Continuous Improvement throughout the business areas and encourage/engage across business transformation initiatives to further enhance the intelligent customer role.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships both internally and externally, ensuring stakeholder engagement is at the forefront of business progression and communication. Specifically including Policy leads and lobby groups central to the business functions.
• Lead and manage the delivery of change, transformation and governance of projects associated with the compensation schemes to enhance the business delivery customer experience and legislative requirements.
• Provide written and oral input to strategic documents and meetings to influence the work of Veterans UK and the wider DBS, helping to realise business outcomes in line with Defence’s strategic direction.
• Make best use of budgets and financially delegated responsibilities to maximise the business outputs that drive the customer experience and efficiencies sought.
  
  

Line Management Responsibility For:

• Grade 7 x 2 (Compensations Schemes Assistant Head and Operational Procedures, Training and Courts Assistant Head); Medical Advisers x 24
• Countersigning Officer Responsibilities for: SEO x 5 and leadership responsibilities for circa 220+ associated officers from AA to HEO
• Lead and manage the strategic direction of the business delivery in line with the Key Performance Indicators, whilst seeking to drive efficiencies and improve the customer experience.
• Maintain an ethos of Continuous Improvement throughout the business areas and encourage/engage across business transformation initiatives to further enhance the intelligent customer role.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships both internally and externally, ensuring stakeholder engagement is at the forefront of business progression and communication. Specifically including Policy leads and lobby groups central to the business functions.
• Lead and manage the delivery of change, transformation and governance of projects associated with the compensation schemes to enhance the business delivery customer experience and legislative requirements.
• Provide written and oral input to strategic documents and meetings to influence the work of Veterans UK and the wider DBS, helping to realise business outcomes in line with Defence’s strategic direction.
• Make best use of budgets and financially delegated responsibilities to maximise the business outputs that drive the customer experience and efficiencies sought.
  
  

Person specification

Required Skills

• Ability to think, operate and lead at a strategic level
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationship with stakeholders
  
  

Essential:

Required Experience

• Experience of operational delivery
• Experience of working with and managing contractors
  
  

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
  
  

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
  
  

Alongside your salary of £70,540, Ministry of Defence contributes £20,435 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• An environment with flexible working options Monday-Friday
• 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%
  
  

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.
  
  

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.

Selection process details

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

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 Your :

Primary: Career - Personal Statement

Secondary: Career - Previous Skills

In this instance the remaining elements will be tested at interview.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
  
  

Experience:

• CV
• Personal Statement (1000 word count) Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the job description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlines in the job advert.
  
  

Behaviours:

At interview you will be assessed against the following:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
  
  

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 - Career - Job History

2 - Career - Previous Skills

3 - Career - Personal Statement

4 - Behaviour - Leadership

5 - Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing

6 - Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service

7 - Behaviour - Delivering at Pace

8 - Behaviour - Changing and Improving

9 - Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions

If Candidate Scores Are Still Exact, The Merit Order Will Then Be Determined On The Sift Score In The Below Order Or Priority:

1 - Career - Job History

2 - Career - Previous Skills

3 - Career - Personal Statement

4 - Behaviour - Leadership

5 - Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing

6 - Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service

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 week commencing: Early August 2025

Interviews are currently taking place via the following method: Face to Face

Interviews will be conducted week commencing: Mid to late August 2025

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. 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: [e-mail]

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.

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.

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 : Patrick Wright
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

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 [e-mail] 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/